AI-Enhanced Sustainable Design and Planning for Housing and Indoor Environments

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce a new Special Issue, entitled “AI-Enhanced Sustainable Design and Planning for Housing and Indoor Environments”, in the journal Sustainability.

Sustainable design and planning play a critical role in shaping healthier, energy-efficient, and climate-resilient living environments. This Special Issue focuses on advancing innovative strategies for housing and indoor environments, with particular emphasis on energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality (IEQ), occupant well-being, climate responsiveness, and environmental resilience. The goal is to promote research that supports the development of sustainable living spaces across diverse geographic and socio-economic contexts.

In line with emerging technological advancements, this Special Issue also aims to explore the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in sustainable design and planning processes. Relevant topics include AI-driven tools for design optimization, predictive analytics for energy use and IEQ performance, adaptive control systems, and machine learning approaches for modeling occupant behavior and preferences. We especially welcome contributions that present novel AI applications and interdisciplinary approaches that enhance sustainability outcomes in the built environment.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:  

• Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and occupant well-being;
• Energy-efficient building systems and smart energy transitions;
• Climate-responsive and resilient residential environments;
• AI applications in sustainable architecture and urban design;
• Machine learning for occupant behavior modeling and prediction;
• Data-driven optimization of building performance;
• Adaptive control systems for indoor comfort and energy use;
• Digital twins and simulation for sustainable housing solutions;
• Equity and accessibility in smart and sustainable housing design.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Wei-An Chen
Dr. Mingzhe Liu
Dr. Yuan Gao
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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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.