Urbanization and Land Use Planning for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 February 2024) | Viewed by 5519

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: urban sustainability appraisal; simulation and evaluation models for planning and urban; territorial and environmental public policies; decision support systems; urban walkability assessment methods and tools; cellular automata models; agent-based models; urban capabilities measurements and evaluation
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Guest Editor
Department of Civil, Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: territorial and urban policies; urban planning and design; neighbourhood regeneration strategies; sustainable development; sustainable cities; multicriteria decision methods and tools; multicriteria analysis and evaluation; integrated assessment models; decision support systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The impact of urban areas and cities on environmental degradation, climate change and socio-economic crises has dominated the debate on sustainability in the last few decades.

Urbanization represents a major contributor to climate change and biodiversity loss, two interrelated processes that profoundly affect the functioning and stability of ecosystems and, consequently, the overall quality of life for more than half of the world’s population. Therefore, the perspective of sustainable urbanization offers major opportunities to fight against poverty, inequality, unemployment, climate change and other pressing global challenges (UN-Habitat, 2020) on various spatial levels, from global to local.

The policy and planning interventions for coordinating urban functions and infrastructure construction is undoubtedly a crucial success factor for obtaining the urbanization right to achieve the goal of sustainable development. Different cities should integrate global goals into local land use plans and formulate sustainable development strategies according to their own resources, environment and development stage. That will also need the evaluation of the policy by assessing its contribution to make an inclusive, sustainable, healthy, and antifragile built environment to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This Special Issue aims to investigate the barriers of meeting the SDGs in the urbanizing process and discuss tools and methods that can serve as the guidance of strategic urban planning and land use policy making.

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

  • Sustainability evaluation framework;
  • Urban planning and design;
  • Land use strategies for sustainable development;
  • Urban green spaces/public space planning;
  • Socio-economic indicator and urban growth;
  • Rapidly urbanizing regions;
  • Simulation and evaluation models for planning.

Prof. Dr. Ivan Blecic
Dr. Valeria Saiu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

Keywords

  • built environment
  • sustainable urbanization
  • sustainable development goals (SDGs)
  • land use planning and policy
  • urban planning and design
  • evaluation/assessment models

