About the Journal

Aims & Scope

“Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning” is a journal for interdisciplinary spatial science discourse. It is a forum for current and relevant issues related to spatial development and planning in Germany as well as in the European and international context.

The journal addresses scientific research as well as politics and planning practice, with the aim of hosting a transdisciplinary exchange of knowledge on socially relevant topics. The journal links national and international debates and therefore publishes articles in both German and English.

Across all spatial scales, the focus is particularly on the following topics: regional and urban development, spatial planning, landscape development, climate change, sustainability and transformation, land development and land policy, mobility and spatial infrastructures. These topics are addressed by means of spatial, institutional and actor-centred approaches.

“Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning” is divided into three sections: Forschungsbeiträge/Research Articles bring high-quality theoretical, conceptual and empirical research results to the expert national and international discussion. Kommentare/Commentaries present incisive and topical views and opinions on questions of spatial development and spatial planning from research and practice. Rezensionen/Book Reviews discuss recent publications relevant to the research field.

The journal pursues a clear internationalisation strategy and aims to increase the proportion of international contributions. Original manuscripts in German or English are welcome from all spatially related disciplines. We expect submissions to demonstrate the highest relevance and scientific quality. After screening by the editors, all submitted Forschungsbeiträge/Research Articles are subject to a double-blind peer review process.

Diamond Open Access

Since 2026, RuR has been published as a Diamond Open Access journal. It is freely accessible to all readers and does not charge publication fees. The journal is fully funded by the five supporting institutions.

Journal Owners

Journal owners of “Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning“ are Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (ARL), Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde (IfL), ILS – Institut für Landes- und Stadtentwicklungsforschung, Leibniz-Institut für ökologische Raumentwicklung (IÖR) and Leibniz-Institut für Raumbezogene Sozialforschung (IRS).

Revenue sources

RuR is financed by the journal owners ARL, IfL ILS, IÖR and IRS from their basic funds (provided by the German federal government as well as the federal states). The journal can be ordered as a print edition from the publisher. The publisher collects the subscription fees, which cover the costs of printing and distribution.

Advertising

The journal owners and the publishing house (oekom) decide together whether and which advertisements will be published in the journal. Advertisements from external advertisers are limited to a maximum of four pages in print per issue; in addition, the publishing house (oekom) may cover a maximum of eight pages with its own advertisements. By no means will advertisements influence journal content or editorial decision making. All advertisements will be kept separate from published content and will be clearly marked.

External impact and practical relevance

“Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning" facilitates a transdisciplinary exchange of knowledge, which is aimed not only at scientific target groups but also specifically at policy-makers and planning practitioners. We constantly get feedback from practitioners confirming that recommendations in articles directly help to solve problems in spatial planning on different levels. The same applies for policy processes. We get reported that articles help to facilitate legislative procedures in the field of planning law. Finally, insights published in „Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning“ are frequently used in university curricula, especially in teaching spatial development and spatial planning all over Europe.