Controlled-Environment Agriculture and Social Innovation in Urban Agriculture: Integrated Pathways Toward Sustainability
A special issue of Urban Science (ISSN 2413-8851).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 452
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sustainable business model; innovation in sustainable business models; strategic management for sustainability; emerging themes in sustainability and innovation
Interests: sustainability, innovation and climate change, with a focus on sustainable and smart cities; urban resilience; innovation environments; entrepreneurship
Interests: strategy in organizations; management of technological innovation and sustainability
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The Special Issue “Controlled-Environment Agriculture and Social Innovation in Urban Agriculture: Integrated Pathways Toward Sustainability” focuses on advances in Controlled-Environment Agriculture (CEA) and their intersection with socially innovative practices that support the development of sustainable urban food systems. CEA technologies—including vertical farming, hydroponics, aquaponics, and climate-controlled production—have significant potential to increase productivity, enhance resource-use efficiency, and mitigate climate-related risks in urban areas. At the same time, social innovation has become essential for strengthening community engagement, improving food access, and promoting equitable and resilient agricultural models.
This Special Issue aims to gather high-quality research that integrates technical, environmental, social, and governance perspectives. We invite authors to submit contributions that examine how CEA solutions and social innovation can jointly address challenges related to sustainability, food security, circularity, and urban development. Studies may include theoretical and empirical research, case studies, technology assessments, policy analyses, and interdisciplinary approaches.
Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) CEA system design and optimization; digital and smart farming technologies; sustainable resource management; environmental impacts of CEA; community-based urban agriculture initiatives; food governance; social inclusion; and circular and regenerative practices. By connecting engineering and social innovation, this Special Issue aims to advance the current understanding of sustainability pathways in urban agriculture.
Dr. Jordana Marques Kneipp
Dr. Roberto Schoproni Bichueti
Prof. Dr. Clandia Maffini Gomes
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Urban Science is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- sustainability
- food security
- circularity
- urban development
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