About the Journal

Publisher

Urbani izziv is a scholarly journal published by the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia. It is published by the Institute’s own press, named "Urbani izziv − publikacije". The first issue of the journal was published in December 1989. Despite its major focus on social science topics, the orientation of the journal is interdisciplinary, encompassing developments and new directions in research fields, thereby strengthening, broadening, improving and synergising skills. In addition to Slovenian authors, the editors strive to ensure a balanced participation of authors, also from other countries in the region and worldwide.

Unique features of the journal

Urbani izziv is one of the most comprehensive journal in Central and Eastern Europe in the field of spatial planning. The journal’s most distinguishing feature is its international scope in the dissemination of new knowledge and discussion of contemporary spatial planning issues. Currently, the field of spatial planning is dominated by Anglo-Saxon scientific journals, which tend to primarily focus on issues that are relevant to countries that are normally categorised under this linguistic group. Under these circumstances, scholars from other countries (especially Central and East European) find it very difficult to get their articles published in these journals. Articles submitted by authors from non-English speaking countries are often rejected not due to poor quality, but because they deal with issues that are, in most cases, less relevant to the wider public, towards which the Anglo-Saxon journals are orientated. On the contrary, Urbani izziv offers an opportunity for the publication of top quality scholarly articles by authors dealing with spatial planning issues in Central and Eastern Europe and other parts of the world.

Frequency

The journal is published twice a year. The first issue is published in June, and the second in December.

Structure

Urbani izziv is divided into two parts. The first (longer) part is titled Articles and includes research articles and review articles. The second (shorter) part of the journal is titled Presentations and information and contains book reviews, opinion articles, presentations (e.g., projects, events, lectures, conferences, etc.), library information, and other material.

High-quality double-blind peer review

Articles in the first part of the journal (Articles) undergo double-blind peer review: authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other. In every peer-review process, we aim for two expert reviews of every article, ensuring quality and fairness. They are responsible for evaluating the research and recommending whether it should be published. Reviewers who feel unqualified or unable to provide a timely review must inform the editor and withdraw.

The material published in the second part of the journal (Presentations and information) is not peer-reviewed.

Language

The journal is published in two languages: all contributions are published in Slovenian and English.

Open access and high visibility

Urbani izziv is an open-access journal; all published material is freely and immediately available to read, share, and adapt with the appropriate credit citation (CC BY 4.0 license). The journal is available on our website and abstracted by relevant services and bibliographical databases.

Publication charges

We charge no publication fee (APC) and no submission fee. Authors receive a complimentary copy of the publication. 

Copy right

For articles submitted to Urbani izziv, all the author’s moral rights remain with the author, but the author’s material rights to reproduction and distribution in Slovenia and other countries are irrevocably and unconditionally ceded to the publisher for no fee, for all time, for all cases, for unlimited editions and for all media. Author grants the third person free use of the published article only if its original author can be identified including the citations belonging to this author. The distribution of this article and any related published material is subject to the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.

Revenue source

The journal is subsidized by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency.