Journal profile · ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development
ISSN 1946-3138 · eISSN 1946-3146 · Taylor & Francis · United Kingdom
International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.1 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 1,680; median 260 days to acceptance (50 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 15% (journal website); 21 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Urban and Rural Development Challenges, Urban Planning and Governance and Land Use and Ecosystem Services, together about 37.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Please note, from 2022 the Print ISSN is not in active use as this journal is no longer published in print. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development aims to provide a forum for cutting-edge research and rigorous debate for an in-depth and holistic understanding of the complex inter-related environmental, social, economic, political, spatial, institutional and physical challenges facing urban areas. Its premise is that multi-disciplinary approaches provide the space for the range of disciplines and perspectives related to the full breadth of issues that affect urban sustainable development. The journal also aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of the two-way interactions between urbanisation processes and patterns and environmental changes at the local, regional, and global scales. In addition to mitigation and adaptation concerns, these interactions also include related social and economic issues, such as the impacts of globalisation and financial crises, evidence-based liveability versus utopian, or purely theoretical, planning principles, restoring dignity to the marginalized beyond, but including, the basic principles of participation, environmental justice and sustainable resource utilisation. The Journal, thus, seeks to connect theory and practice in ways that are useful to academics, policy makers, community activists and professionals, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 11, which promotes Sustainable Cities and Communities. In addition, the Journal's remit also encompasses other SDGs, in particular those relating to climate action, access to clean water and sanitation, access to affordable and clean energy, decent work, poverty alleviation, equality and health and well being. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development is fully peer reviewed. It publishes original research and review papers. It also includes important think pieces and position papers by prominent scholars and practitioners in the broader field of urban sustainable environmental, economic, social (political) and cultural development. It has a global reach covering cities and towns of different sizes, cultures and economies in the North and the South. It strives to bring together views and experience from industrially developed, developing and transition countries for mutual learning. Authors from developing and transition economies in particular are encouraged to submit papers. Peer Review Statement International Journal of Urban Sustainable Dev
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Urban and Rural Development ChallengesSocial Sciences18.7%
- Urban Planning and GovernanceSocial Sciences9.7%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science8.8%
- Urban Transport and AccessibilitySocial Sciences7.4%
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science5.6%
- Urban Agriculture and SustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
- Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Sustainable Building Design and AssessmentEngineering3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- 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
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
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 (publisher) 2025
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.77LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.77Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.06LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.06Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 40OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 188OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.71OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 21LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,021Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 226,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 381 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22 | 22 | 6 |
| 2025 | 21 | 21 | 59 |
| 2024 | 27 | 27 | 195 |
| 2023 | 21 | 21 | 271 |
| 2022 | 24 | 24 | 242 |
| 2021 | 31 | 22 | 533 |
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
260 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 184 days – 368 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (50 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 280 days
- Sample
- 50 articles with submission and acceptance dates (48 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 21 weeksLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 15%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 57 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 162 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 19 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 21 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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 1,680 / GBP 1,344 / EUR 1,615 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | EUR 1,160 / GBP 1,000 / USD 1,270 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,370 / GBP 1,756 / EUR 1,615 / USD 3,300 / GBP 300 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Other fees
- GBP 300
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)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 100 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 3
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Highlights
- Optional
Article types accepted1
- research articleResearch Article Should be written with the following elements in the following order: title page; abstract; key policy highlights (if appropriate); keywords; m…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteData availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Data availability Data Sharing Policy
Data sharing policy: Taylor & Francis Basic Data Sharing Policy Model summary
This journal applies the Taylor & Francis Basic Data Sharing Policy. Authors are encouraged to share or make open the data supporting the results or analyses presented in their paper where this does not violate the protection of human subjects or other valid privacy or security concerns. Authors are encouraged to deposit the dataset(s) in a recognized data repository that can mint a persistent dig…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Options
Language: only publishes manuscripts in English Model summary
Copyright allows you to protect your original material, and stop others from using your work without your permission. Taylor & Francis offers a number of different license and reuse options, including Creative Commons licenses when publishing open access. Read more on publishing agreements.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
You have the option to publish open access in this journal via our Open Select publishing program. 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. Articles published Open Select with Taylor & Francis typically receive 48% more citations* and over 7 times as many downloads** c…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review and Ethics
Peer review type: double anonymous peer review Model summary
Taylor & Francis is committed to peer-review integrity and upholding the highest standards of review. Once your paper has been assessed for suitability by the editor, it will then be double anonymous peer reviewed by two independent, anonymous expert. If you have shared an earlier version of your Author’s Original Manuscript on a preprint server, please be aware that anonymity cannot be guaranteed…
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
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1946-3138
- Electronic ISSN
- 1946-3146
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 18, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development
What CAS zone is International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Environmental Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 3.1 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 5.3, h-index 40.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development?
Based on the dates recorded on 50 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 260 days (interquartile range 184–368 days); authors report an average review time of about 21 weeks; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 15%. 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 International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 100 words; Keywords: ≥ 3; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Highlights: 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.
Which databases index International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,680.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, 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: .