Urban Studies
Urban Studies is the leading international journal for urban scholarship. Since its inception in 1964, the journal has remained at the forefront of intellectual and policy debates on the city, and has hosted ground-breaking contributions from across the full range of social science disciplines. The Editors aim to maintain and extend the role of Urban Studies as the journal of choice for those working on the cutting edge of academic research about cities. We welcome all original submissions that further our understanding of the urban condition and the rapid changes taking place in cities and regions across the globe, whether from an empirical, theoretical, or a policy perspective.
In addition to research articles, Urban Studies publishes peer-reviewed critical commentaries, debate papers and book reviews besides a regular series of Special Issues. The journal is also committed to developing Social Media as the means of informing debates about the contemporary urban condition.
Urban Studies is published in association with Urban Studies Journal Limited.
Urban Studies is available to browse online.
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Urban Studies is an international peer-reviewed journal for urban scholarship. We welcome all original submissions that further our understanding of the urban condition and the rapid changes taking place in cities and regions across the globe. Contributions are welcome from across the full range of social science disciplines and are expected to advance empirical and theoretical knowledge of the urban from both positive and normative perspectives. Such contributions may be formatted in a variety of ways:
- As standard research articles of between 4,000 and 8,500 words.
- As debates papers of between 8,000 and 10,000 words.
- As critical commentaries of between 4,000 and 6,000 words.
- In the form of guest edited special issues, comprising 10-12 thematically related contributions (of any of the above noted types) supported by an editorial introduction of around 5,000 words and reflective commentaries of around 3,000 words.
The journal favours contributions which move beyond the profiling of specific cities or phenomena that are relevant only to single or an extremely limited number of locations. Rather the journal seeks contributions that focus on matters that are intrinsically urban in nature and studies into urban process and urban outcomes that, while grounded in specific locations, contribute to a wider urban theoretical and conceptual understanding.
Urban Studies, which is published in association with Urban Studies Journal Limited, is committed to assisting the greatest practical extent of knowledge mobilisation of the material it publishes, including through social media, blogging and its website https://www.urbanstudiesonline.com/. The journal also publishes book reviews for relevant and significant new publications.
| Jon Bannister | Manchester Metropolitan University, UK |
| Michele Acuto | University of Melbourne, Australia |
| Yingling Fan | University of Minnesota, USA |
| Tony O’Sullivan | University of Glasgow, UK |
| Michele Acuto | University of Melbourne, Australia |
| Alison Bain | York University, Canada |
| Karen Coelho | Madras Institute of Development Studies, India |
| Shenjing He | The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China |
| Lazaros Karaliotas | University of Glasgow, UK |
| Chris Leishman | University of Adelaide, Australia |
| Markus Moos | University of Waterloo, Canada |
| Scott Orford | Cardiff University, UK |
| Ruth Harkin | University of Glasgow, UK |
| Marion Laughtland | University of Glasgow, UK |
| Julia Macbeth | University of Glasgow, UK |
| Hillary Angelo | University of California Santa Cruz, United States |
| Anthony Miro Born | The London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, and Goethe University, Germany |
| Sarah Barns | RMIT University, Australia |
| Evelyn Blumenberg | UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, USA |
| Himanshu Burte | Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India |
| Vanesa Castán Broto | University of Sheffield, United Kingdom |
| Liza Rose Cirolia | University Cape Town, South Africa |
| Patrick Cobbinah | University of Melbourne, Australia |
| Agustín Cocola-Gant | University of Lisbon, Portugal |
| Creighton Connolly | University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong |
| Jason Corburn | University of California, Berkeley, USA |
| Sylvia Croese | University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa |
| Jonathan Davies | De Montfort University, UK |
| Henrike Donner | Goldsmiths, University of London, UK |
| Flávia Feitosa | Universidade Federal do ABC, Brazil |
| Brendan Gleeson | The University of Melbourne, Australia |
| Canfei He | Peking University, China |
| Phil Hubbard | King's College London, UK |
| Mo Hume | University of Glasgow, UK |
| Guillermo Jajamovich | Universidad De Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Lalitha Kamath | Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India |
| Lily Kong | Singapore Management University, Singapore |
| Kerstin Krellenberg | Universitat Wien, Austria |
| Taibat Lawanson | University of Lagos, Nigeria |
| Anant Maringanti | Hyderabad Urban Lab Foundation, India |
| Evert Meijers | Utrecht University, Netherlands |
| Sergio Montero | University of Toronto, Scarborough, Canada |
| Catalina Ortiz | University College London, UK |
| Karin Pfeffer | University of Twente, The Netherlands |
| Deen Sharp | London School of Economics and Political Science, UK |
| Yong Tu | National University of Singapore, Singapore |
| Stephanie Wakefield | Life University, USA |
| Lan Wang | Tongji University, China |
| Heather Whiteside | University of Waterloo, Canada |
| Rebecca Wickes | Griffith University, Australia |
| Japhy Wilson | Bangor University, UK |
| Astrid Wood | Newcastle University, UK |
| G.A. Wood | RMIT University, Australia |
| Lei Zhang | Old Dominion University, USA |
Book Review Submission Guidelines
- Peer review policy
- Article Types
- Authorship
- How to submit your Manuscript
4.1 ORCID - Journal contributor's publishing agreement
5.1 Sage Choice and Open Access - Statements and conventions
6.1 Acknowledgements
6.2 Declaration of conflicting interests
6.3 Funding acknowledgement
6.4 Other statements and conventions - Permissions
- Manuscript style
8.1 File types
8.2 Journal style
8.3 Reference style
8.4 Manuscript preparation - After acceptance
9.1 Proofs
9.2 E-Prints
9.3 Sage production
9.4 OnlineFirst publication - Further information
Urban Studies is the leading interdisciplinary journal for critical urban research and issues. Since it was first published in 1964 to provide an international forum for research into the fields of urban and regional studies, the journal has expanded to encompass a wider range of approaches to the study of cities and regions.
