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Land
Special Issues
Climate Mitigation Potential of Urban Ecological Restoration
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Climate Mitigation Potential of Urban Ecological Restoration

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land–Climate Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 April 2025 | Viewed by 3416

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yongze Song

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
Interests: sustainable development; spatial statistics; geospatial methods; urban remote sensing; sustainable infrastructure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zihao Zheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geography and Remote Sensing, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: nighttime light remote sensing; light pollution; ecological assessment; human footprint
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At the recent 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), Sultan Jaber, President of COP28, acknowledged, “Globally concerted ecological restoration initiatives have made a substantial contribution to the global response to climate change”. Nonetheless, an ongoing debate persists concerning the efficacy of reforestation and the optimal locations for tree planting. Notably, the potential for urban climate mitigation within these ecological restoration endeavors remains largely unexplored. Given that urban areas are home to over 60% of the population and account for 90% of the economy, it is imperative to recognize that rapid urbanization is causing urban areas to warm up at a rate twice of global warming. This phenomenon fundamentally alters subsurface conditions and disrupts energy balances, resulting in a host of ecological challenges, including the emergence of urban heat islands, frequent heatwaves, and increased air pollution. Indeed, the sustained and extensive implementation of ecological restoration measures can prove more effective in contributing to the development of mitigation strategies for urban warming. In light of diverse climatic contexts, the primary objective of this Special Issue is to present a collection of papers showcasing the recent advances in quantifying the urban climate mitigation potential of global ecological restoration projects. These studies aim to offer fresh perspectives on the identification of strategic afforestation sites and provide strong evidence of the significant climate mitigation potential of ecological restoration projects. Furthermore, this Special Issue will delve into the impact of ecological restoration efforts on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for urban areas, while highlighting the formidable challenges of balancing urban climate mitigation with sustainable urban development. The central aim of this Special Issue is to advocate to policymakers for including urban areas in the planning of ecological restoration initiatives when developing or revising relevant legislation. Therefore, the topics covered in this Special Issue encompass, but are not confined to, the following areas of consideration.

  1. The climate mitigation potential of ecological restoration projects.
  2. The contribution of ecological restoration projects to urban greening.
  3. Urban vegetation monitoring.
  4. HUI and SHUI determination and monitoring.
  5. Urban forests and urban greening.
  6. Climate-resilient infrastructure.
  7. Urbanization monitoring based on remote sensing.
  8. Relations between urban growth and climate change.
  9. The impacts and mitigation of urban heat.
  10. Urban ecology applications based on remote sensing.
  11. Green space/blue space/gray space remote sensing monitoring.
  12. Urban micro-climate related to urban greening.

Dr. Yongze Song
Dr. Zihao Zheng
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.

Keywords

  • ecological restoration projects
  • urbanization
  • urban greening
  • urban surface temperature
  • vegetation management
  • ecological restoration
  • climate mitigation
  • driving mechanisms

