A Livable City: Rational Land Use and Sustainable Urban Space

Dear Colleagues,

The concept of livability in an urban context has increasingly become a central focus for researchers, policymakers, and urban planners. As the world’s population continues to urbanize at an unprecedented rate, the question of how to make cities more livable, sustainable, and equitable has risen as a key concern. Given this background, this Special Issue, “A Livable City: Rational Land Use and Sustainable Urban Space”, aims to contribute to this crucial discourse by advancing urban planning strategies and practices.

The notion of a “livable city” encompasses a wide array of components, including environmental sustainability, social equity, economic viability, and cultural vibrancy. Thus, it is highly related to the spatial organizations of an urban environment, society, and economy, which constitute the essential targets of urban planning. Therefore, the concepts of rational land use and sustainable urban spaces are critical when addressing the multifaceted challenges that cities face today. As such, this Special Issue invites contributions that shed light on innovative urban planning strategies, policy interventions, and practical initiatives demonstrating the potential to transform cities into more livable spaces. Additionally, through articles with various foci, including empirical studies, theoretical explorations, and methodology contributions, this Special Issue aims to comprehensively evaluate current trends, challenges, and opportunities related to the concept of creating livable cities. We seek to foster a multidisciplinary dialogue that can inform and inspire urban planners, policymakers, and geographers committed to the vision of sustainable and equitable urban development.

The scope of this call encompasses (but is not limited to) the following areas:

• Strategies for sustainable land use;
• The impact of land-use regulations;
• Innovative approaches to urban planning, design, and architecture;
• New methods in urban spatial planning;
• Smart city technologies in urban infrastructure management;
• Addressing equity and inclusivity in urban development;
• Economic impacts of urban planning decisions;
• Public participation and governance in urban planning processes;
• Adapting urban spaces to climate change challenges;
• Strategies for resilient urban infrastructure.

Dr. Yangyi Wu
Dr. Monika Kopecká
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Land 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 2600 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.

• rational land use
• sustainable urban space
• urban planning and design
• spatial optimization
• public participation and governance
• land-use policy