Aims

Journal of Urban Development and Management (JUDM) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal devoted to the planning, governance, development, and management of cities and urban regions. The journal publishes research on how spatial development, infrastructure systems, public services, environmental conditions, institutional arrangements, and social and economic change shape urban performance, development outcomes, and quality of life.

Cities are shaped by the interaction of land development, infrastructure provision, public services, environmental conditions, economic activity, and institutional decision-making. Rapid urbanisation, demographic change, climate risk, technological development, and unequal access to urban resources have made the coordination of these elements increasingly important. JUDM therefore provides a forum for research that explains how urban change is planned, implemented, governed, evaluated, and managed across neighbourhood, city, metropolitan, and city-region scales.

JUDM places particular emphasis on the relationship between urban change and the planning, governance, project delivery, resource allocation, and management processes through which such change is directed. The journal welcomes studies of land use, housing, transportation, infrastructure, regeneration, urban ecology, public services, resilience, and local economic development when they identify clear implications for urban policy, planning practice, development strategy, project implementation, or management.

JUDM addresses both the processes through which urban areas change and the institutional and managerial responses to that change. Particular attention is given to the relationships among physical urban systems, public institutions, communities, development actors, and the decisions through which urban resources are allocated and managed. Research on peri-urban development, urban–rural transition, and regional transformation is also considered when it demonstrates a direct connection to urban development, city-region planning, or the management of urbanisation.

Recognising that urban conditions differ across countries, regions, and stages of development, the journal welcomes comparative research and place-based studies from both developed and emerging economies. Relevant contexts include rapidly urbanising regions, shrinking cities, peri-urban territories, metropolitan areas, and places undergoing industrial, demographic, spatial, or environmental transition. Studies based on a single city, community, or development project should explain the wider relevance of the case and clarify what can be learned beyond the immediate study area.

Contributions may be theoretical, empirical, spatial, computational, or integrative. JUDM welcomes original research articles, review articles, and short communications employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. Regardless of approach, manuscripts should define the urban problem clearly, justify the research design, present evidence transparently, and explain the implications of the findings for urban planning, governance, project delivery, public policy, resource allocation, service provision, or management.

Submissions should extend beyond descriptive accounts of local conditions, routine applications of established techniques, or technical analyses detached from urban decision-making. The use of a particular model, algorithm, or analytical method does not by itself establish relevance to the journal. Manuscripts should make an identifiable contribution to the understanding or management of urban development and should interpret their findings in relation to the spatial, institutional, environmental, economic, or social context of the research.

JUDM is published by Acadlore. Manuscripts that pass initial editorial assessment undergo double-blind peer review to evaluate their scholarly soundness, methodological quality, relevance to the journal, and clarity of presentation.

Key features of JUDM include:

• The journal examines how urban change is planned, implemented, governed, evaluated, and managed.

• It addresses the interaction of land use, infrastructure, housing, mobility, public services, environmental systems, economic development, and institutional decision-making.

• It covers neighbourhood, city, metropolitan, city-region, peri-urban, and urban–rural transition contexts.

• Contributions should identify clear implications for urban policy, planning practice, project delivery, resource allocation, service provision, or management.

• Both comparative and place-based studies are considered, provided that their wider analytical or practical relevance is clearly explained.

• Particular attention is given to transparent methods, appropriate use of evidence, explicit treatment of spatial and institutional context, and conclusions supported by the results.

Scope

JUDM welcomes original research articles, review articles, and short communications in areas including, but not limited to, the following:

Urban Planning, Spatial Development, and Land Use

Research examining the spatial organisation, physical growth, and planned development of cities and urban regions.

• Urban growth, spatial restructuring, and development patterns

• Land-use planning, zoning, and development control

• Urban expansion, densification, compact development, and peri-urbanisation

• Mixed land use, functional distribution, and spatial accessibility

• Metropolitan planning and city-region development

• Urban–rural linkages and regional spatial transformation

• Spatial inequality and uneven urban development

• Planning implementation, evaluation, and institutional coordination

• Land-use conversion, urban sprawl, and development pressure

• Relationships between spatial planning and public investment

Urban Governance, Policy, and Public Management

Studies addressing the institutions, policies, administrative arrangements, and decision processes through which urban development is directed and managed.

• Urban governance and institutional capacity

• Municipal management and urban public administration

• Planning law, development regulation, and regulatory implementation

• Intergovernmental relations and metropolitan coordination

• Participatory planning and collaborative governance

• Community engagement and co-production of urban services

• Evidence-informed urban policy and decision-making

• Urban finance, municipal budgeting, and public investment

• Monitoring and evaluation of urban policies and programmes

• Accountability, administrative performance, and institutional reform

Urban Development Projects and Infrastructure Management

Research on the planning, financing, delivery, operation, and management of urban development projects and infrastructure systems.

• Urban development project planning and delivery

• Infrastructure investment and asset management

• Public–private partnerships and development finance

• Project governance and stakeholder coordination

• Project risk, cost, schedule, and performance management

• Sustainable construction in urban development

• Water supply, drainage, wastewater, sanitation, and waste infrastructure

• Urban energy infrastructure, digital infrastructure, and infrastructure supporting public services

• Infrastructure accessibility, reliability, and service equity

• Coordination between infrastructure provision and land development

• Life-cycle management and maintenance of urban assets

• Management of large-scale urban redevelopment and infrastructure programmes

Housing, Neighbourhood Change, and Urban Regeneration

Studies examining housing systems, neighbourhood transformation, redevelopment, and the consequences of urban regeneration.

• Housing supply, affordability, tenure, and accessibility

• Housing policy and housing-market regulation

• Informal settlements and incremental urban development

• Neighbourhood planning and community development

• Urban renewal, redevelopment, and regeneration

• Brownfield and abandoned-site redevelopment

• Gentrification, displacement, and residential segregation

• Ageing neighbourhoods and declining urban areas

• Heritage conservation, adaptive reuse, and heritage-led regeneration

• Rural housing transformation within urban–rural integration

• Social and economic effects of redevelopment programmes

Transportation, Accessibility, and Land-Use Interaction

Research examining the relationships among mobility, accessibility, urban form, infrastructure investment, and land development.

• Transportation and land-use integration

• Transit-oriented development

• Public transport planning and management

• Walking, cycling, and active mobility

• Travel behaviour and accessibility assessment

• Mobility inequality and transport disadvantage

• Parking, street-space allocation, and transport demand management

• Shared and emerging mobility services in urban contexts

• Impacts of transportation investment on urban form and land value

• Coordination of transport infrastructure and urban development

• Station-area development and transport-related regeneration

• Regional mobility and metropolitan transport governance

Urban Environment, Climate Resilience, and Public Health

Studies of environmental conditions, ecological systems, climate risks, and public health where they are directly connected to urban planning, development, or management.

• Urban ecology and biodiversity

• Green and blue infrastructure

• Urban forests, parks, and ecological networks

• Urban water environments and watershed management

• Pollution exposure and environmental quality in cities

• Urban heat, microclimate, and thermal environments

• Resource efficiency and circular urban systems

• Ecosystem services in urban planning

• Environmental justice and unequal exposure to environmental risks

• Climate adaptation and urban resilience planning

• Flood, heat, drought, storm, and coastal risk management

• Disaster preparedness, emergency planning, and post-disaster recovery

• Urban sanitation, environmental health, and healthy-city planning

• Infrastructure vulnerability and continuity of urban services

Urban Economy, Social Equity, and Community Development

Research addressing the economic and social dimensions of urban development and the distribution of urban resources and opportunities.

• Urban economic development and structural transformation

• City competitiveness, innovation, and entrepreneurship

• Employment accessibility and the spatial distribution of economic activity

• Industrial relocation and urban economic restructuring

• Development zones, business districts, and innovation districts

• Land value, development incentives, and urban investment

• Culture, tourism, and event-led urban development

• Urban poverty, exclusion, and spatial justice

• Access to housing, transportation, education, health care, and public space

• Demographic change, migration, and population ageing

• Community cohesion, neighbourhood well-being, and social capital

• Inclusive urban development and support for vulnerable populations

• Local development strategies and place-based economic policy

Urban Design, Public Space, and the Built Environment

Research examining how urban form and the design and management of the built environment affect urban function, accessibility, identity, and everyday use.

• Urban form, density, and spatial configuration

• Public-space design, use, and management

• Streetscape quality and pedestrian environments

• Inclusive and age-responsive urban design

• Landscape planning and landscape architecture in cities

• Built-environment quality and urban liveability

• Urban design regulation and design governance

• Relationships between physical design, social activity, and place identity

• Cultural memory and heritage in urban development

• Design strategies supporting urban regeneration and climate adaptation

Architectural and design studies should establish clear implications at the neighbourhood, city, or urban-management level. Studies concerned solely with the design of an individual building, without a wider urban development question, are outside the journal’s primary scope.

Urban Data, Modelling, and Decision Support

Methodological studies that make a substantive contribution to the analysis, planning, or management of urban development.

• Geographic information systems and spatial analysis

• Remote sensing of urban growth and land-use change

• Urban simulation, scenario analysis, and forecasting

• Spatial statistics and urban network analysis

• Urban indicators, benchmarking, and performance assessment

• Digital twins and urban data platforms

• Participatory mapping and volunteered geographic information

• Multi-criteria analysis and decision-support methods for urban policy

• Optimisation and resource-allocation models in urban management

• Data-informed evaluation of urban interventions

• Machine learning and predictive modelling for urban applications

• Uncertainty, sensitivity, and robustness analysis in urban models

Methods such as machine learning, optimisation, simulation, remote sensing, geographic information systems, and multi-criteria analysis fall within the journal’s scope when they are used to investigate a clearly defined urban development or management problem. The use of a computational method or technical model alone does not establish suitability for JUDM.

Studies centred exclusively on architectural design, structural or construction engineering, environmental processes, transportation technology, energy equipment, computer algorithms, or general public administration are normally outside the journal’s scope unless they demonstrate a direct and substantive contribution to urban planning, spatial development, infrastructure management, project delivery, urban governance, or public policy.