Municipal Strategies for Local Living: Engineering the X-Minute City

Call for Papers – Special Issue: “Municipal Strategies for Local Living: Engineering the X-Minute City”

Journal: Municipal Engineer
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Submission deadline: 30 September 2026

Overview

This special issue—published by Emerald—explores the "X-Minute City" concept as a strategy for creating more inclusive, resilient, and time-efficient urban environments. By emphasizing neighborhood proximity models and chrono-urbanism, the issue focuses on how municipal engineering can support active mobility (walking/cycling) and public transport to reduce car dependency. The editors seek practical, evidence-based research that provides real-world solutions for modifying infrastructure and land-use policies to prioritize local living.

Key Research Themes

• Infrastructure & Mobility: Planning for active travel, retrofitting car-centric zones, and designing multimodal transportation infrastructure.

• Land Use & Urban Design: Zoning strategies, streetscape/public space design, and infrastructure planning to support proximity.

• Health & Social Outcomes: Linking active mobility and local proximity to improvements in public health, social equity, and environmental sustainability.

• Governance & Regulation: The role of local government policy, public participation, community engagement, and legal/regulatory challenges in implementing X-Minute City models.

Submission Details

• Abstract deadline: 01 May 2026 (via Microsoft Form).

• Full submission deadline: 30 September 2026.

• Submission portal: https://ice-review.rivervalley.io/journal/jmuen

• Special Instructions: You must select “Special Issue” and the specific special issue title from the drop-down menu during the submission process.

• Submission Standards: The journal welcomes case studies, theoretical studies, and analytical tools. Manuscripts must adhere to the Municipal Engineer Author Guidelines.

Guest Editor Team

• João Pedro Medina Monteiro, INESC Coimbra (joao.monteiro@inescc.pt)

• Eduardo Manuel Ferreira Almeida da Natividade de Jesus, ISEC (ednativi@isec.pt)

• Nuno Miguel Marques de Sousa, Universidade Aberta (nsousa@uab.pt)

• Seungjae Lee, University of Seoul (sjlee@uos.ac.kr)

Why This Issue Matters

As cities grapple with the climate crisis and the demand for higher quality of life, the X-Minute City provides a concrete framework for change. This issue bridges the gap between academic theory and municipal practice, offering essential technical and planning insights for designing urban environments where opportunity is a function of design rather than geography.

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