Urban, Planning and Transport Research

Urban, Planning and Transport Research is an open access, peer-reviewed journal covering all areas of urban, planning, and transport research.

The journal aims to provide a multi-disciplinary platform of theoretical and empirical contributions across urban studies, planning, and transport studies. It seeks to disseminate this new research to a global audience.

 This Journal has 5 Sections:

1. Transportation Policy & Planning

2. Mobilities & Geographies

The Mobilities and Geographies section publishes theoretical well-informed original research, which can be purely theoretical, empirically informed, or both. The section welcomes different methodological approaches which are both qualitative and quantitative. The focus is on planning for sustainable mobilities, social and geographical aspects of mobilities and their impact on societies through time and space, ranging from everyday practices to broader societal consequences/effects. The section emphasises theoretical aspects of planning, mobilities and geographies, but also planning practices and its various effects on peoples’ (different) mobilities. Moreover, this section seeks to develop an in-depth understanding of how different social and political issues are connected to developing sustainable mobilities systems and how geographies are intertwined with these processes.

The idea is to publish original research articles, review papers and theoretically informed debate articles.

Articles

The section publishes original research of international scope and interest. For publishing in this section articles could, but are not limited to, relate to one or several of the following topics:

- Mobilities research

- Planning for sustainable mobilities systems

- Geographies of mobilities

- Spatial planning

- Interdisciplinary research on planning, mobilities and/or geographies

Articles should not exceed 10,000 words.

Reviews

This section publishes book reviews that are the focus of this section and theoretically informed literature review papers in the field that reflect upon current issues and topics within planning, mobilities and geographies research.

Book reviews should not exceed 1,000 words and review articles should not exceed 5,000 words.

Debate articles(Rapid Communication)

This section publishes theoretically informed debate articles on current topic of interest to the international scientific community in the field of mobilities and geographies. Debate articles should critically reflect on theoretical aspects and practices in planning, mobilities and geographies research.

Debate articles should not exceed 3,000 words.

3. Social & Economic Development

4. Urban Planning & Development
Recognizing the pivotal role urban planning and governance play in shaping communities, this section seeks to provide a forum for research and policy analysis into current approaches, strategies, and best practices contributing to the realization of socially sustainable cities.

The Section on Urban Planning & Development welcomes theoretical and empirical research that is novel and contributes to advancing current debates on how to pursue more inclusive, equitable, and socially sustainable urban environments. We invite contributions elaborating on theoretical frameworks, empirical studies, literature reviews, case analyses, and debate pieces with a distinct focus on social sustainability in urban contexts. Also of interest are articles analyzing socially sustainable urban practices and introducing innovative methodologies with practical applications in the context of urban planning and development.

By bringing together academic inquiry and practical insight, this section aims to serve as a platform for scholarly debate and as a resource for urban planners, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners interested in making urban areas not only economically and environmentally sustainable but also socially vibrant and just.

Scope and Key Focus Areas:

The Section on Urban Planning & Development welcomes original research of international scope and interest under one or more of the above focus areas:

· Participatory Spatial Planning Practice, Policy, and Theory

· Placemaking and Place activation for Socially Vibrant and Just Cities

· More Sustainable Urban Living Environments

· Planning for Socio - Cultural Diversity in Cities

· Planning for Improved Public Health and Well-being

Type of Research Articles

For more detailed information on the different type of research article and the formatting of these please refer to the journal Guide for Authors.

Conflict of interest

Authors submitting research articles to this section need to disclose conflicts of interests, if any. When research reports on work done in relation to less represented groups or vulnerable communities a statement on research ethics needs to be included in the methods section.

Peer Review Statement

All articles submitted to this section will undergo a peer review process, conditional to the initial editor screening. Peer review is anonymized and done by two external referees.

5. Comunity Development 

Jane Jacobs noted in her classic book, Death and Life of Great American Cities, “The kind of problem a city is…”, which she described as one of organized complexity. A city is a specific place on a map which is influenced by its climate, topography, geology, and ecology, but it is also a habitat constructed by and for humans full of life, energy, activity, encounters, culture, history, and people. How we live on the land impacts both our immediate well-being and the long-term relation we have with that place, i.e., its sustainability. The topic of Community Development is critical for identifying, planning, constructing, and maintaining quality places for the relations people have with themselves, with each other, and with nature. A systems perspective will help keep the focus on the root causes and underlying currents that shape these relations. In this section of Urban, Planning, and Transport Research, authors are encouraged to submit high-quality papers in all aspects of Community Development from studies of infrastructure, housing, public services, livability, equity and fairness, urban metabolism, resource use, economic development, ecosystem services, design and resilience. The journal is open access and considers the following article types: original research, reviews, perspectives, and letters to the editor. 

Urban, Planning and Transport Research invites research on topics including, but not limited to:

• Urban design
• Urban development
• Urban regeneration
• Community development
• Local and regional economic development
• Planning theory
• Human geography
• Housing
• Transport
• Water research
  
  

Urban, Planning and Transport Research publishes original research articles, letters, discussions of new research data, and case studies.

The journal operates a double-anonymized peer review policy.

All articles will be made freely and permanently available online through gold open access publication.

Read the Instructions for Authors for information on how to submit your article.