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The Journal of Urban Affairs is an international, peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to advancing multidisciplinary urban research, public policy analysis, and community studies. Published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) on behalf of the Urban Affairs Association (UAA), the journal provides an established forum connecting scholarly research with practical urban governance.
What it is
Established in 1979, the Journal of Urban Affairs (print ISSN 0735-2166, electronic ISSN 1467-9906) publishes 10 issues annually. Serving as the flagship research publication of the Urban Affairs Association, it indexes over 3,460 permanent digital object identifiers (DOIs) in Crossref. The journal examines metropolitan and regional problems, municipal administration, social equity, civic infrastructure, and urban community dynamics across national and international contexts.
As a hybrid journal, it enables authors to publish through traditional subscription distribution or open access via Taylor & Francis Open Select. The publication applies rigorous editorial evaluation and double-blind peer review, offering empirical and theoretical research for academic scholars, urban planners, public policy specialists, and municipal administrators.
Who runs it and what it covers
The Journal of Urban Affairs is officially sponsored by the Urban Affairs Association. The editorial office is hosted by the Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University, directed by Editor-in-Chief Dr. Bernadette Hanlon alongside Managing Editor Casey Wagner. The editorial board includes international scholars spanning multiple social science disciplines.
The journal’s scope encompasses five primary research areas:
- Interdisciplinary metropolitan analyses: Civic governance, housing policy, segregation, spatial inequality, municipal finance, and local economic development across sociology, political science, geography, and urban economics.
- Policy and program assessments: Evaluating public, private, and community initiatives designed to advance equitable, sustainable, and resilient urban change.
- Methodological contributions: Applying quantitative models, qualitative fieldwork, spatial econometrics, and mixed-method designs to urban inquiries.
- Global and comparative studies: Comparing metropolitan institutions, planning regimes, and spatial patterns across diverse world regions.
- Empirical urban theory: Developing theoretical perspectives on urbanization, neighborhood change, and community mobilization.
The journal accepts approximately 20% of submitted manuscripts. Editorial tracking indicates an average of 7 days for initial desk evaluation to assess scope alignment, 70 days for a first decision after peer review, and 47 days from final acceptance to online publication as a Version of Record.
How to search or use it
Authors submit papers through the journal’s electronic submission portal and must adhere to specific formatting requirements. Prospective contributors should follow these seven sequential steps drawn from the platform’s official documentation:
- Locate the submission portal: Access the official Author Resources section on the journal website and select Submit a Manuscript to enter the ScholarOne Manuscripts system for the Journal of Urban Affairs.
- Format paper length and typography: Ensure the manuscript does not exceed 35 double-spaced pages in 12-point Times or Times New Roman font with 1-inch (2.5 cm) margins. This 35-page limit strictly includes the abstract, body text, tables, references, figure captions, and notes.
- Anonymize the main manuscript: Remove all identifying information to support double-blind peer review. Exclude author names, affiliations, grant numbers, institutional acknowledgments, and self-identifying citations from the main document.
- Prepare a separate title page: Assemble an independent title file containing the article title, author names, institutional affiliations where the research was performed, corresponding author contact details, ORCID identifiers, and biographical notes under 200 words per author.
- Draft abstract and keyword metadata: Write an unstructured abstract of no more than 150 words summarizing the research purpose, methodology, key findings, and practical implications. Select between 3 and 5 descriptive keywords.
- Incorporate mandatory policy disclosures: Provide an explicit conflict of interest disclosure confirming financial or non-financial relationships (or stating none exist), list grant award numbers, and supply a formal data availability statement.
- Upload supplementary assets: Archive underlying research files in an appropriate open data repository, present tables on individual pages in editable formats, provide high-resolution figures (minimum 300 dpi for color, 600 dpi for grayscale, 1200 dpi for line art), and attach any supplementary online material.
Strengths and limits
Understanding the core operational strengths and structural boundaries of the Journal of Urban Affairs clarifies submission suitability:
- Double-blind evaluation: Mutually anonymous review reduces potential institutional or geographic prestige bias.
- Rapid desk screening: An average 7-day initial editorial triage ensures rapid feedback if a manuscript falls outside editorial scope.
- Zero mandatory author fees: Standard subscription publishing requires no submission fees, editorial processing fees, or page charges, ensuring access for unfunded authors.
- Broad academic indexing: Indexing across Web of Science Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and Scopus provides high citation discoverability, supporting institutional benchmarks comparable to journal impact factor and quartile rankings.
- Strict page ceiling: The 35-page inclusive limit requires concise exposition and selective use of supplementary appendices for extensive datasets.
- Print color reproduction costs: While online figures appear in color without charge, reproducing color figures in physical print incurs fees of £300 ($400 USD / €350) per figure for the first four figures, and £50 ($75 USD / €65) thereafter.
- Directory exclusions: Operating as a hybrid subscription journal, it is not listed in open-access directories such as the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
Alternatives
Authors evaluating where to submit urban studies, metropolitan planning, and community development research can compare peer journals across publisher, review model, scope, and length limits:
| Journal | Publisher | Review Model | Primary Scope and Focus | Standard Length Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journal of Urban Affairs | Routledge / Taylor and Francis (UAA) | Double-blind | Interdisciplinary urban policy, community development, and social equity | Up to 35 pages (all-inclusive) |
| Urban Studies | SAGE Publications | Double-blind | Theoretical and empirical social science analyses of urban systems | 8,000–9,000 words |
| Urban Affairs Review | SAGE Publications (APSA) | Double-blind | Urban politics, governance structures, and municipal public policy | Up to 10,000 words |
| Cities | Elsevier | Single or double-blind | Urban planning, spatial analysis, and comparative urban policy | Up to 8,500 words |
| Journal of the American Planning Association | Routledge / Taylor and Francis (APA) | Double-blind | Professional planning practice, zoning, land use, and implementation | Up to 8,000 words |
FAQ
What is the acceptance rate and review timeline for the Journal of Urban Affairs?
The Journal of Urban Affairs maintains an acceptance rate of roughly 20%. Initial editorial desk screening typically concludes within 7 days. Papers sent for external review receive a first decision in an average of 70 days. Once formally accepted, articles require approximately 47 days to appear online as a final Version of Record.
Does the Journal of Urban Affairs charge submission or publishing fees?
No. Standard publication under the subscription model involves no submission charges, editorial processing fees, or page charges. Authors selecting immediate open access through Taylor and Francis Open Select pay an Article Publishing Charge (APC) under relevant Creative Commons licenses. Figures appear in color online at no charge, although physical print color reproduction requires author fees.
What peer review process does the journal use?
The journal operates a double-blind peer review system where reviewer and author identities remain confidential. Authors must anonymize main manuscripts prior to submission. When an Author’s Original Manuscript (AOM) has been shared on a preprint server, submissions are permitted, though authors should recognize that full reviewer anonymity cannot be guaranteed.
What are the strict formatting and page limits for submissions?
Manuscripts must be formatted as Word documents in 12-point Times or Times New Roman with double line spacing and 1-inch margins. The paper must not exceed 35 pages in total, counting the 150-word abstract, 3–5 keywords, main text, references, tables, figures, and notes. American spelling conventions must be maintained throughout.
What is the journal’s policy on research data sharing?
The journal follows the Taylor and Francis Basic Data Sharing Policy. Authors are encouraged to archive research data in persistent repositories minting DOIs and must supply a formal Data Availability Statement outlining data accessibility.
Sources
- Urban Affairs Association. (2026). Journal of Urban Affairs Overview. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://jua.urbanaffairsassociation.org/
- Urban Affairs Association. (2026). Preparing Your Paper: Author Guidelines for the Journal of Urban Affairs. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://jua.urbanaffairsassociation.org/author-resources/preparing-paper/
- Urban Affairs Association. (2026). Peer Review and Ethics in the Journal of Urban Affairs. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://jua.urbanaffairsassociation.org/author-resources/peer-review/
- Urban Affairs Association. (2026). Open Access and APC Guidelines. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://jua.urbanaffairsassociation.org/author-resources/open-access/
- Urban Affairs Association. (2026). Pre-submission Checklist and Formatting Standards. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://jua.urbanaffairsassociation.org/author-resources/submission-checklist/
- Crossref. (2026). Journal Record: Journal of Urban Affairs (ISSN 0735-2166, e-ISSN 1467-9906). Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://api.crossref.org/journals/0735-2166
