Digital Economy, Green Transition and Sustainable Urban Development

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid expansion of the digital economy is fundamentally transforming the way cities grow, innovate, and govern. Emerging digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, blockchain, and digital platforms, are reshaping urban production, consumption, public services, and governance systems. Meanwhile, cities are facing mounting challenges associated with climate change, environmental degradation, resource constraints, and carbon neutrality commitments. As a result, green transition has become a strategic priority for achieving sustainable urban development. Increasingly, the digital economy and green transition are recognized as mutually reinforcing forces that together drive urban innovation, industrial upgrading, environmental sustainability, and long-term resilience. Understanding how the digital economy can facilitate green transition and accelerate sustainable urban development has therefore become a key research frontier with significant academic and policy relevance.

This Special Issue, "Digital Economy, Green Transition and Sustainable Urban Development," aims to provide an interdisciplinary platform for advancing research on the interactions between digital economy development, green transition, and sustainable urban systems. We welcome original research and comprehensive review articles that deepen theoretical understanding, provide robust empirical evidence, and generate policy insights into the economic, technological, institutional, and governance mechanisms through which digital transformation promotes sustainable urban development. Contributions from urban science, economics, geography, environmental studies, public policy, management, engineering, and related disciplines are particularly encouraged.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

• Digital economy and sustainable urban development;
• Digital transformation and urban governance;
• Artificial intelligence, big data, IoT, and digital platforms for sustainable cities;
• Digital infrastructure and smart urban systems;
• Green transition and low-carbon urban development;
• Green innovation, industrial upgrading, and sustainable economic growth;
• Circular economy and resource-efficient cities;
• Renewable energy systems and intelligent energy management;
• Sustainable transportation and smart mobility;
• Urban resilience, climate adaptation, and environmental governance;
• Data governance, digital public policy, and urban decision-making;
• Regional innovation, spatial spillovers, and coordinated urban development;
• Comparative studies and policy evaluation of digital economy and green transition across cities and regions.

Despite the rapid growth of research on digital transformation, green development, and sustainable cities, existing studies remain fragmented across disciplines and frequently examine these themes in isolation. Comparatively little attention has been devoted to understanding the synergies between the digital economy and green transition, the mechanisms through which they jointly shape sustainable urban development, and the institutional and policy conditions that enhance or constrain these processes. Rather than treating digitalization and sustainability as parallel research agendas, this Special Issue emphasizes their dynamic interactions and co-evolution, highlighting how the digital economy can serve as a key enabler of green transition and sustainable urban development. By integrating perspectives from multiple disciplines and encouraging diverse methodological approaches—including econometric analysis, spatial analysis, machine learning, simulation modeling, network analysis, and comparative case studies—this Special Issue seeks to bridge existing research gaps and foster interdisciplinary dialogue. It aims to advance theoretical development, generate evidence-based policy recommendations, and provide practical insights for building more resilient, low-carbon, inclusive, and sustainable urban futures.

Prof. Dr. Hao Hu
Guest Editor

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-anonymized 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.