Journal profile · URBAN STUDIES
Journal of Urban Design
ISSN 1357-4809 · eISSN 1469-9664 · Taylor & Francis
Journal of Urban Design: CAS Zone 3 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.7 (journal website); JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 132 days to acceptance (69 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 11% (journal website); 67 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Urban Design 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 Urban Design and Spatial Analysis, Urban Planning and Governance and Urban Transport and Accessibility, together about 38.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Urban Studies. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Urban Design is a scholarly international journal which advances theory, research and practice in urban design. There is a growing recognition of the need for urban design in shaping, managing and improving the quality of the urban environment. It is now considered one of the core knowledge components of planning and architectural education and practice. Thus, increasing numbers of architects, planners, surveyors, landscape architects and other professions concerned with the quality of urban development are specialising in urban design. The Journal of Urban Design provides a new forum to bring together those contributing to this re-emerging discipline and enables researchers, scholars, practitioners and students to explore its many dimensions. The Journal publishes original articles in specialised areas such as urban aesthetics and townscape; urban structure and form; sustainable development; urban history, preservation and conservation; urban regeneration; local and regional identity; design control and guidance; property development; practice and implementation. Peer Review Statement All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous refereeing by two referees. Practice Notes are anonymously refereed by at least one referee after the initial screening by the editor.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): URBAN STUDIES
Editor-in-chief Taner OcPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 29, United Kingdom 17, Australia 4, Canada 2, Mainland China 1 (57 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Urban Design and Spatial AnalysisEngineering16.6%
- Urban Planning and GovernanceSocial Sciences11.9%
- Urban Transport and AccessibilitySocial Sciences10.2%
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science8.9%
- Urbanization and City PlanningSocial Sciences7.3%
- Place Attachment and Urban StudiesSocial Sciences5.1%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science4.4%
- Cultural Industries and Urban DevelopmentSocial 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 | Urban Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Urban 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
- JCR Q2 · 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
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ProQuest, OCLC, CSA Abstracts, Dietrich's Index Philosophicus, GEOBASE, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, SwetsPublisher 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
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.74LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.74Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.51LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.51Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 82OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 562OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.24OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 29.41%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 230,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,283 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 44 | 23 | 12 |
| 2025 | 67 | 26 | 101 |
| 2024 | 59 | 27 | 267 |
| 2023 | 36 | 19 | 238 |
| 2022 | 66 | 18 | 1,694 |
| 2021 | 63 | 19 | 465 |
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
132 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 96 days – 196 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 26 days (69 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 157 days
- Sample
- 69 articles with submission and acceptance dates (113 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)
- 11%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 49 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 25 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)
Article types accepted2
- original articlesThe Journal publishes original articles in specialised areas such as urban aesthetics and townscape; urban structure and form; sustainable development; urban hi…Length not stated
- practice notesPractice Notes are anonymously refereed by at least one referee after the initial screening by the editor.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Journal of Urban Design 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. Model summary
Journal of Urban Design 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 and…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
All research articles undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous refereeing by two referees. Model summary
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous 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
- 1357-4809
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-9664
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 31, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Urban Design
What CAS zone is Journal of Urban Design in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Urban Design is in Zone 3 of Economics, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Urban Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Urban Design?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.7 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 5, h-index 82.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Urban Design?
Based on the dates recorded on 69 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 132 days (interquartile range 96–196 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 11%. 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 Journal of Urban Design in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (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 Journal of Urban Design based?
Of the 57 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (29), United Kingdom (17) and Australia (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Urban Design?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Urban Design is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Journal of Urban Design open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Urban Design 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .