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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Ecology and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 33001

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Patrizia Tassinari

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Guest Editor

Biosystems engineering Group, Department of Agricultural and Food sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Interests: Spatial and landscape analysis; spatial and landscape planning; regional planning; landscape design; resilience and sustainability of territorial systems; buildings and landscape; green systems; GIS; climate change mitigation and adaptation; integrated cross-sector planning; participatory planning; landscape quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Daniele Torreggiani

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Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Interests: spatial and landscape analysis; spatial and landscape planning; regional planning; landscape design; resilience and sustainability of territorial systems; buildings and landscape; green systems; GIS; climate change mitigation and adaptation; integrated cross-sector planning; participatory planning; landscape quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Landscape analysis and planning have been facing more and more challenging goals, with the rapid evolution of socioeconomic and environmental processes, the more and more strict connections between urban and rural areas and the increasing multifaceted nature of many landscapes, the increasing need of activating virtuous circular processes among the various landscape resources, the need of more and more integrated policies and plans at the various scales. Landscape identities and values represent strategic assets for regional development policies and programs, which must increasingly address the challenge of creating more inclusive and resilient societies, with the aim to increase the competitiveness of all regions. This poses both conceptual challenges related to the set-up of regional planning and development models, as well as methodological challenges about the implementation of plans, policies and programs.

The Special Issue addresses new challenges and cross-cutting issues in the landscape analysis and planning and regional development domains, with reference both to rural, periurban and urban landscapes, and both everyday and outstanding or degraded landscapes, in line with the European Landscape Convention. The Special Issue welcomes papers addressing innovative approaches and frameworks in the landscape analysis and planning and regional development fields; papers focusing on new methodological and technological challenges for combining development, social, environmental and economic sustainability, and landscape protection and enhancement; papers addressing the analysis of territorial challenges and the identification of innovative site-specific territorial policies aimed at multi-level, multi-sectoral and evidence-based regional development, from cities to rural areas, at various territorial scales; papers about the evaluation of the impact of landscape planning and regional development policies and plans for urban and rural development, support to policy making and decision making. Papers can also focus on relevant territorial or subject-based case studies, comparative studies, studies using multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, integrated approaches considering the various landscape features and the various interconnected processes and actors, participatory processes and experiences involving different actors and sectors (public and private, citizens and associations, local and regional organizations and public administrations, etc.)

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in World.

Prof. Patrizia Tassinari
Prof. Daniele Torreggiani
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. 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.

Keywords

Landscape analysis and planning
socioeconomic and environmental processes
circular processes
integrated policies and plans
city and the countryside
natural and cultural assets
production and socio-economic processes
landscape identity
landscape values
regional development policies and programs
inclusive and resilient territories and societies
approaches and frameworks
methodological and technological challenges
territorial development
social, environmental and economic sustainability
landscape protection and enhancement
site-specific territorial policies
interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches
integrated plans and programs
participatory processes
multi-actor and multi-sector plans and programs
policy making
decision making

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

4 pages, 168 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Special Issue “Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development”

by Patrizia Tassinari and Daniele Torreggiani

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9617; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159617 - 04 Aug 2022

Viewed by 953

Abstract

Landscape analysis and planning have been facing more and more challenging goals with the rapid evolution of socioeconomic and environmental processes, the increasingly strict connections between urban and rural areas and the progressively multifaceted nature of many landscapes, the increasing need of activating virtuous circular processes among the various landscape resources, and the need of more and more integrated policies and plans at the various scales [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

Research

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16 pages, 14598 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis on the Evolution and Resilience of Ecological Network Structure in Wuhan Metropolitan Area

by Liquan Xu, Zhentian Zhang, Gangyi Tan, Junqing Zhou and Yang Wang

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8580; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148580 - 13 Jul 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1938

Abstract

With the accelerated urbanization and frequent occurrence of climate extremes, the regional ecosystem service level has ushered in a great challenge, and the resilience of the ecological network has gradually weakened, leading to lower ecological benefits and production levels. As a core ecologically sensitive area in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Wuhan metropolitan area has been expanding outward with rapid urbanization, crowding out surrounding arable and ecological land, and facing serious challenges to the sustainable development of the national space, while current cross-regional ecological protection measures need to be strengthened urgently, and exploring the structural resilience of its ecological network is of great significance to promote regional stability. In this study, Wuhan metropolitan area is taken as an example, and we explore the evolution and laws of ecological network structure from the perspective of network analysis by constructing ecological networks in Wuhan metropolitan area in 2000, 2010, and 2020. Firstly, we select regions from the ecological control line developed in China as ecological source sites, and also select multivariate data to supplement them. Then, the ecological network was established using the MCR model. Finally, network analysis was applied to discuss the evolution of network structure under multiple times and propose corresponding conservation strategies. The results show that (1) the major ecological resistance of Wuhan urban area has increased by 5.24% in 20 years. (2) The centrality and connectivity of the network nodes have increased over the 20-year period, and the overall structure of the network has stabilized and the resilience of the network has increased. (3) There is a strong link between changes in the network as a whole and local resilience. The results of the study will help analyze the relationship between the network as a whole and the region, and provide reference for optimizing the ecological network and constructing the systematic management of ecological security pattern. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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15 pages, 2419 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Between Participatory Approaches and Politics, Promoting Social Innovation in Smart Cities: Building a Hum–Animal Smart City in Lucca

by Giulia Granai, Carmen Borrelli, Roberta Moruzzo, Massimo Rovai, Francesco Riccioli, Chiara Mariti, Carlo Bibbiani and Francesco Di Iacovo

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7956; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137956 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2203

Abstract

In recent decades, the interest in social innovation and nature-based solutions has spread in scientific articles, and they are increasingly deployed for cities’ strategic planning. In this scenario, participatory approaches become pivotal to engaging the population and stakeholders in the decision-making process. In this paper, we reflect on the first year’s results and the strengths and weaknesses—of the participatory activities realized in Lucca to co-design and co-deploy a smart city based on human–animal relationships in the framework of the European project Horizon 2020 (IN-HABIT). Human–animal bonds, as nature-based solutions, are scientifically and practically underestimated. Data were collected on the activities organized to implement a public–private–people partnership in co-designing infrastructural solutions (so-called Animal Lines) and soft nature-based solutions to be implemented in the city. Stakeholders actively engaged in mutual discussions with great enthusiasm, and the emergent ideas (the need to improve people’s knowledge of animals and develop a map showing pet-friendly services and places and the need for integration to create innovative pet services) were copious and different while showing many connections among the various points of view. At the same time, a deeper reflection on the relationships among the participatory activities and institutionally integrated arrangements also emerged. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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34 pages, 8417 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Breath of the Metropolis: Smart Working and New Urban Geographies

by Fulvio Adobati and Andrea Debernardi

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 1028; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14021028 - 17 Jan 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3835

Abstract

The paper explores the potentialities of telework, a topic with rich literature published since the 1970s, which has become topical again with its forced application related to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. The paper carries out an analysis of the potential territorial impact—transport networks and geographies of living—of telework in the Italian national context. The analysis highlights the potential relevance of the application of telework in certain metropolitan areas that present urban poles where economic sectors with a high propensity for telework are centralised. This survey relates the large stock of tourist housing in the vicinity of large metropolitan areas to a potential demand arising from the change in housing preferences towards more pleasant contexts made possible by the application of telework. In conclusion, this work aims to contribute to the construction of a platform for the Italian context—lagging behind but with recent legislative measures on smart working—aimed at favouring the definition of research lines able to enhance the potential offered by the application of telework for environmental, social, and territorial sustainability objectives, and it also aims to outline possible territorial scenarios for the main metropolitan areas Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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20 pages, 9089 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Landscape Works. Balancing Nature and Culture in the Pantelleria National Park

by Romina D’Ascanio, Lorenzo Barbieri, Giorgia De Pasquale, Andrea Filpa and Anna Laura Palazzo

