Realizing Just Cities: A Scoping Review of Practical Implications (2000–2021)

Nina Alvandipour

Journal of the American Planning Association, 2025, vol. 91, issue 4, 586-607

Abstract: Problem, research strategy, and findingsIn this scoping review I identified and synthesized the practical implications of just cities research to provide an evidence-based approach for operationalizing urban justice through urban planning and policy. I systematically reviewed 56 peer-reviewed articles from 2000 to 2021 using academic databases including Scopus, Science Direct, Sage, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, and Google Scholar. The findings reveal three primary implementation pathways: (1) deliberate strategies emphasize redistributive policies and institutional interventions led by governments and planning authorities; (2) emergent strategies center on grassroots activism, informal practices, and community-led governance; and (3) collaborative approaches integrate top-down and bottom-up efforts through participatory governance, co-creation, and multiactor partnerships. This interdisciplinary synthesis underlines the transformative potential of collective action, creative experimentation, policy innovation, and critical reflection in reshaping urban spaces.Takeaway for practiceThis scoping review offers planners, policymakers, and advocates a framework synthesizing two decades of research on operationalizing just cities in planning and policy. Rather than prescribing universal solutions, it identifies key patterns in implementation that can be adapted based on local needs, capacities, and political realities.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2025.2517177

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