Special Issue on Urban Resilience and Sustainability in Response to Disaster Environments: Technologies and Methods

Introduction: 

With the acceleration of urbanization, the uncertainties and unknown risks facing urban systems are increasing accordingly. These urban problems and disasters directly affect the safety and quality of life of urban residents. Many cities have been frequently hit by heavy rainstorms, earthquakes, geological disasters etc., resulting in substantial casualties and economic losses. Consequently, key questions have come to the fore: how to scientifically and effectively assess the disaster risks faced by cities; how to improve cities’ response and adaptability to hazardous environments; how to enhance their resistance to shocks; and how to improve urban resilience in the aftermath. These issues have become central and pressing topics in contemporary urban research and policy.

According to current statistics, more than 50% of the world’s population currently resides in urban areas. By 2050, this proportion will exceed 70%, and urban areas will become the most densely populated geographic spaces globally.As a complex, large-scale systems, cities are becoming increasingly capable and interconnected, yet also more vulnerable. The failure of any critical subsystem—particularly one that is unable to adapt to emerging changes—can trigger cascading effects that pose serious risks to the functioning of the entire city.

In the face of sudden natural and human-induced disasters, urban systems often exhibit significant vulnerability, which is increasingly recognized as a key constraint on urban survival and sustainable development. As cities continue to expand amid growing uncertainties and challenges, including climate change, resilience has emerged as a critical priority for urban development.

The purpose of this Special Issue to advance understanding of urban safety and risk by focusing on technologies and methodologies related to urban resilience and disaster environments, with the aim of supporting the safe and sustainable development of urban economies and societies. In parallel, this Special Issue seeks to identify potential disaster risk factors arising from urban operations, as well as to systematically uncover weaknesses and critical gaps in urban systems in a timely manner.

Topics:

• Prediction of the development trend of urban disasters
• Urban risk assessment and control
• Urban disaster risk assessment and simulation
• Methods and techniques for urban resilience assessment
• Resilient city planning and construction practice
• Urban safety resilience during the public health crisis
• Other related issues

Important deadlines:

Submission deadline: 30 April 2026

Editorial Acceptance Deadline:  31 December 2026

Submission instructions:

The Guest Editor Team invites both original research papers and review papers that fit within the scope outlined in this document. The focus of the submitted papers should lie on urban resilience and sustainability in response to disaster environments.

Please carefully read and follow the Guide for Authors at:

http://regsus.xjegi.com/EN/column/column23.shtml

Before submitting paper, please create a user account and submit all relevant files online at:

https://www.editorialmanager.com/regsus

When submitting manuscript online, please select the special issue "VSI: Urban Resilience and Sustainability" in the Editorial Manager system, then proceed with the submission.

Guest editors:

• Ali Cheshmehzangi, Professor, Head of School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Queensland, Australia (E-mail: a.chesh@uq.edu.au)
• Baojie He, Professor, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Chongqing University, China (E-mail: baojie.he@cqu.edu.cn )
• Yijun Shi, Associate Professor, Vice Dean of the College of Landscape Architecture, Zhejiang Agricultural and Forestry University, China (E-mail: yijun_shi@zafu.edu.cn)
• Junqing Tang, Associate Professor, Vice Dean of the School of Urban Planning and Design, Peking University, China (E-mail: junqingtang@pku.edu.cn)
• Li Yu, Professor, Director of China-UK Research Centre for Eco-Cities and Sustainable Development, Cardiff University, United Kingdom (E-mail: yul@cardiff.ac.uk)
• Guofang Zhai, Professor, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University, China (E-mail: guofang_zhai@nju.edu.cn)
• Wei Zhai, Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Texas at Arlington, United States (E-mail: wei.zhai@utsa.edu)

About Regional Sustainability

Regional Sustainability is an international, peer-reviewed journal sponsored by Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Served as a platform for researchers to explore the relationships among environment, economy and society, the journal publishes high-quality articles in multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary subjects relating to environmental protection, economic development and social development.

The journal operates under a subsidized open access model, and all published articles are made immediately and permanently available under an open access license, ensuring free access for readers worldwide to read, download, copy, and distribute the work in accordance with the journal's sharing policies.