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

36 pages, 33937 KiB  
Article
Pedestrian Dynamic Thermal Comfort Analysis to Optimize Using Trees in Various Urban Morphologies: A Case Study of Cairo City
by Ahmed Yasser Abdelmejeed and Dietwald Gruehn
Land 2024, 13(9), 1489; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091489 - 14 Sep 2024
Viewed by 821
Abstract
Considering the impacts of climate change on the goal of obtaining sustainable and healthier cities, this research aimed to analyze and assess the impact of different urban forms with different trees densities on the dynamic physiological equivalent temperature (DPET) for pedestrians while walking [...] Read more.
Considering the impacts of climate change on the goal of obtaining sustainable and healthier cities, this research aimed to analyze and assess the impact of different urban forms with different trees densities on the dynamic physiological equivalent temperature (DPET) for pedestrians while walking further than the average walking distance (750 m) using ENVI-met. This study included five different areas within Greater Cairo, which is suffering from extreme heat stress. The selected study areas had lots of urban variety in terms of the canyons’ aspect ratios, orientations, urban form, green areas, mixed uses, and tree densities. Two tree scenarios were analyzed: the current tree density situation and a scenario where the tree density of each study area was increased to its capacity. The results proved that the DPET had different values than the steady physiological equivalent temperature (SPET) at each point within the walking routes. However, the DPET was closely related to changes in the SPET. Keeping the SPET lower or higher for a long time reduced or increased the DPET, and frequent changes (up and down) in the SPET kept the DPET stable. Changes between DPET values were driven more by the microclimate conditions of a space or canyon than the conditions of the overall area, and controlling the microclimate conditions of a whole urban canyon controlled the DPET. Changes in the DPET could reach as high as 10 °C between different walking routes, and increasing the tree density could help lower the DPET by as much as 6 °C in some cases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Mitigation Potential of Urban Ecological Restoration)
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20 pages, 4477 KiB  
Article
Revetment Affects Nitrogen Removal and N2O Emission at the Urban River–Riparian Interface
by Zihao Man, Changkun Xie, Ruiyuan Jiang, Jin Wang, Yifeng Qin and Shengquan Che
Land 2024, 13(8), 1310; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081310 - 19 Aug 2024
Viewed by 785
Abstract
River–riparian interface (RRI) plays a crucial role in nitrogen removal and N2O emissions, but different revetment constructions can significantly alter the associated outcomes. Identifying which type of revetment can reduce N2O emissions while still removing nitrogen is a key [...] Read more.
River–riparian interface (RRI) plays a crucial role in nitrogen removal and N2O emissions, but different revetment constructions can significantly alter the associated outcomes. Identifying which type of revetment can reduce N2O emissions while still removing nitrogen is a key issue in urban development. This study constructed three types of revetments along the same river section, and measured soil, vegetation, microbial, denitrification, and N2O emission characteristics to explore the synergistic effects of revetment types on nitrogen removal and N2O emissions. The study showed that revetments affected nitrogen removal and N2O emissions in RRI by influencing denitrification. nirK mainly affected nitrogen removal, while nosZII mainly influenced N2O emissions. Environmental factors in the permeable revetment led to significantly higher gene abundances of nirK and nosZII compared to those in the natural and impermeable revetments. As a result, the denitrification potential of the permeable revetment (34.32 ± 1.17 mg/(kg·d)) was 22.43% and 8.84% higher than those of the natural and impermeable revetments, respectively. The N2O emission rate (0.35 ± 0.01 mg/(m2·h)) was 29.22% and 22.19% lower than those of the natural and impermeable revetments, respectively. Permeable revetment could have been the best for the nitrogen removal and N2O emission reduction. These results provide a theoretical basis and guidance for urban ecological construction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Mitigation Potential of Urban Ecological Restoration)
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25 pages, 25356 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Relationship between Urbanization and Vegetation Ecological Quality Changes in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area
by Yanyan Wu, Zhaohui Luo and Zhifeng Wu
Land 2024, 13(8), 1246; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081246 - 8 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1070
Abstract
Rapid global urbanization and its progress have profoundly affected urban vegetation. The ecological quality of urban vegetation is a vital indicator of regional ecological stability and health. A comprehensive assessment of the coupling coordination and coercive relationship between urbanization and the vegetation ecological [...] Read more.
Rapid global urbanization and its progress have profoundly affected urban vegetation. The ecological quality of urban vegetation is a vital indicator of regional ecological stability and health. A comprehensive assessment of the coupling coordination and coercive relationship between urbanization and the vegetation ecological quality is essential for promoting sustainable regional green development. Using the rapidly urbanizing Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) urban agglomeration in China as an example, this study evaluates the vegetation quality condition and the level of urbanization and explores the dynamic relationship between vegetation ecological quality and urbanization processes. This study introduces the vegetation ecological quality index (VEQI) based on net primary productivity (NPP) and fractional vegetation cover (FVC), as well as the comprehensive urbanization index (CUI) derived from gross domestic production (GDP), population density, and nighttime lighting data. The coupling coordination and Tapio decoupling models are employed to assess the degree of coupling coordination and the decoupling relationship between the VEQI and CUI across different periods. The results showed that (1) from 2000 to 2020, the VEQI in the GBA showed a significant increase, accompanied by continuous urbanization, particularly evident with the high CUI values in central areas; (2) the coupling coordination degree (CCD) exhibits high values and significant change slopes in the central GBA, indicating dynamic interactions between urbanization and vegetation ecological quality; (3) the decoupling states between the VEQI and CUI are dominated by weak decoupling (WD), strong decoupling (SD), expansive negative decoupling (END), and expansive coupling (EC), suggesting improvements in the relationship between urbanization and vegetation ecological quality; (4) the coordinated development level of the VEQI and CUI in the study area shows improvement, and their decoupling relationship displays a positive trend. Nevertheless, it remains crucial to address the impact of urbanization pressure on vegetation ecological quality and to implement proactive measures in response. The results of this study provide theoretical support for mesoscale development planning, monitoring vegetation ecological conditions, and formulating environmental policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Mitigation Potential of Urban Ecological Restoration)
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