Building Resilient and Sustainable Territories

Dear Colleagues,

In the aftermath of the pandemic crisis and amidst global conflict, our interconnected world faces profound challenges. Despite the threats and destruction to which our planet has been subjected, a multiplicity of ecosystems persists even though they are suffering a critical loss of biodiversity. It is very common to find a combination of dynamic, multifunctional territories in these ecosystems neighboured by others in decline, where development and sustainability are at stake. These areas show the indelible effects of climate change and particularly of human intervention, further aggravated by the ongoing war in Europe. However, awareness of these critical issues is growing and their impact on the environmental, economic, and social levels has fostered the need for intervention at multiple different scales. Thus, strategies are being drafted that focus on inclusive development based not only on the conservation of landscapes and heritage but also on the revitalisation of social frameworks. To achieve these aims, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the UN and embodied in the "Agenda 2030" are of mandatory reference, representing imperative challenges in the current context of warfare in the European area which aggravates social inequalities and environmental problems.

Policy convergence is required to achieve these goals, where environmental and social strategies gain priority over strictly economic motives.

In this sense, Building Resilient and Sustainable Territories is the central theme of this special issue associated with the XVIII International Seminars of the Overarching Issues of the European Area, which will take place from the 23rd to the 26th of May 2024 at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto, Portugal.

Focused on SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13: Climate Action, and SDG 15 15: Life on Land.

We are all part of the planet’s ecosystem and we have caused severe damage to it through deforestation, loss of natural habitats, and land degradation. Promoting a sustainable use of our ecosystems and preserving biodiversity is not a cause. It is the key to our survival. Therefore, this Special Issue will focus on regional resilience, sustainable development, and land planning and management by highlighting the rural and urban connections in a changing climate.

The Special Issue aims to publish articles that examine the determinants of community resilience, strategic scenarios of regional development, pathways of climate change adaptation, landscape planning public policies, land use change and sustainable tourism key factors, among others.

Contributions from scientists, experts and practitioners in Geography, Land use and land cover, Economy, Rural and Urban Landscape Planning, Climate Change Environmental and Societal Challenges, Tourism, among others, are welcome to submit in this Special Issue.

Therefore, the special issue will be titled "Building Resilient and Sustainable Territories" and is open to proposals of high merit and quality that address the following topics of sustainable development:

1. land use and climate change;
2. innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital transformations in territories;
3. tradition, heritage, and tourism;
4. economy and sustainability;
5. urban and rural connections;
6. resilience and transitions in rural areas;
7. land use change and ecosystem management;
8. climate change, environment and sustainable development;
9. vulnerabilities, risks, and civil protection;
10. European policy challenges and spatial planning;
11. biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management;
12. circular economy and waste management;
13. environmental policy and governance;
14. resources management and conservation;
15. sustainable agriculture and food systems;
16. green technologies, energy, and innovation;
17. social and economic dimensions of sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Hossein Azadi
Prof. Dr. André Samora-Arvela
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.

• sustainability
• resilience
• development
• territory
• public policies
• climate change adaptation
• ecosystem services
• natural resource management