Authors should explain in their covering letter how their submitted paper engages with broad international debates in urban theory, and should consider how their paper fits with past and ongoing debates in the Urban Studies journal. We strongly encourage authors to familiarise themselves with, and cite where appropriate, articles in the journal relevant to their own perspectives and arguments.
Sage does not permit the use of author-suggested (recommended) reviewers at any stage of the submission process, be that through the web-based submission system or other communication.
Reviewers should be experts in their fields and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Our policy is that reviewers should not be assigned to a paper if:
• The reviewer is based at the same institution as any of the co-authors
• The reviewer is based at the funding body of the paper
• The author has recommended the reviewer
• The reviewer has provided a personal (e.g. Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail) email account and an institutional email account cannot be found after performing a basic Google search (name, department and institution).
Research articles
Articles may be theoretical or empirical, but authors should note that in the case of empirically focused manuscripts the subject matter should be suitably positioned in theoretical and/or conceptual terms. All articles are expected to have original content. They should not have been previously published, nor be under simultaneous consideration by another academic journal – if this is found to be the case, your paper will be withdrawn immediately. Authors should be aware that pre-posting may be used as grounds for rejection, where the editors feel that authors’ anonymity may be compromised in the review process.
Originality, clarity of writing style, logical structure of argument and integrity of empirical data are essential for an article’s acceptance. Authors are asked to submit articles that convey a strong sense of urban place. Relevant contextual background must be provided to enable an international readership to be fully cognizant of the urban location under study. Any local terms must be explained. The article should not assume any prior knowledge of the local setting. Authors are encouraged to reflect on urban debates in this journal and beyond.
Authors need to choose an analytical structure that supports the logical unfolding of the text and assists the reader in following the argument. The structure of an article is greatly enhanced by a strong introduction and conclusion. The introduction is key to signposting what the article is about and the conclusion must highlight the article’s various finding and themes, inter-relating them and drawing attention to their more general analytical significance.
The word restriction on submitted manuscripts is between 4,000 and 8,500 words (including abstract, references, notes, appendices, tables and figures). One table or figure will count as approximately half a page of text or 250 words. If your paper exceeds the specified word limit it will be withdrawn.
Book reviews
A Book review should normally run to between 1200 and 1400 words, which gives scope for an assessment of the book (or books) and its contribution to knowledge and discussion within the broad field of urban studies. Book reviews should also be submitted online.
The heading should include the title, author, origin, publisher, date, number of pages, ISBN and price, as in the following example:
White IB, Modernism and the Spirit of the City, Routledge: London, 2003; 259 pp.: 0415258413, £24.99 (pbk).
No payment is made for reviews, but the contributor is normally allowed to retain the book.
Authors wishing to discuss a possible book review should contact the Reviews Editor, Michele Acuto, at michele.acuto@unimelb.edu.au.
Publishers wishing to send out a review copy of a book may also contact Michele Acuto at michele.acuto@unimelb.edu.au.
Critical commentaries
Critical commentaries provide a forum for debate within the urban academic community. We encourage submissions from authors capable of taking a critical issue relating to the contemporary urban condition and developing a reasoned argument, exposing, inter alia, its nature, its presentation as (policy) discourse, contradictions, and amenity to policy. A Critical commentary is less likely to offer new research findings as to present a point of view, doing so in a reasoned, powerful and less formal style than is typical for an academic paper.
The preferred length is 4000 to 6000 words including references.
For examples of past Critical commentaries, please see the following:
Ball, M. (2010) “Critical Commentary. Cities and Housing Markets: Changes and Continuities in the Aftermath of the 2007-08 World Financial Crisis”, Urban Studies, 47(5), pp. 931-944.
Bryceson, D.F., Gough, K.V., Rigg, J. and Agergaard, J. (2009) “Critical Commentary. The World Development Report 2009”, Urban Studies, 46(4), pp.723-738.
Gleeson, B. (2008) “Critical Commentary. Waking from the Dream: An Australian Perspective on Urban Resilience”, Urban Studies, 45(13) pp. 2653-2668.
If you would like to discuss a possible Critical Commentary submission to Urban Studies, please contact the Critical Commentaries Editor, Alison Bain at abain@yorku.ca.
Debates in urban studies
We invite critical review articles that outline and assess current trends and developments in key areas of urban studies, summarising existing literature on cities and regions and taking it forward by providing fresh perspectives and insights.
The new section will complement our existing and well-regarded Critical commentaries section. Critical commentaries allow for the development of a reasoned and powerful point of view in a somewhat less formal style than normal articles; short, topical think-pieces rather than full-length review articles. Articles in Debates in urban studies will engage with ongoing debates around specific concepts, trends and urban processes, but offer significant new insights or syntheses, extend urban debates into new areas, or capture an emergent literature around new urban phenomena. We invite papers that will promote new thinking and analysis on the broader urban condition, challenge existing thinking and wisdom, or foster debates within specialist subfields (politics and governance, economic development, culture, housing and real estate, finance and financialisation, labour markets, environment and climate transition, gentrification, marginalisation and exclusion, etc.).
Debates in urban studies offers a potential platform for early career researchers (ECRs) who, through their PhD work or post-doctoral research, have been involved in a substantive and critical engagement with a corpus of urban literature and debate; and also to established scholars wishing to offer meta-perspectives on progress and future directions in their chosen fields of inquiry. For both ECRs and established scholars, the Debates in urban studies section provides a space for new and provocative insights on the urban condition, which, at the same time, demonstrate in-depth and critical knowledge of established and ongoing work in the field.
We invite papers of between 8000 and 10,000 words for Debates in urban studies, to allow sufficient space for rigorous and critical dialogue with existing perspectives and traditions in urban research. We are not seeking extended literature reviews; papers must make a novel contribution, but this can be in a plethora of different ways. In this respect, innovation and creativity in approach are also encouraged.
For further information or advice prior to submitting a paper, prospective authors are strongly encouraged to contact the Debates Editor, Lazaros Karaliotas, at lazaros.karaliotas@glasgow.ac.uk in the first instance with a brief 150 word synopsis setting out the broad idea that they have in mind.
Papers should only be submitted for consideration once the authorization of all contributing authors has been gathered. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.
The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who:
(i) have made a substantial contribution to the concept and design, acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation of data
(ii) drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content
(iii) approved the version to be published.
Authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.
When a large, multicentre group has conducted the work, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals should fully meet the criteria for authorship.
Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship, although all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the Acknowledgements section.
Please refer to the ICMJE Authorship guidelines at https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/....
Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.
4. How to submit your manuscript
Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you carefully read and adhere to all the guidelines and instructions to authors provided below. Manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.
Authors should explain in their covering letter how their submitted paper engages with broad international debates in urban theory, and should consider how their paper fits with past and ongoing debates in the Urban Studies journal. We strongly encourage authors to familiarise themselves with, and cite where appropriate, articles in the journal relevant to their own perspectives and arguments.
If you would like to discuss your paper prior to submission, or seek advice on the submission process please contact the Editor-in-Chief, through Ruth Harkin at ruth.harkin@glasgow.ac.uk.
Urban Studies is hosted on Sage Track a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Please read the Manuscript Submission guidelines below, and then simply visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cus to login and submit your article online.
IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.
All papers must be submitted via the online system. If you would like to discuss your paper prior to submission, please refer to the contact details below.
Authors should ensure that submitted manuscripts include an abstract and five keywords.
Authors should upload a title page listing the article's full title and subtitle (if any) and the full name of each author with current affiliation and full postal and email address. For the purposes of blind refereeing (submissions will be refereed anonymously by at least two referees), the title page must be supplied on a separate sheet.
The normal expectation of the Journal is that the minimum standard level of statistical significance is 0.05 (ie 5%) or better.
Ordinarily, the editors will only consider one submission at a time from an author. On a very exceptional basis and where the papers are dealing with very different matters, the editors may be prepared to consider a second paper. The second submission must be accompanied by a covering letter which clearly demonstrates the differences between the papers.
