Evolution of Urban Spatial Structure

CALL FOR PAPERS

Evolution of Urban Spatial Structure

Journal: Cities

Publisher: Elsevier

Submission Deadline: 31 August 2027

Introduction

With more than half of the global population residing in urban areas since the 21st century, urbanization has become one of the most prominent phenomena worldwide. This process encompasses both the prosperity and decline of cities — manifesting in urban spatial structures as the concentration and dispersion of populations. As shifts in urbanization pathways affect infrastructure demand, land consumption, resource efficiency, carbon emissions, and neighborhood sustainability, understanding the spatial evolution of cities — along with its driving factors and outcomes — is fundamental to sustainable planning and governance.

The models of urban spatial change proposed by Hall (1971) and Van den Berg et al. (1982) divide the spatial cycle of cities into four sequential stages: urbanization, suburbanization, de-urbanization, and re-urbanization. These models provide the most influential frameworks for understanding the spatial dynamics of urban growth and decline — informing urban policy worldwide.

Scope & Significance

While classical models have received considerable empirical support, there remains substantial scope for further investigation across four critical dimensions:

First — classical models remain predominantly grounded in the European experience, calling for more extensive long-term investigations in non-European contexts to enhance their theoretical transferability.

Second — as regional imbalances persist, an increasing number of cities are entering the de-urbanization stage. Understanding the evolutionary trajectory and causes of shrinking cities is crucial for sustainable urban policies.

Third — a growing array of external factors is influencing urban spatial evolution — including unforeseen events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, governmental interventions, and emerging technologies including informatization and artificial intelligence (AI).

Fourth — beyond population distribution, shifts in the spatial distribution of employment and their interaction with population patterns have emerged as critical concerns in urban spatial governance.

This Special Issue seeks innovative research on the evolution of urban spatial structures — along with their driving factors and outcomes — to provide a robust foundation for formulating sustainable urban policies.

Both research articles and reviews are welcome.

List of Topic Areas

Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:

1. Emerging trends of urban spatial evolution and long-term spatial cycles of cities within and beyond European countries

2. Heterogeneity of urban spatial evolution between different types of cities

3. Causal mechanisms of urban spatial evolution — particularly in the context of de-urbanization and shrinking cities

4. Exogenous forces shaping urban spatial structure — COVID-19 pandemic, government intervention, ICT, and AI

5. Evolution of urban employment and the link between employment and residential locations

6. Morphological change during urban spatial evolution and subsequent outcomes

7. Suburbanization — low-density sprawl vs. polycentric urban structure

8. Re-urbanization dynamics and gentrification processes

9. Urban growth and decline in non-European and Global South contexts

10. Sustainable urban planning and governance in the context of spatial evolution

11. Population decentralization, density patterns, and urban form

12. Carbon emissions, resource efficiency, and land consumption across urban spatial stages

13. Social equity and environmental consequences of changing urban forms

14. Smart city technologies and their influence on urban spatial evolution

15. Comparative international studies of urban spatial cycles and transitions

Guest Editors

Prof. Bindong Sun (Contact for Topic Inquiries) Zhejiang University, China Email: bdsun@zju.edu.cn

Prof. Evert Meijers Utrecht University, Netherlands Email: e.j.meijers@uu.nl

Prof. Yan Song The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA Email: ys@email.unc.edu

Prof. Luca Salvati Sapienza University of Rome, Italy Email: luca.salvati@uniroma1.it

Prof. Miquel-Angel Garcia-Lopez Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain Email: miquelangel.garcia@uab.cat

Key Deadlines

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 31 August 2027 (Authors may submit at any time before the deadline)

Submission Guidelines

The journal's submission platform Editorial Manager is now open for receiving submissions to this Special Issue. When submitting, select Article Type:

"VSI: Evolution of urban spatial structure"

All submissions deemed suitable for peer review will be evaluated by at least two independent reviewers. Upon editorial acceptance, articles will enter production immediately — published in the latest regular issue while simultaneously featured on the Special Issue webpage.

For any inquiries regarding the suitability of contribution topics, contact Prof. Bindong Sun at bdsun@zju.edu.cn.

Both the Guide for Authors and the submission portal can be found on the journal homepage: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/cities

All submissions must be original and must not be under review elsewhere at the time of submission.

About the Journal

Cities, published by Elsevier, is a leading international peer-reviewed journal with a CiteScore of 10.9 and Impact Factor of 6.6. It supports open access publishing and is dedicated to advancing research on urban policy, planning, and governance — providing a global platform for interdisciplinary scholarship exploring how cities are planned, managed, and transformed to address contemporary social, environmental, and economic challenges.

ServiceSetu Academics — Premier Platform for Academic Opportunities & Research Collaboration

Visit official website of the publisher