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13371; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313371 - 02 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2306

Abstract

Traditional agricultural practice and peculiar geographical features in the Mediterranean basin have not only moulded cultural and heritage values, but also created the conditions for the development of habitats to be protected. Therefore, Landscape proves a suitable concept both for the enhancement of cultural features and for nature conservation. The aim of this work is to apply the landscape approach to the Pantelleria National Park, providing the opportunity to reflect upon and discuss whether and how to encompass rural landscape planning and management within the broader context of natural values, offering a frame of reference for the zoning of the future Park Plan. Specifically, the research aims to define zoning categories, typical to protected areas planning, using criteria related to landscape features and patterns, environmental quality, traditional agriculture, architectural heritage. Established in 2016, the Pantelleria National Park is the most recent Italian National Park and the first one in Sicily. The Park covers 79% of the island, encompassing two sites of Community Importance as well as one Special Protection Area belonging to the Natura 2000 network. Pantelleria is a microcosm gathering a great variety of natural and human-made landscapes characterized by high levels of complexity embodying the antagonism of two protected ‘noble interests’: Nature and the environment on the one hand, Culture framed as traditional rural practices on the other. The main challenge of the new-founded National Park is to combine quality and values relating to the domain of Nature, which is expanding, with those expressed by Culture, represented by a wide array of historical rural values at risk due to ongoing abandonment of most remote areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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17 pages, 2716 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Complex Systems Thinking Approach to Urban Greenery to Provide Community-Tailored Solutions and Enhance the Provision of Cultural Ecosystem Services

by Maria Elena Menconi, Ambra Sipone and David Grohmann

Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 11787; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111787 - 25 Oct 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2299

Abstract

This paper presents a GIS-based method for supporting local administrations in the design of urban green areas while taking into account the complexity of the whole system. The proposed method merges the criteria of availability, accessibility, attractiveness, usability, and suitability in a multi-level approach (city, neighborhood green area) to assist in the selection of which services within green areas to enhance from those requested by citizens. The case study is an urban park in a medium-sized Italian city (Perugia). The results demonstrate that the available urban green spaces amount to 34.7 m² per person, but only 24% of citizens have adequate access to a green area providing at least an adequate level of service, and 18% of them are without access to any appropriately equipped green area. Furthermore, citizens have limited knowledge of their city’s urban green system as a whole. Indeed, 41% of the requested services were already available in other accessible green areas with attractive and readily available dedicated equipment. These areas were suggested as alternative solutions. To achieve a complex systems approach, our results suggest observing similar systems with various and adaptable scales and studying them as open networks composed of heterogeneous internal and external variables. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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22 pages, 9058 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Ecosystem Services Can Strengthen the Regeneration Policies for Monumental Olive Groves Destroyed by Xylella fastidiosa Bacterium in a Peri-Urban Area

by Teodoro Semeraro, Elisa Gatto, Riccardo Buccolieri, Valentina Catanzaro, Luigi De Bellis, Lorenzo Cotrozzi, Giacomo Lorenzini, Marzia Vergine and Andrea Luvisi

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 8778; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168778 - 05 Aug 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2697

