Journal profile · Multiple
Planning Theory & Practice
ISSN 1464-9357 · eISSN 1470-000X · Taylor & Francis
Planning Theory & Practice: CAS Zone 2 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.1; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 391 days to acceptance (53 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 15% (journal website); 51 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Planning Theory & Practice is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 2 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Urban Planning and Governance, Rural development and sustainability and Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism, together about 36.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Urban Studies. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Planning Theory & Practice provides an international focus for the development of theory and practice in spatial planning and a forum to promote the policy dimensions of space and place. Planning Theory & Practice aims to challenge theory and change practice and is distinctive in its commitment to publishing content which combines intellectual rigour with practical impact. The Editors invite theoretically informed and robustly researched papers which raise issues at the leading edge of planning theory and practice. Papers on controversial subjects are welcomed and supported. Authors are requested to draw out the wider significance of their particular contribution and to write for a broad disciplinary and international audience. The journal’s innovative Interface section adopts an original approach to stimulating critical and challenging debate through academic publishing. This includes promoting dialogue between the academic and practitioner communities, encouraging analytical reflection on practice and practical engagement with theory. Each issue of Interface offers a multifaceted investigation of a topical theme, in the form of a series of contributions reflecting on an issue from different perspectives. The journal’s Comments and Reviews section comprises Policy & Planning Briefs, which provide critical insights into key policy developments and analysis of spatial plans, Book Reviews, and Comments on a current issue and rejoinders to articles previously published. The range of Planning Theory & Practice includes: Developing the theoretical and methodological foundations of planning theory and practice, as well as urban studies more generally; Developing the contributions of the planning field to social science, both analytically and normatively; Exploring the relationship between theory and practice, including reviews which examine emergent practices and interpret them in the light of current intellectual debates; Challenging the impact of intellectual ideas through critical reflection and review; Examining policy development in particular fields such as housing, regeneration, transport, urban design, participatory practice, diversity and climate change. The journal is co-owned by the Royal Town Planning Institute and Taylor & Francis Peer Review Statement All research articles submitted to the journal undergo a rigorous peer review process, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least three referees. Interface articles are su
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Heather CampbellPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 14, United Kingdom 10, Canada 7, Australia 4, Hong Kong, China 3 (54 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Urban Planning and GovernanceSocial Sciences23.2%
- Rural development and sustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.2%
- Housing, Finance, and NeoliberalismEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.3%
- Urbanization and City PlanningSocial Sciences5.7%
- Public Policy and Administration ResearchSocial Sciences5.5%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.9%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.8%
- Urban and Rural Development ChallengesSocial Sciences4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Urban Studies | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | 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 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 2 |
| 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 Q2 · 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
ESCIWeb of SciencePublisher website
Other: Elsevier Geo Abstracts, Environmental Abstracts, IBZ/IBR, Journal or Planning Literature, Urban Studies 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
- 4.1LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.03LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.03Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.34LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.34Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 74OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 536OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.9OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 31.33%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 35LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 349,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,247 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 38 | 28 | 7 |
| 2025 | 51 | 28 | 74 |
| 2024 | 42 | 30 | 168 |
| 2023 | 43 | 30 | 446 |
| 2022 | 43 | 32 | 454 |
| 2021 | 58 | 39 | 876 |
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
391 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 300 days – 487 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 21 days (53 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 422 days
- Sample
- 53 articles with submission and acceptance dates (94 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)
- 15%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 81 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 173 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 24 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
- Open access Open access
Planning Theory & Practice 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 …
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
- 1464-9357
- Electronic ISSN
- 1470-000X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 27, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Planning Theory & Practice
What CAS zone is Planning Theory & Practice in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Planning Theory & Practice is in Zone 2 of Economics, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Urban Studies / Regional & Urban Planning. 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 Planning Theory & Practice?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.1; CiteScore 4.4, h-index 74.
How long does peer review take at Planning Theory & Practice?
Based on the dates recorded on 53 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 391 days (interquartile range 300–487 days); 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 JCR quartile is Planning Theory & Practice 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 2 of Economics.
Where are the editorial board members of Planning Theory & Practice based?
Of the 54 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 (14), United Kingdom (10) and Canada (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Planning Theory & Practice?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Planning Theory & Practice is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists ESCI and Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Planning Theory & Practice open access, and what is the APC?
Planning Theory & Practice 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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .