The journal THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL RESEARCHES IN URBAN MANAGEMENT (TERUM) was founded by the Research Centre in Administration and Public Services (CCASP), Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania, in November 2006.

Between 2006 and 2008 the journal was published under the name CERCETARI PRACTICE SI TEORETICE IN MANAGEMENTUL URBAN with the ISSN 1842 - 5712.

Between 2009 and 2019 the journal was published in both in electronic and print form with the ISSN 2065-3913 for the print version and 2065-3921 for the electronic version.

Beginning with 2020 the journal is published only in electronic form with the E-ISSN 2065-3921.

All papers are published open access under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 licence. This ensures that they receive the maximum dissemination because there are no barriers to access. This licence allows readers to distribute and reuse the paper, as long as proper attribution is given to the original authors and the source of first publication. The authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights without restrictions.

TERUM is a peer-reviewed journal, issued quarterly (in February, May, August and November) in electronic form.

THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL RESEARCHES IN URBAN MANAGEMENT is an international journal dedicated to the understanding of the complex relationship between urban development and public governance. The journal's core mission is to promote interdisciplinary dialogue between urban planning, public administration, and political science. The journal aims to publish research that not only diagnoses urban problems but also rigorously evaluates the institutional capacities, policy instruments, and governance networks required to solve them. We are particularly interested in scholarship that explores how public institutions adapt to the dynamic, contested, and often unpredictable nature of urban events.

The scope encompasses, but is not limited to, the following thematic areas:

1. Public Administration
• Local government and municipal administration
• Performance management in local governments
• Decentralization and local autonomy
• Urban service delivery (water, sanitation, waste, transport)
• Urban planning and Public Management
• Strategic urban planning
• Land-use planning and zoning governance
• Public management of urban infrastructure
2. Urban Governance and Institutional Design
• Metropolitan governance and multi-level policy coordination.
• The restructuring of local government and service delivery models.
• Bureaucratic behavior, administrative reform, and performance management in city halls
• Public-private partnerships and the rule of non-state actors in urban service provision.
• The governance of urban commons and public spaces.
3. Urban Policy and Planning
• Policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation in housing, transportation, land use, and economic development.
• Strategic spatial planning and its impact on urban form and social dynamics.
• Urban regeneration, gentrification, and community development policies.
• Policies for sustainable urban mobility and infrastructure.
4. Equity, Social Justice, and Inclusion
• The rule of public administration in combating spatial segregation and inequality.
• Participatory governance, citizen engagement, and co-production of public services.
5. Urban Resilience, Sustainability, and the Environment
• Local climate action plans, adaptation strategies, and urban environmental justice.
• The governance of green infrastructure, water management, and urban ecology.
• Disaster risk reduction and crisis management in urban contexts.
• Circular economies and sustainable urban resource management.
6. Digitalization, Smart Cities, and Data Governance
• The impact of AI, big data, and IoT on urban management and public service delivery.
• Digital divides, data privacy, and the ethics of smart city initiatives.
• E-governance, digital participation platforms, and the digitization of bureaucratic processes.
• The governance of urban digital infrastructure and networks.
7. Urban Finance and Fiscal Policy
• Local government budgeting, taxation, and fiscal autonomy.
• Municipal bonds, infrastructure financing, and private investment in cities.
• The fiscal implications of urban growth and shrinkage.

The journal encourages a diverse range of methodological approaches, including, but not limited to: quantitative and qualitative case studies, comparative analysis, statistical modeling, GIS and spatial analysis, network analysis, survey research, and action research. We value rigorous empirical work as well as conceptually innovative theoretical contributions.

The contributions suitable for TERUM should fall into one of the following categories:

• Full-length research papers presenting important new findings in the field (max. 20 pages);
• Article and book reviews in the field (2-5 pages);
• Case studies describing new developments (max. 20 pages);
• Academic discussion papers dealing with medium to long-term trends and predictions (max. 20 pages)

The submitted papers should be original, unpublished, and not in consideration for publication elsewhere at the time of submission to the journal.