Integrating Ecosystem Restoration and Urban Planning through Smart GIS-Based Land Reallocation Systems

Urbanization and environmental degradation are closely linked, and both contribute to the fragmentation of habitats and the loss of ecosystem processes. Placing ecological restoration alongside urban planning is a novel solution to the problem. This paper proposes a Smart GIS-Based Land Reallocation System (SGLRS) as an executive tool for addressing the needs of ecological restoration versus urban expansion. It relies on spatial analysis of data, real-time environmental monitoring, and artificial intelligence to identify ecologically degraded or underutilized urban spaces that can be repurposed to support green infrastructure, reforestation, or wetland restoration. The SGLRS operates using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in conjunction with land-use simulation models to optimize land reallocation decisions. It has included environmental sensitivity indicators, value assessment of biodiversity, and socio-economic factors for prioritizing areas to restore and urban renewal. Moreover, it enables policymakers, planners, and ecologists to envision long-term land use effects and make informed, participatory, and evidence-based decisions. In its pilot city implementations, we demonstrate how patches of degraded land were successfully converted into restored ecosystems, offering sought-after advantages such as reduced flooding, cleaner air, and city cooling. This holistic model underpins the aims of global sustainability efforts such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda. It also provides a basis for the development of the nature-based solutions approach by incorporating biological systems into cities. Finally, the Smart GIS-Based Land Reallocation System provides an adaptable framework that allows cities willing to harmonize urban development requirements and ecological management to adapt. It turns traditional land-use planning into a dynamic, intelligent system that enhances not only the urban quality of life but also environmental integrity.