Journal profile · Social Sciences-Urban Studies
Urban Forum
ISSN 1015-3802 · eISSN 1874-6330 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
Urban Forum: CAS Zone 3 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.5 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,190; median 171 days to acceptance (30 articles, last 24 months); 20 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Urban Forum is published by Springer Nature 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 and Rural Development Challenges, Local Economic Development and Planning and Legal Issues in South Africa, together about 49.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
This journal publishes papers, which engage broadly with urban processes, developments, challenges, politics and people, providing a distinctive African focus on these themes. Topics covered variously engage with the dynamics of governance, everyday urban life, economies and environments. The journal uses empirical data to reinforce and refine theoretical developments in urban studies, draws on the specificities of the African context, and opens up geographically diverse conversations on African cities. Urban Forum welcomes papers that provide rich evidence from African cities and, in doing so, builds debate and theory that often remains peripheral to urban scholarship. The journal is open to research based on a range of methodologies, but prioritizes qualitative analysis and interpretation. With this mix, research in Urban Forum demonstrates the ordinary and the exceptional nature of urbanization in African cities.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Urban Studies
Editor-in-chief Mercy Brown-LuthangoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 10, United Kingdom 2, United States 1, India 1, France 1 (20 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Urban and Rural Development ChallengesSocial Sciences27.1%
- Local Economic Development and PlanningSocial Sciences11.3%
- Legal Issues in South AfricaSocial Sciences11.3%
- Urban Planning and GovernanceSocial Sciences8%
- South African History and CultureSocial Sciences4.5%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions3.4%
- Land Rights and ReformsAgricultural and Biological Sciences3%
- Diverse Aspects of Tourism ResearchSocial Sciences2.9%
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 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSSPublisher 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
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.45LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.74LetPub ·
- h-index
- 57OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 488OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.68OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 71.64%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 19LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 133,200Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 879 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 10 | 2 |
| 2025 | 20 | 11 | 21 |
| 2024 | 23 | 18 | 83 |
| 2023 | 27 | 23 | 195 |
| 2022 | 25 | 14 | 202 |
| 2021 | 40 | 18 | 433 |
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
171 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 108 days – 261 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (43 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 189 days
- Sample
- 30 articles with submission and acceptance dates (46 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
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,190 / EUR 2,590 / GBP 2,290 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,500 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Not considered
- incomplete submissions
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- 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
- reviewGuidelines SNAPP Double Anonymous Peer Review Guidelines Back to top Length of manuscript The manuscript should not exceed 7500 words in length (excluding refer…main text ≤ 7,500 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, 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 ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. 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 Urban Forum, 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 Nature
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 1015-3802
- Electronic ISSN
- 1874-6330
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 37, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Urban Forum
What CAS zone is Urban Forum in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Urban Forum 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 Urban Forum?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.5 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.7, h-index 57.
How long does peer review take at Urban Forum?
Based on the dates recorded on 30 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 171 days (interquartile range 108–261 days). 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 Urban Forum?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,500 words; 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 Urban Forum based?
Of the 20 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (10), United Kingdom (2) and United States (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Urban Forum?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Urban Forum is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Urban Forum open access, and what is the APC?
Urban Forum is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,190.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .