The Society for American City and Regional Planning History (SACRPH) is soliciting applications from a qualified individual or individuals to succeed Sonia Hirt as editor or coeditors of the refereed Journal of Planning History (JPH). The journal was developed in conjunction with SAGE Publishing under the aegis of SACRPH. It is distributed as a benefit of SACRPH membership and is available to thousands of institutions worldwide.
The editor(s) of the JPH will have the opportunity to shape the direction of research on city and regional planning history, both in the United States and around the globe. In addition, the editor is an ex-officio member of the SACRPH Board’s Executive Committee and attends Board of Directors meetings in conjunction with the SACRPH biennial fall conference and the Urban History Association’s conference in the alternate years.
The journal is published four times per year (February, May, August, November). SACRPH is negotiating a new contract with SAGE that will result in a larger online-only format, expanded length, new cover, and increased illustration possibilities. The new editor is expected to make the most of these changes and chart a concomitant new direction for the journal. Currently, an associate editor secures reviews of planning history publications. The new editor could expand or revise the ambit of the review section. The editor can also select members of the editorial board, with input from SACRPH leadership.
Under the SAGE agreement, the editor receives a $4,000 stipend annually from SAGE. SACRPH provides an additional $2,000 annually. The editor works closely with SAGE in preparing manuscripts, images, covers, reviews, and more for publication. Doing so includes soliciting double-blind external reviews; evaluating article submissions based upon those reviews and their judgment; making the final determination on acceptance; and ensuring authors adhere to the publication schedule set by SAGE, as well as anticipating and responding to issues with graphics, formatting, page counts, and the like. In some cases, the editor works with authors on revisions to bring an article to a publishable level. In addition, the editor travels to appropriate conferences to solicit manuscripts, works closely with SAGE to market the journal, and holds editorial advisory meetings.
The editor is able to draw upon the assistance of a large, diverse, and high-quality group of reviewers—including but not limited to a distinguished international advisory board of planning history scholars—who refer and review manuscripts and also contribute guidance on journal policy and content. It is expected that the editor’s institution will be able to further support the editor, both with mundane expenses and with staffing, typically by graduate students. SAGE does the copyediting, layout, typesetting, sales, and distribution. SAGE also offers an electronic submission system to assist the editor, authors, and reviewers.
Qualifications
We expect that the next editor(s) of the Journal of Planning History will:
- Be affiliated with an academic department (history, planning, urban studies, geography, architecture, American studies, etc.) that addresses the history of planning;
- Be established in the academic planning history community by virtue of contributions in teaching, research, and publication;
- Exhibit a broad understanding of planning history reflected through education, interests, and publications;
- Have sufficient and sustained institutional support over the full term of the editorship.
How to Apply
Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the Search Committee chair for additional information.
To formally apply for this position, please email a letter to the Search Committee chair by March 31, 2022. The current chair, together with the SACRPH JPH Search Committee, will oversee the selection process, in consultation with the staff at SAGE. Names of applicants will be kept confidential. The committee’s recommendation will be voted on by the SACRPH Board, whose decision will be final. While the term of the editor has previously been open-ended, SACRPH may decide to limit the term, depending in part of the desires and qualifications of the applicants.
The letter of application should briefly address the following:
- Reasons for seeking the position, and overall objectives as journal editor
- A current C.V.
- Names and complete contact information of at least two references per applicant
- Evidence of institutional support, ideally a letter from an appropriate university or college administrative officer, outlining what support the institution may provide for the editor, whether through staffing, course releases, payment, or more.
The Search Committee intends to recommend the next editor(s) to the SACRPH Board by May 31, 2022, for a term to begin on or before July 1, 2022. The current editor, Dr. Sonia Hirt, will help acclimate the incoming editor(s).
Contacts
Chair, JPH Search Committee
Timothy Mennel
Executive Editor, University of Chicago Press
1427 E. 60 St.
Chicago, IL 60637
Email: tmennel@uchicago.edu
Please note that the Press’s offices remain closed by the pandemic, so physical mail will not be received in a timely way.
Publisher
Dani Giglia
Associate Editor
SAGE Publishing
2455 Teller Rd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
Email: Dani.Giglia@sagepub.com
