Interactions and Transformations in Urban–Rural Land Use Systems and Their Nexus with Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Global urbanization, agricultural intensification, and rural land abandonment are reshaping urban–rural land use systems at an unprecedented pace, and these transformations drive complex interactions between urban and rural landscapes, altering ecosystem services, biodiversity, and human well-being. Despite significant advancements in land use change research, critical knowledge gaps remain in our understanding of the dynamics of urban–rural land transitions and their bidirectional feedback mechanisms with ecosystems. Such interactions are essential for achieving sustainable development goals, including climate resilience, food security, and equitable resource governance.

This Special Issue aims to advance interdisciplinary research on the drivers, processes, and ecological impacts of urban–rural land use transitions. We invite original research and review articles that explore the systemic linkages between land use transformation, socioeconomic transitions, and ecosystem responses. Submissions should align with the scope of Land by integrating spatial, temporal, or socioecological perspectives to provide scientific insights for policy development and sustainable land management.

We encourage methodological advancements, comparative studies, and policy analyses, particularly interdisciplinary research integrating geography, ecology, economics, and social sciences.

We welcome submissions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

• The driving mechanisms of urban expansion and rural land intensification/abandonment;
• Trade-offs and synergies in ecosystem services along the urban–rural gradient;
• Governance frameworks for integrated urban–rural land planning and management;
• Case studies on peri-urban expansion, agroecological transitions, or nature-based solutions;
• Systematic analyses of land use transitions;
• The impacts of climate change on urban–rural–ecological coupled systems;
• Changes in urban–rural ecological land use;
• Innovative applications of remote sensing and artificial intelligence in land system interactions

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Lingzhi Wang
Dr. Yeting Fan
Dr. Hichem Omrani
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.

• urban-rural land use systems
• ecosystem services
• land use transitions
• land cover change
• sustainable land management
• peri-urban expansion
• socioecological feedback