Frontiers in Sustainable Cities Impact Factor 2025

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities is an open-access journal published by Frontiers Media SA, focusing on urban sustainability research spanning environmental science, urban planning, green technology, and sustainable development. The journal publishes original research, reviews, and perspectives addressing the challenges cities face in achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability goals.

According to the 2026 Journal Citation Reports, Frontiers in Sustainable Cities holds a Journal Impact Factor of 3.3. The journal is ranked across multiple categories: Q1 in URBAN STUDIES, Q2 in ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, Q3 in ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, and Q3 in GREEN & SUSTAINABLE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY.

OVERVIEWAbout Frontiers in Sustainable Cities Journal

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities explores innovations in approaches to urban living, addressing challenges cities face in environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, climate adaptation, and urban resilience. The journal serves as a platform for interdisciplinary research connecting urban planning, environmental science, engineering, and social science perspectives.

The editorial team is led by Field Chief Editor James Evans from the University of Manchester. The editorial board comprises international experts in urban studies, environmental science, sustainable engineering, and city planning from institutions worldwide.

IMPACT FACTORFrontiers in Sustainable Cities Impact Factor

The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is calculated by dividing the number of citations received in the JCR year by the total number of citable items published in the previous two years. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities’ Impact Factor of 3.3 reflects steady citation activity across its published research in urban sustainability.

The journal’s multi-category rankings reflect its interdisciplinary scope bridging environmental science and urban studies research.

EDITORIALFrontiers in Sustainable Cities Editorial Board Members

Field Chief Editor: James Evans, University of Manchester

The editorial board includes leading researchers in urban sustainability, environmental planning, green infrastructure, climate adaptation, and sustainable urban development from academic institutions worldwide. A complete list of Editorial Board members is available on the journal’s website.

PUBLICATIONFrontiers in Sustainable Cities Publication Fee (APC)

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities operates under an open-access model with tiered article processing charges based on article type:

The APC covers editorial processing, peer review administration, typesetting, online hosting, and permanent archiving. Frontiers offers waivers for authors from low-income countries.

METRICSFrontiers in Sustainable Cities Journal Metrics

REVIEW PROCESSFrontiers in Sustainable Cities Review Time

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities prioritizes rapid publication using single-blind peer review. The typical timeline includes:

The journal employs a rigorous editorial screening process followed by single-blind peer review, where reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors.

INDEXINGFrontiers in Sustainable Cities Indexed In

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities is indexed in major bibliographic databases including:

• Scopus
• Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE)
• SCImago Journal & Country Rank
• Web of Science
• Google Scholar
• DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)

GUIDELINESFrontiers in Sustainable Cities Reference Style

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities uses the Harvard (Author-Date) reference style. In-text citations include the author surname and year of publication in parentheses.

Example reference formats:

• Journal article: Sondheimer, N., and Lindquist, S. (2000). Rnq1: an epigenetic modifier of protein function in yeast. Mol. Cell. 5, 163-172.
• Online journal: Tahimic, C.G.T., Wang, Y., Bikle, D.D. (2013). Anabolic effects of IGF-1 signaling on the skeleton. Front. Endocrinol. 4:6. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2013.00006
• Book: Cowan, W. M., Jessell, T. M., and Zipursky, S. L. (1997). Molecular and Cellular Approaches to Neural Development. New York: Oxford University Press.

Authors can download the official style files: Frontiers Endnote Style and Frontiers Zotero Style from the journal website.

ABBREVIATIONFrontiers in Sustainable Cities Abbreviation

The ISO 4 standard abbreviation for Frontiers in Sustainable Cities is “Front. Sustain. Cities”.

ACCEPTANCEFrontiers in Sustainable Cities Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate of Frontiers in Sustainable Cities reflects the journal’s editorial selectivity while maintaining an inclusive approach to urban sustainability research. The journal considers manuscripts based on scientific validity, methodological soundness, and relevance to sustainable urban development. Authors should ensure their work addresses clear research questions within the journal’s scope.

SUBMISSIONFrontiers in Sustainable Cities Submission Guidelines

Authors submitting to Frontiers in Sustainable Cities should:

1. Ensure the manuscript addresses urban sustainability, environmental planning, or related interdisciplinary topics
2. Follow the Frontiers formatting and referencing guidelines (Harvard style)
3. Prepare manuscripts using the journal’s LaTeX or Word templates
4. Include all required sections: abstract, keywords, introduction, methods, results, discussion
5. Disclose all competing interests and funding sources
6. Provide data availability statements and ethical approvals where applicable

Submissions are accepted through the Frontiers online submission system. Authors can track manuscript status throughout the editorial workflow.

FAQFrequently Asked Questions