Journal profile · Multiple
Computers Environment and Urban Systems
ISSN 0198-9715 · eISSN 1873-7587 · Elsevier
Computers Environment and Urban Systems: CAS Zone 1 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 8.94; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,740; review about 169 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 99 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Computers Environment and Urban Systems is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Geographic Information Systems Studies, Land Use and Ecosystem Services and Urban Transport and Accessibility, together about 32.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Transportation. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Computers, Environment and Urban Systems is an interdisciplinary journal publishing cutting-edge and innovative computer-based research on urban systems, systems of cities, and built and natural environments , that privileges the geospatial perspective. The journal provides a stimulating presentation of perspectives, research developments, overviews of important new technologies and uses of major computational, information-based, and visualization innovations. Applied and theoretical contributions demonstrate the scope of computer-based analysis fostering a better understanding of urban systems, the synergistic relationships between built and natural environments, their spatial scope and their dynamics.Application areas include infrastructure and facilities management, physical planning and urban design, land use and transportation, business and service planning, coupled human and natural systems, urban planning, socio-economic development, emergency response and hazards, and land and resource management. Examples of methodological approaches include decision support systems, geocomputation, spatial statistical analysis, complex systems and artificial intelligence, visual analytics and geovisualization, ubiquitous computing, and space-time simulation.Contributions emphasizing the development and enhancement of computer-based technologies for the analysis and modeling, policy formulation, planning, and management of environmental and urban systems that enhance sustainable futures are especially sought. The journal also encourages research on the modalities through which information and other computer-based technologies mold environmental and urban systems.Audience: Urban and regional planners and policy analysts, environmental planners, economic geographers, geospatial information scientists and technologists, regional scientists and policy makers, architectural designers.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Tony GrubesicPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 10%); most named United States 33, United Kingdom 12, Mainland China 7, Netherlands 4, Hong Kong, China 2 (71 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geographic Information Systems StudiesSocial Sciences11.2%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science10.8%
- Urban Transport and AccessibilitySocial Sciences10.2%
- Human Mobility and Location-Based AnalysisSocial Sciences9.3%
- Data Management and AlgorithmsComputer Science5.5%
- Transportation Planning and OptimizationSocial Sciences5.1%
- 3D Modeling in Geospatial ApplicationsEngineering5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 2 |
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
- 8.94LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 8.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 17.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 17.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.17LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.61LetPub ·
- h-index
- 151OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,664OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 9.31OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 43.61%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 87LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,821 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 102 | 65 | 58 |
| 2025 | 99 | 50 | 844 |
| 2024 | 114 | 72 | 2,032 |
| 2023 | 82 | 51 | 2,117 |
| 2022 | 119 | 59 | 5,186 |
| 2021 | 122 | 65 | 5,070 |
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
169 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
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 56 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 169 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 12 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 3,740 / EUR 3,410 / GBP 2,990 / JPY 441,250 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,570 | — | — |
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 papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted3
- reviewArticles should be written in good English and should be no longer than 8000 words long. CEUS is now accepting Review articles. Review articles are essays that …Length not stated
- review articleArticles should be written in good English and should be no longer than 8000 words long. CEUS is now accepting Review articles. Review articles are essays that …Length not stated
- review articlesCEUS is now accepting Review articles. Review articles are essays that consolidate progress and advance frontiers in the journal's cognate fields.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
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 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.
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
- 0198-9715
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-7587
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Computers Environment and Urban Systems
What CAS zone is Computers Environment and Urban Systems in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Computers Environment and Urban Systems is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Geography / Regional & Urban Planning / Environmental Studies; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Computers Environment and Urban Systems?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.94; CiteScore 17.3, h-index 151.
How long does peer review take at Computers Environment and Urban Systems?
The publisher reports about 169 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 Computers Environment and Urban Systems?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; 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 Computers Environment and Urban Systems based?
Of the 71 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 10%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (33), United Kingdom (12) and Mainland China (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Computers Environment and Urban Systems?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Computers Environment and Urban Systems is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Computers Environment and Urban Systems open access, and what is the APC?
Computers Environment and Urban Systems is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,740.
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: .