Journal profile · URBAN STUDIES
Cities
ISSN 0264-2751 · eISSN 1873-6084 · Elsevier
Cities: CAS Zone 1 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.99; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,000; review about 253 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 981 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
The journal's website announces a move to full open access: At Elsevier, we are committed to advancing human progress and making research accessible to everyone. We are pleased to announce that from January 1, 2027, Cities will become a fully open access journal, with all articles freely available to readers worldwide. Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Cities is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Urban Transport and Accessibility, Urban Planning and Governance and Urbanization and City Planning, together about 26.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Urban Studies. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Cities: The International Journal of Urban Policy and PlanningCities publishes articles on many aspects of urban planning and policy. It distinguishes itself by providing an international and interdisciplinary platform for the exchange of ideas and information among urban planners, policy makers and analysts, and urbanists from all disciplines.The primary aims of the journal are to analyze and assess past and present urban development and management as a reflection of effective, ineffective and non-existent planning policies; and the promotion of the implementation of appropriate urban policies in both the developed and the developing world.Topics covered include: urban adaptation to climate change; gentrification and housing; homelessness and welfare services; urban management; public-private sector cooperation; development and planning problems; urban regeneration; neighborhood conservation and urban design; immigration and international labor migration; urban politics; urban theory; urban governance; smart cities and regions; infrastructure; livability and quality of life; greening; and the complexities of creating sustainable cities.Every year, we also publish a handful of Viewpoints . These are articles that are shorter in nature, summative in their literature review, and offer a particular argument that could potentially generate debates among scholars and practitioners.Each volume also features one or more City Profiles . Coverage includes a brief description of the city's historical development, an account of contemporary conditions, problems or issues, and a critical review of recent or current policy, planning or management responses.Full details of Cities' accepted manuscript types, topics, word limits and editorial policies, as well as topics we do not accept, can be found in the Policies and Guidelines - Cities | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier on the journal's website.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): URBAN STUDIES
Editor-in-chief Pengjun ZhaoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 15 in mainland China (about 19%); most named United Kingdom 16, Mainland China 15, United States 14, Australia 6, Hong Kong, China 3 (77 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Urban Transport and AccessibilitySocial Sciences12.1%
- Urban Planning and GovernanceSocial Sciences7.7%
- Urbanization and City PlanningSocial Sciences7.1%
- Urban and Rural Development ChallengesSocial Sciences7%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science6.8%
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science5.6%
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSocial Sciences4.5%
- Human Mobility and Location-Based AnalysisSocial Sciences4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Urban Studies | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Urban Studies | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Urban Studies | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 6.99LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 11.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 11.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.77LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.06LetPub ·
- h-index
- 188OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,319OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.15OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 41.24%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 944LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,124 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 778 | 407 | 458 |
| 2025 | 981 | 494 | 5,359 |
| 2024 | 827 | 396 | 12,670 |
| 2023 | 507 | 233 | 11,683 |
| 2022 | 530 | 253 | 18,285 |
| 2021 | 394 | 145 | 17,532 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
253 dayssubmission to acceptance
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 92 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 253 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,000 / EUR 2,740 / GBP 2,400 / JPY 353,940 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,710 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted14, with length limits
- book reviewFULL LENGTH ARTICLES Articles should be 7000-9000 words long, although articles longer than 9000 words will be accepted on an occasional basis, if the topic dem…main text ≤ 1,200 words
- book reviewsBook reviews can be a review of a single book (800-1200 words) or an essay on multiple books on the same subject or multiple books from the same author (3,000 w…Length not stated
- city profilesCity Profiles are usually 7,000-9,000 words in length.Length not stated
- conference reportFULL LENGTH ARTICLES Articles should be 7000-9000 words long, although articles longer than 9000 words will be accepted on an occasional basis, if the topic dem…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- conference reportsConference reports (1000-1500 words).Length not stated
- editorialFULL LENGTH ARTICLES Articles should be 7000-9000 words long, although articles longer than 9000 words will be accepted on an occasional basis, if the topic dem…Length not stated
- full length articlesArticles should be 7000-9000 words long, although articles longer than 9000 words will be accepted on an occasional basis, if the topic demands this length of t…Length not stated
- opinionFULL LENGTH ARTICLES Articles should be 7000-9000 words long, although articles longer than 9000 words will be accepted on an occasional basis, if the topic dem…Length not stated
- perspectiveFULL LENGTH ARTICLES Articles should be 7000-9000 words long, although articles longer than 9000 words will be accepted on an occasional basis, if the topic dem…Length not stated
- reviewFULL LENGTH ARTICLES Articles should be 7000-9000 words long, although articles longer than 9000 words will be accepted on an occasional basis, if the topic dem…Length not stated
- short communicationFULL LENGTH ARTICLES Articles should be 7000-9000 words long, although articles longer than 9000 words will be accepted on an occasional basis, if the topic dem…main text ≤ 2,000 words
- special issue articlesA special issue of Cities should consist of 6 and 10 accepted articles (not including the guest editors' introduction).Length not stated
- viewpointFULL LENGTH ARTICLES Articles should be 7000-9000 words long, although articles longer than 9000 words will be accepted on an occasional basis, if the topic dem…Length not stated
- viewpointsIt allows author to submit short communications which contains ideas worthy of publication of 1500-2000 words.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
1 to 7 keywords required Model summary
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 0264-2751
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-6084
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Cities
What CAS zone is Cities in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Cities is in Zone 1 of Economics, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Urban Studies; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Cities?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.99; CiteScore 11.5, h-index 188.
How long does peer review take at Cities?
The publisher reports about 253 days (submission to acceptance). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Cities?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: APA; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Cities based?
Of the 77 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 15 (about 19%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (16), Mainland China (15) and United States (14). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Cities?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Cities is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Cities open access, and what is the APC?
Cities is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,000.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .