Journal profile
Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning
ISSN 2731-6661 · Springer · Germany
Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; median 116 days to acceptance (47 articles, last 24 months); 21 articles in 2025.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning is published by Springer. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Urban Planning and Governance, Local Governance and Planning and Urban Design and Spatial Analysis, together about 36.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning (FURP) is a forum for original research papers, technical notes, reviews and case studies focusing on all aspects of urban planning. Topics covered include historical wisdom of urban and rural development, spatial distribution nature of urban and rural areas, planning practice, cutting-edge technology and innovative design, smart city construction, human settlements governance, and sustainable development strategy. Innovative and multi-disciplinary studies on promoting the well-being of people and sustainable development in both urban and rural areas using an integrated approach in spatial planning are especially encouraged. Aims: • To refine urban and rural planning knowledge through analysis and research • To contribute to innovate planning practice through an integrated approach • To support urban and rural development policy-making with a professional focus
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Editor-in-chief Zhiqiang SiegfriedPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 10 in mainland China (about 40%); most named Mainland China 10, United Kingdom 4, United States 2, Germany 2, France 1 (25 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Urban Planning and GovernanceSocial Sciences17.8%
- Local Governance and PlanningSocial Sciences11.5%
- Urban Design and Spatial AnalysisEngineering7.3%
- Regional Economics and Spatial AnalysisEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.8%
- China's Socioeconomic Reforms and GovernanceSocial Sciences5.8%
- Smart Cities and TechnologiesEngineering5.8%
- Urban Transport and AccessibilitySocial Sciences4.2%
- Urban Planning and Landscape DesignEnvironmental Science4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
DOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ESCIPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- h-index
- 11OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 13OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.47OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 90,700Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 97 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28 | 28 | 212 |
| 2025 | 21 | 21 | 146 |
| 2024 | 25 | 25 | 55 |
| 2023 | 23 | 23 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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
116 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 84 days – 179 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 26 days (47 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 159 days
- Sample
- 47 articles with submission and acceptance dates (51 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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 25 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 25 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 25 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 0 | — | — | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — |
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
- After ExpansionDeadline
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- APA
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted5
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout p…Length not stated
- project and case reviewArticle Types Research article Review Article Project and Case reviewLength not stated
- research articleResearch article Review Article Project and Case review Back to topLength not stated
- reviewResearch article Review Article Project and Case review Back to topLength not stated
- review articleResearch article Review Article Project and Case review Back to topLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Articles in Springer Nature open access journals do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-blind peer review
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout peer review. It is the responsibility of the author to anonymize the manuscript and any associated materials. Author names, affiliations and any other potentially identifying information should be removed from the manuscript text and any accompanying files (such as …
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
- Springer
- Country or region
- Germany
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2731-6661
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning
How long does peer review take at Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning?
Based on the dates recorded on 47 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 116 days (interquartile range 84–179 days); authors report an average review time of about 25 weeks. 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 Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: APA; Suggested reviewers: 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 Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning based?
Of the 25 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 10 (about 40%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (10), United Kingdom (4) and United States (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning is indexed in DOAJ. The journal's website also lists ESCI; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning open access, and what is the APC?
Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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: .