Introduction Special Issue on “ Sustainable Urban Design ”

Urbanization is one of the great challenges of our time and unchecked haphazard urbanization is a serious threat both to the environment and social and economic balance. In order to meet global sustainability targets, rapid urban growth must be channelled into environmentally friendly, sustainable and liveable urban environments. Thus, this special issue focuses on sustainable urban design which plays a key role in creating these urban environments. The first paper “Review on the Development of a Sustainability Indicator System in Agenda 21 for Tourism in Mexico” aimed to diagnose the current situation of tourism in Mexico through the evaluation of four major themes: environment, socioeconomic environment, tourism and urban development. The authors introduced the progress of a sustainability indicator system and the implementation of sustainable indicators then analysed the results of the application of the sustainable development indicators which were promoted by the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR) in eighty-four destinations in the period of 2002-2007, from the length and breadth of the country. The bestpositioned tourist destinations were categorized as Medium Cities. Paradoxically, coastal tourist destinations were in the middle. The worst conditions were found in tourist destinations in nature. The results show better performance indicators for urban development, while the higher pressure is in the environmental area. (Sui-Qui. et al., 2015) Urban renewal is one important government policy which can improve the urban environment and economic growth. So, the second paper “A Study on Promotion Mechanisms and the Future of Government-led Urban Renewal Projects from the Perspective of Land Ethics” aimed to explore Taiwan's urban renewal policy development process and mechanisms of the Government-led urban renewal projects. It references Aldo Leopold's land ethic theory which can be used to explore the power relations and land health problems. The authors analysed the relationship between urban renewal rights and discussed current beliefs and disadvantages of urban renewal mechanisms. Understanding the government-led urban renewal policies is needed to improve the social, economic and ecological issues. By "regenerating" the dilapidated region, the urban area is expected to regain its energy and sustainability. (Huang. et al., 2015) Since the 21st century, energy shortages, the greenhouse effect and global warming have always been major topics of discussion and sustainable