Abstract

The Apulian Region (Italy) is a socio-ecological system shaped by the millennial co-evolution between human actions and ecological processes. It is characterized by monumental olive groves protected from Regional Law 14/2007 for the cultural value of the landscape, currently threatened by the spread of a devastating phytopathogen, the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa. The aim of this paper is to apply landscape resilience analysis focusing on ecosystem services to understand the potential effects and trade-offs of regeneration policies in a peri-urban area characterized by monumental olive groves land cover. The study involved land-cover and land-use analysis, supported by a survey on the inhabitants and an ecosystem services analysis. The results showed a mismatch between the agroecosystem and the social and economic use linked to leisure or hospitality. The study area was defined as a peri-urban landscape characterized by tourist use. From the interviews of the users, the cultural heritage of olive groves seems linked to the presence of olive trees like a status quo of the landscape and olive oil productions. The culture aspect could thus be preserved by changing the type of olive trees. In addition, the analysis showed that the microclimate could be preserved and enhanced in terms of air temperature and thermal comfort, by replacing the olive trees with varieties resistant to Xylella, such as cv. Leccino. Therefore, regeneration policies that promote replacing dead olive groves with new olive trees could be efficient to stimulate social components of the landscape and improve the resilience of ecosystem services in peri-urban areas in the interest of the cultural heritage of the users and benefits that they provide. An ecosystem services analysis at a local scale could be a strategy for an integrated regenerate approach between land-use and land-cover with social, ecological, and economic evolutions vision orientated to a sustainable and desirable future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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19 pages, 3880 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Role of Urban Greening Strategies for Environmental Sustainability—A Review and Assessment in the Context of Saudi Arabian Megacities

by Abdullah Addas and Ahmad Maghrabi

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6457; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116457 - 06 Jun 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3799

Abstract

The review and assessment of urban greening patterns play a crucial role in sustainable urban planning and green spaces (GSs) management, helping to improve human well-being. In recent years, various methods and strategies were applied to examine the relationship between GSs and environmental sustainability, but so far, no studies on systematic review and empirical assessments were carried out in Saudi Arabian context. Thus, a comprehensive review and assessment of current GSs patterns and planning strategies are important for achieving urban environmental sustainability. This study aims to assess spatial pattern of GSs across the cities and a bibliographic review on the urban greening strategies in the Saudi context. These six urban strategies were further supported from empirical evidence on Saudi cities. Geographical information system (GIS) techniques and questionnaire surveys were performed for spatial mapping of GSs and the perceived role of GSs strategies of the respondent to environmental sustainability across cities. The findings showed that (i) highest PCGS was reported from Dammam (5.4 m²) followed by Riyadh (1.18 m²), and Jeddah (0.5 m²); (ii) most of the respondents use GSs for picnic (59%), mental well-being (53%), and physical activities (47%), respectively; (iii) GSs play a significant role for local climate regulation such as temperature control (78%) and UHI reduction (81%), and GSs provide thermal comfort (84%), respectively; and (iv) 40% respondents do not use GSs due to the lack of availability, accessibility, design, management, and safety of GSs. Thus, such findings of the study surely assist planners and policy makers to understand and implement the suggested GSs strategies to meet the satisfaction level of the respondents as well as to manage GSs at neighborhood and city level for urban environmental sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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14 pages, 4473 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Riparian and Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystem Assessments for National Forests in the Western U.S.

by Katelyn P. Driscoll and D. Max Smith

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4488; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084488 - 17 Apr 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2110

Abstract

In 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture adopted a new planning rule that outlined a process for developing, amending, and revising land management plans for the 155 National Forests, 20 National Grasslands, and one Tallgrass Prairie managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The rule outlines a framework with three phases: assessment, development/amendment/revision, and monitoring. We are assisting National Forests in the western U.S. with the first phase by completing a series of assessments of riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Here, we describe our methods and the lessons learned over the course of conducting assessments for seven National Forests. Per the requirements of the planning rule, we conduct a rapid assessment of ecological integrity that uses existing data to evaluate drivers, stressors, structure, function, composition, and connectivity. We have collaborated with National Forests, state agencies, and other research groups to obtain datasets representing various wetland landscape features. Our work supports the plan revision process, from assessment through plan approval, and informs future forest and project planning for the restoration and maintenance of structure, function, composition, and connectivity. We developed our assessment methods in collaboration with resource managers at the National Forest and regional level to ensure useful end products such as published technical reports, literature reviews, photo libraries, or collections of datasets related to riparian and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Our approach and lessons learned throughout the process are relevant to other resource management planning applications, analyses of landscape condition, as well as assessments of other ecosystems, such as forests or grasslands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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18 pages, 5473 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing Landscape Ecological Risk Induced by Land-Use/Cover Change in a County in China: A GIS- and Landscape-Metric-Based Approach

by Jianxiao Liu, Meilian Wang and Linchuan Yang

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9037; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219037 - 30 Oct 2020

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 2608

Abstract

Landscape ecological risk assessment (LERA) evaluates different types of potential environmental impacts and their cumulative effects, thereby providing policy insights for sustainable regional land-use and ecosystem management. In a departure from existing literature that heavily relies on low-resolution land-use data for LERA at provincial or municipal scales, this study applies high-resolution land-use data to a relatively small research area (county). In addition, this study modifies the evaluation units of LERA from equal-sized grids to watersheds and refines the ecological vulnerability weight on the basis of finer-resolution data. The main findings are summarized as follows: (1) In 2011–2013, nearly 866 ha of land use in Xiapu County changed; moreover, the construction land, which was mainly concentrated in Songgang Street and Xinan Town, increased the most (340 ha). (2) Landscape ecological risk (LER) was roughly maintained, and areas of high ecological risk were mainly concentrated along the coast. (3) The spatial distribution of LER maintained a relatively aggregated pattern, with no trend toward more aggregated or more dispersed change. This study further discusses the relationship between local LER and land-use change and how to balance global and local LER in planning practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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25 pages, 13442 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of Marginal Landscapes as Support for Sustainable Development: GIS-Based Analysis and Landscape Metrics Assessment in Southern Italy Areas

by Elena Cervelli, Ester Scotto di Perta and Stefania Pindozzi

Sustainability 2020, 12(13), 5400; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135400 - 03 Jul 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3025

Abstract

Landscape is increasingly characterized by a multifaced nature. In scientific literature and landscape governance, new landscape definitions are often coined to explain new meanings and to define specific intervention strategies and tools. The present study purposes a framework for the identification of hybrid landscapes as support for land-use planners, which aim to guarantee development opportunities as well as natural heritage preservation and valorization. “Marginal lands” were identified starting from EU Directives and scientific approaches, by means of multicriteria analysis. Different scenarios were built: (1) no-change; (2) energy crops; (3) green infrastructures. An ecosystem services approach, via landscape metrics analysis, was used to compare the possible effects of scenarios. About 20% of the study area, an internal area of the southern Apennines, was identified as suitable for land-use change in a medium-short time, and scenarios of land-use changes show a better condition, in terms of fragmentation, than as a current asset. Results showed the strategic role and potentialities of marginal lands, as a trade-off between nature conservation and development issues, suggesting new opportunities for green infrastructures and a renewable energies chain. The study allowed for deepening the close connection among landscape planning approaches, land use change scenarios building and environmental assessment, focused on the ex-ante evaluation stage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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Review

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16 pages, 787 KiB

Open AccessReview

Integrating Ecology into Land Planning and Development: Between Disillusionment and Hope, Questioning the Relevance and Implementation of the Mitigation Hierarchy

by Hélène Barbé and Nathalie Frascaria-Lacoste

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12726; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212726 - 17 Nov 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3216

Abstract

Scientific research on the mitigation hierarchy has steadily increased over the past few years at the international level. While some seek to improve the application of this public action instrument, others point out its shortcomings and risks. This opinion paper—which focuses on the French context—does not provide an exhaustive overview of existing research but instead targets specific issues considered to be a “priority”. We mainly investigate the relevance and implementation of the mitigation hierarchy, especially from an ecological point of view. Part of this paper thus questions the very principle of biodiversity offsetting (BO)—the last resort of the mitigation hierarchy that brings together numerous controversies—and the adequacy of the mitigation hierarchy with the objective of no net loss (NNL) of biodiversity. The general idea underlying this paper is to show how the mitigation hierarchy has been built and based on what values (mainly economic and legal, which leads us to conclude about the lack of ecology in the policy itself). In doing so, we provide a few perspectives as to what should be done to (better) integrate ecology into land use planning and development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landscape Analysis, Planning and Regional Development)

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