Urban Forestry as a Strategy for Promoting Greener and Healthier Cities

Dear Colleagues,

The phenomenon of urbanization, characterized by increased population density and expanding anthropogenic structures, invariably leads to environmental challenges such as elevated levels of atmospheric pollutants, urban heat island effects, and a decrease in biodiversity. Urban forestry is an interdisciplinary field that merges urban planning with forestry science, advocating for the systematic and strategic incorporation of vegetation within urban landscapes. Trees and urban green spaces play pivotal roles in carbon sequestration, offsetting a fraction of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Additionally, through transpiration and shade provision, urban trees mitigate the urban heat island effect, reducing temperatures in densely built areas and providing a multitude of other interconnected ecosystem services. Indeed, from a public health perspective, urban forests have been associated with improved air quality by filtering particulate matter and other pollutants. Moreover, recent studies indicated the psychological benefits of integrating natural elements into urban spaces, suggesting decreased levels of stress and improved cognitive function among urban dwellers.

In this scenario, we intend to publish high-quality papers related to arboriculture and urban forestry, which may include basic and applied studies. Full experimental and methodological details must be provided for research articles.

Accordingly, this Special Issue is interested in:

• Research articles;
• Review articles;
• Mini-review articles;
• Perspective articles;
• Opinion articles.

In particular, we welcome contributions by early-career researchers.

Prof. Dr. Francesco Ferrini
Dr. Ermes Lo Piccolo
Dr. Barbara Mariotti
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. Urban Science is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1600 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.

• biodiversity
• ecosystem services
• edible green infrastructures
• global climate change
• psychological benefits
• tree physiology
• urban ecology
• urban forest
• urban greening
• urban pollution