As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized.
The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.
If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.
5. Journal contributor's publishing agreement
Before publication Sage requires the author to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society, and copyright is retained by Urban Studies Ltd. For more information please visit our Frequently Asked Questions on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.
Urban Studies and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of articles published in the Journal. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the Journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article (removing it from the journal); taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; banning the author from publication in the journal or all Sage journals, or appropriate legal action.
5.1 Sage Choice and Open Access
If you or your funder wish your article to be freely available online to non subscribers immediately upon publication (gold open access), you can opt for it to be included in Sage Choice, subject to payment of a publication fee. The manuscript submission and peer review procedure is unchanged. On acceptance of your article, you will be asked to let Sage know directly if you are choosing Sage Choice. To check journal eligibility and the publication fee, please visit Sage Choice. For more information on open access options and compliance at Sage, including self author archiving deposits (green open access) visit Sage Publishing Policies on our Journal Author Gateway.
All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support.
Please supply any personal acknowledgements separately to the main text to facilitate anonymous peer review.
6.1.1 Third party submissions
Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:
- Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
- Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
- Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.
Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.
6.1.2 Writing assistance
Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and so should be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance. It is not necessary to disclose use of language polishing services.
6.2 Declaration of conflicting interests
Within your Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement you will be required to make a certification with respect to a declaration of conflicting interests. Urban Studies does not require a declaration of conflicting interests but recommends you review the good practice guidelines on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.
To comply with the guidance for Research Funders, Authors and Publishers issued by the Research Information Network (RIN), Urban Studies additionally requires all Authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading. Please visit Funding Acknowledgements on the Sage Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgement text in the event of funding or state in your acknowledgements that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
6.4 Other statements and conventions
Non applicable.
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.
Only electronic files conforming to the journal's guidelines will be accepted. Preferred formats for the text and tables of your manuscript are Word DOC and Excel. Please also refer to additional guideline on submitting artwork below.
Urban Studies conforms to the Sage house style. Please refer to the Sage UK House Style to review guidelines.
Urban Studies adheres to the Sage Harvard reference style. Click here to review the guidelines on Sage Harvard to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.
If you use EndNote to manage references, download the Sage Harvard output style by following this link and or search for ‘Sage Harvard’. Save the ens. file to the appropriate folder (normally for Windows C:\Program Files\EndNote\Styles and for Mac OS X Harddrive:Applications:EndNote:Styles). Once you’ve done this, open EndNote and choose “Select Another Style...” from the dropdown menu in the menu bar; locate and choose this new style from the following screen.
The text should be double-spaced throughout and with a minimum of 3cm for left and right hand margins and 5cm at head and foot. Text should be standard 10 or 12 point.
8.4.1 Your Title, Keywords and Abstracts: Helping readers find your article online
The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article online through online search engines such as Google. Please refer to the information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords by visiting Sage’s Journal Author Gateway Guidelines on How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online.
8.4.2 Journal Style
Provide full contact details for the corresponding author including email, mailing address and telephone numbers. Academic affiliations are required for all co-authors. These details should be presented separately to the main text of the article to facilitate anonymous peer review.
8.4.3 Reference style
For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines.
Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For specifically requested colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Sage after receipt of your accepted article.
8.4.4 Manuscript preparation
This journal is able to host approved supplemental materials online, alongside the full-text of articles. Supplemental files will be subjected to peer-review alongside the article. For more information please refer to Sage’s Guidelines for Authors on Supplemental Files.
8.4.5 Manuscript preparation
Non-English speaking authors who would like to refine their use of language in their manuscripts might consider using a professional editing service. Visit English Language Editing Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.
We will email a PDF of the proofs to the corresponding author.
Sage provides authors with access to a PDF of their final article. For further information please visit Offprints and Reprints on our Journal Author Gateway.
At Sage we place an extremely strong emphasis on the highest production standards possible. We attach high importance to our quality service levels in copy-editing, typesetting, printing, and online publication (http://online.sagepub.com/). We also seek to uphold excellent author relations throughout the publication process.
We value your feedback to ensure we continue to improve our author service levels. On publication all corresponding authors will receive a brief survey questionnaire on your experience of publishing in Urban Studies with Sage.
A large number of journals benefit from OnlineFirst, a feature offered through Sage’s electronic journal platform, Sage Journals Online. It allows final revision articles (completed articles in queue for assignment to an upcoming issue) to be hosted online prior to their inclusion in a final print and online journal issue which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. For more information please visit our OnlineFirst Fact Sheet.
Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the Manuscript Submission process should be sent to the Editorial Office as follows:
Email: ruth.harkin@glasgow.ac.uk