About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Tracce Urbane. Rivista Italiana Transdisciplinare di Studi Urbani (Italian Transdisciplinary Journal of Urban Studies) is a journal on urban issues dedicated to all those studying and describing cities and working in the field of urban analysis and urban planning.

It aims to create a trans-disciplinary space of debate on the city, that includes topics such as urban peripheries, public space, urban representations, practices of re-appropriation/regeneration, urban policies, dwelling, new urban conflicts, cultural productions, economic inequalities in the urban context.

This journal aims to involve different approaches – spatial, cultural, gender, generational, economic – and to challenge traditional categories of the studies and analysis on cities. It has the ambition of becoming a point of reference for those who operate on urban space through different perspectives, offering new angles and analytical tools; it aims to become a meeting point to exchange practical experiences of intervention on urban issues, relevant in and on the public sphere.

The originality of the journal dwells in its openness to different disciplines, from planning to urban anthropology, from sociology to literature, from geography to urban history and urban economy. It is the first trans-disciplinary urban studies journal in Italy, such as those existing in other European contexts. It provides a 360º look at the city through different analytical, methodological and narrative tools. It is open to forms of representation and interpretation of the city that are not only verbal, such as artworks and photography.

The journal is also open to all the forms, the cultures and politics of the urban, and to the practices/actions/experiences of planning and intervention in the city. To reach this objective, the journal encourages contributions that include a practical outcome, in proposing new or better urban policies. Moreover, it aims to contribute critically and theoretically to the re-elaboration of the meaning of “city” and “urban” from a spatial and cultural perspective as well as from the point of view of planners and policy-makers. Journals on urban studies in Italy are generally organized by disciplinary fields, while our aim is to challenge and redefine the borders among disciplines, even if not actually eliminating them.

Finally, it also includes a section of video and photographic contributions, as stated above, though all linked to the thread of a solid base in empirical, qualitative, ethnographic research.

All contributions are submitted to the review of the Steering Committee, which may decide to reject articles not relevant or not rigorous or not responding to appropriate scientific standards.

Contributions published in the 'Focus' and 'Backstage' sections are subjected to a double-blind peer review using reviewers selected on the basis of specific competences, while contributions published in the other sections are subjected to an internal review process before acceptance.

 

Each issue of the magazine is dedicated to a specific topic. The articles in the magazine's main sections discuss that theme and are generally selected starting from discussion seminars or by calls for papers. Tracce Urbane is also open to other contributions linked to the themes and approach of the journal, with particular attention to interdisciplinarity. The section that collects these articles is Off Topic.

 

Please refer to the Guidelines for Authors for a description of the sections of the Review.

 

Tracce Urbane is an open-access journal. In Italy it is recognized as a scientific journal by ANVUR within three scientific disciplinary sectors (Area 8, Area 11, and Area 14), and recognized as "A Class" for the recruitment sectors (08/F1 and 11/A5).

 

Peer Review Process

Articles in the journal are subject to a double-blind peer review procedure; the referees are chosen according to their specific competencies. The Editors can chose not to submit an article for review, if it is considered not pertinent or not rigorous, or not responding to adequate scientific standards. 

Tracce Urbane makes publishes the list of reviewers who have collaborated with the journal. The list is updated annually. 

 

Publication ethics

The publication of articles in Tracce Urbane is based on the journal's Publication ethics.

 

Publication Frequency

Tracce Urbane is published every six months, in June and December.

 

Open Access Policy

This journal provides open access to its contents. We are convinced that the free circulation of ideas and research products improves the quality of knowledge on a global scale.

 

Sponsors

DICEA - Department of Civil, Constructional and Environmental Engineering - Sapienza University of Rome

Laboratorio di Studi Urbani "Territori dell'abitare" - DICEA - Sapienza University of Rome

Laboratorio studi Urbani LSU - University of Ferrara

Mapping San Siro - Politecnico di Milano

 

Contributors

The Journal receives annual support from the University "La Sapienza" of Rome.

 

Journal history

The journal, published since 2017, is the product of the experience of "Tracce Urbane", a network of researchers with different academic backgrounds and belonging to different Italian universities. It aims to cross the boundaries among disciplines and to create constant connections and comparisons with people outside the academia interested in the processes of urban change. Since 2010, through seminars, collective researches, publications and training activities, the Tracce Urbane network has pursued occasions to compare and exchange approaches, in an atmosphere of dialogue and open-mindedness.