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Under conditions of limited space, ecological fragility, and relative isolation, construction and development on islands are not merely auxiliary instruments of sustainable development; rather, they constitute key processes that continuously shape island social-ecological systems. Drawing on a review of existing scholarship, this paper argues that island sustainability research remains largely framed by the paradigm of ‘balancing development and protection’, while lacking systematic attention to the spatial logics, institutional conditions, and societal implications of construction and development. The five interdisciplinary empirical studies included in this special section advance the agenda of sustainable island construction from multiple dimensions. Building on these discussions, this paper proposes a theoretical perspective of islandness-oriented sustainable construction and development, emphasizing construction as a critical mediator linking development objectives with sustainability goals. It further develops a framework of ‘structural tensions–operational principles’ and articulates three core logics of island construction: strategic foresight, nodal leverage, and multi-dimensional synergy. Through an integrative discussion, this special section seeks to foster closer dialogue among spatial construction, ecological governance, and social practice within island sustainability research, and to provide a research agenda for exploring context-sensitive pathways toward sustainable island futures.