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1763 KiB  
Article
Urban Disparities in Energy Performance Premium Prices: Towards an Unjust Transition?
by Ezio Micelli, Giulia Giliberto, Eleonora Righetto and Greta Tafuri
Land 2024, 13(2), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020224 - 11 Feb 2024
Viewed by 681
Abstract
In recent years, numerous studies have explored how energy and environmental performance impact property values. Superior energy efficiency is the basis for value disparities in real estate markets. However, measurements of these variations vary significantly. This research aims to investigate the relationship between [...] Read more.
In recent years, numerous studies have explored how energy and environmental performance impact property values. Superior energy efficiency is the basis for value disparities in real estate markets. However, measurements of these variations vary significantly. This research aims to investigate the relationship between market size and vitality and market value differences. This has significant implications for the nature of the energy transition, potentially determining fairness or inequality. The study considers the real estate market in six Italian cities: three metropolitan (Milan, Turin, and Florence) and three medium-sized cities (Padua, Mestre, and Bergamo). The sample includes 2935 properties. In metropolitan cities, hedonic pricing models confirm the relevance of energy performance in market value formation, highlighting a potential depreciation in property values by up to 30% between properties belonging to the highest energy class (A) compared to the lowest (G), and 14% between class D and G. Such premium gaps are halved in medium-sized cities. Conclusions foresee a scenario of socially and economically unjust transition that must be considered in policies aimed at improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings, with a specific concern for the nature and characteristics of the real estate markets involved. Full article
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22 pages, 14578 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Regional Medical Supply and Demand Network Characteristics Based on “Patient Flow Phenomenon”: A Case Study of the Core Area of the Wuhan Metropolitan Area
by Fang Guo, Wei Wei, Bowen Xiang and Mengyao Hong
Land 2024, 13(2), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020142 - 26 Jan 2024
Viewed by 629
Abstract
Examining medical supply–demand imbalances, as revealed through patients’ cross-boundary treatment behaviors, is vital for reducing a metropolitan area’s medical supply–demand gap and furthering sustainable development goals. This study, leveraging medical supply–demand and commuting data, scrutinizes medical imbalances in the Wuhan metropolitan area core. [...] Read more.
Examining medical supply–demand imbalances, as revealed through patients’ cross-boundary treatment behaviors, is vital for reducing a metropolitan area’s medical supply–demand gap and furthering sustainable development goals. This study, leveraging medical supply–demand and commuting data, scrutinizes medical imbalances in the Wuhan metropolitan area core. It includes a ‘People-centered’ theory for elucidating patients’ treatment behaviors, proposes a method for constructing a regional medical supply–demand network, and explores the problem of supply–demand imbalance. The key findings include: (1) Wuhan’s central area, despite its abundance of quality medical resources, fails to adequately cover the entire metropolitan area, indicating a need for broader resource distribution. (2) The Ezhou–Huangshi–Huanggang junction shows a stark contrast to Wuhan with its limited medical services and extensive hinterland connections. Future initiatives should aim to integrate resources dispersed from Wuhan, reducing regional disparities. (3) The city’s periphery, influenced by resource distribution models and geographic distance, exhibits significant variance from central urban areas in medical supply–demand connectivity, particularly around Wuhan’s eastern administrative boundaries. Future urban planning is needed to reinforce this area’s role as a vital medical services conduit. (4) The distinguishing differences among the nine medical service communities in terms of resource recognition, service sharing, and patient mobility provide policy guidance for the allocation of medical resources. Full article
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19 pages, 11093 KiB  
Article
Managing Urban Green Areas: The Benefits of Collaborative Governance for Green Spaces
by Danny Casprini, Alessandra Oppio, Giulia Rossi and Irene Bengo
Land 2023, 12(10), 1872; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12101872 - 04 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1436
Abstract
Urbanisation has had an impact on people’s livelihoods, and on social infrastructures as well as on the consumption of resources. In the last century, we have witnessed many transformations at the urban scale that in many cases led to the commodification and enclosure [...] Read more.
Urbanisation has had an impact on people’s livelihoods, and on social infrastructures as well as on the consumption of resources. In the last century, we have witnessed many transformations at the urban scale that in many cases led to the commodification and enclosure of public areas and, especially, green areas. With the turn of the millennium and following the adoption of the UN Agenda 2030, the trend has been partially reverted and cities in Europe are becoming progressively greener, although the phenomenon do not always bring positive societal outcomes and it is not able to re-distribute benefits among community members, promoting unequal access to green areas. Instead, in many cases the so-called green gentrification phenomenon has been identified as a primary societal challenge connected with urban regeneration projects. Building on this, the paper aims to find an answer to the question of whether or not the governance model adopted for urban green areas influences how benefits connected with ecosystem services are perceived by stakeholders and re-distributed at the community level. Based on the gaps highlighted in the theoretical background and direct observation of Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano (BAM), a recently developed urban park in Milan, an analytical framework was developed and tested. The results allow us to identify innovative practices for the management of green areas capable of maximising ecosystem services’ benefits beyond the intervention area. This will support the adaptability, replicability, and scalability of these initiatives while providing effective tools for practitioners and planners when developing a collaborative management model for urban green areas. Full article
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14 pages, 1497 KiB  
Article
Addressing Peripherality in Italy: A Critical Comparison between Inner Areas and Territorial Capital-Based Evaluations
by Ivan Blečić, Arnaldo Cecchini, Emanuel Muroni, Valeria Saiu, Serafino Scanu and Giuseppe Andrea Trunfio
Land 2023, 12(2), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020312 - 22 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1822
Abstract
As highlighted by the UN 2030 Agenda, sustainable development is a complex and multidimensional issue that can be effectively implemented and reached at the local level. This implies the evaluation of differences and disparities between territories in order to define local priorities and [...] Read more.
As highlighted by the UN 2030 Agenda, sustainable development is a complex and multidimensional issue that can be effectively implemented and reached at the local level. This implies the evaluation of differences and disparities between territories in order to define local priorities and support cohesion policy objectives. This need has been addressed by the Italian “National Strategy for Inner Areas”, which aims to support the growth of territories with a continuous economic and population decline. However, Inner Areas are identified by a set of indicators related to the low accessibility to Services of General Interest, neglecting other important factors that contribute to this condition. This paper proposes a critical analysis of this measurement and of the related “territorialization” of Inner Areas, by introducing a more comprehensive assessment model based on the concept of Territorial Capital (TC), which highlights a more nuanced understanding of complexities and diversities related to the potential development of a territory. In particular, the proposed model evaluates eight TC dimensions (human, social, cognitive, infrastructural, productive, relational, environmental and settlement capital), which cover a broad spectrum of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to accurately demonstrate the differences between the results of the two evaluation methods, this paper presents the results of a case study application concerning all 377 municipalities, which compose the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Italy). The findings of this study confirm the potential of an approach based on the Territorial Capital for place-based policymaking. TC, in fact, can become relevant for defining local priorities and supporting complex decisions, allowing governments to better design and tailor interventions for the effective and efficient management of available resources. Furthermore, these results pose new questions for future research developments in the field of sustainable and equitable development. Full article
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