Journal profile · Multiple
European Planning Studies
ISSN 0965-4313 · eISSN 1469-5944 · Taylor & Francis
European Planning Studies: CAS Zone 3 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.17; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 206 days to acceptance (100 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 40% (journal website); 130 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
European Planning Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Regional Development and Policy, Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis and Cultural Industries and Urban Development, together about 30.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Urban Studies. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
European Planning Studies provides a forum for ideas and information about spatial development processes and policies in Europe. The journal publishes articles of a theoretical, empirical and policy-relevant nature and is particularly concerned to integrate knowledge of processes with practical policy proposals, implementation and evaluation. Articles of particular interest to the journal focus upon specific spatial or urban and regional development problems, issues or achievements, as well as emerging explanations of new urban, regional, national or supranational developmental tendencies. Country-specific, region-specific or locality-specific issues are of interest, while theoretically-informed analysis is of especial value. Comparative case studies of successful spatial policies and critiques of policy failure based on in-depth study are also welcomed. The key feature of the journal is to generalize learning about best practice spatial process analysis and policy-formulation in the field of sub-national spatial development planning. Additionally, European Planning Studies features articles which focus on the functional dimensions of planning, such as infrastructure, communications, environmental quality, design, cultural, social welfare, recreational, housing, industrial and employment concerns of planning at whatever spatial scale. Articles which are concerned with these questions in an appropriate spatial context, given the scope of the journal, are of special interest. In summary, reviewers are likely to favour articles that are framed to add value to the European dimension of the journal’s interest. Accordingly, comparative data or qualitative research involving contrasts among; European (including European with non-European), or European, and European intra-national urban or regional settings, contexts, issues, accomplishments or problems are welcomed. Finally, the typical EPS article will be based on critical social scientific research methods. Such findings will likely involve not promotion or policy apologetics but rigorous scrutiny of policy efficacy at whatever level of governance. European Planning Studies is published in cooperation with the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP), an independent body of professional planning educators with a membership of over 100 planning schools throughout Western and Eastern Europe. Peer Review Statement All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initia
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Philip CookePublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Finland 2, Germany 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 1 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Regional Development and PolicySocial Sciences15%
- Regional Economics and Spatial AnalysisEconomics, Econometrics and Finance8.1%
- Cultural Industries and Urban DevelopmentSocial Sciences7.6%
- Urban Planning and GovernanceSocial Sciences6.7%
- Urbanization and City PlanningSocial Sciences6.5%
- Innovation and Knowledge ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting5.7%
- Regional resilience and developmentEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.5%
- Rural development and sustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Urban Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Urban Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Urban Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIECAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: African Urban and Regional Science Index (AURSI), European Access, European Sources Online, Geographical Abstracts: Human Geography, International Bibliography of Book Reviews, International Bibliography of Periodical Literature, International Political Science Abstracts, International Regional Science Review, Sage Public Administration Abstracts, Sage Urban Studies Abstracts, Social Planning/Policy Development Abstacts, Sociological Abstracts
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 3.17LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 8.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.28LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.28Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.58LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.58Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 135OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,144OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.05OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 37.23%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 117LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 470,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,490 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 140 | 74 | 38 |
| 2025 | 130 | 74 | 274 |
| 2024 | 126 | 52 | 498 |
| 2023 | 100 | 57 | 1,191 |
| 2022 | 125 | 70 | 2,462 |
| 2021 | 176 | 80 | 3,583 |
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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
206 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 120 days – 361 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (100 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 230 days
- Sample
- 100 articles with submission and acceptance dates (292 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 40%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 58 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 58 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 17 daysPublisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
European Planning Studies is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability a…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by two referees. Model summary
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by two referees.
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0965-4313
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-5944
- Society / sponsor
- Association of European Schools of Planning
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 34, Issue 9 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about European Planning Studies
What CAS zone is European Planning Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, European Planning Studies is in Zone 3 of Economics, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Environmental Studies / Geography / Regional & Urban Planning / Urban Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of European Planning Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.17; CiteScore 8.7, h-index 135.
How long does peer review take at European Planning Studies?
Based on the dates recorded on 100 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 206 days (interquartile range 120–361 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 40%. 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 JCR quartile is European Planning Studies in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Economics.
Where are the editorial board members of European Planning Studies based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Finland (2), Germany (1) and Netherlands (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index European Planning Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, European Planning Studies is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE and CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is European Planning Studies open access, and what is the APC?
European Planning Studies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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: .