Journal profile · REGIONAL & URBAN PLANNING
Planning Theory
ISSN 1473-0952 · eISSN 1741-3052 · SAGE
Planning Theory: CAS Zone 1 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 3.17; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; 15 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Planning Theory is published by SAGE and is in Zone 1 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Urban Planning and Governance, Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism and Urbanization and City Planning, together about 44.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Urban Studies. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Research area (LetPub): REGIONAL & URBAN PLANNING
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Urban Planning and GovernanceSocial Sciences30%
- Housing, Finance, and NeoliberalismEconomics, Econometrics and Finance8.9%
- Urbanization and City PlanningSocial Sciences5.9%
- Rural development and sustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.7%
- Urban and Rural Development ChallengesSocial Sciences4.1%
- Foucault, Power, and EthicsSocial Sciences4.1%
- Public Policy and Administration ResearchSocial Sciences3.8%
- Political and Economic history of UK and USSocial Sciences3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 3.17LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.46LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.92LetPub ·
- h-index
- 78OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 368OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.24OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 47.17%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 12LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 759 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 | 12 | 5 |
| 2025 | 15 | 9 | 22 |
| 2024 | 28 | 13 | 123 |
| 2023 | 34 | 13 | 211 |
| 2022 | 26 | 13 | 368 |
| 2021 | 27 | 5 | 300 |
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.
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 3,650 / GBP 2,676 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 1473-0952
- Electronic ISSN
- 1741-3052
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Planning Theory
What CAS zone is Planning Theory in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Planning Theory is in Zone 1 of Economics, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Regional & Urban Planning; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Planning Theory?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.17; CiteScore 7.8, h-index 78.
Which databases index Planning Theory?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Planning Theory is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Planning Theory open access, and what is the APC?
Planning Theory is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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: .