Dear members of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI),

As Editor-in-Chief of Global Challenges and Regional Science (GCRS) - the newest academic initiative of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA), published by Elsevier - I am writing to share some exciting updates regarding the journal’s trajectory and to remind you of an upcoming submission milestone.

Exceptional Early Impact

Since our launch in early 2025, GCRS has achieved remarkable academic standards. Our latest internal metrics indicate that the journal is already performing at levels comparable to those of long-established and highly regarded titles in our field, such as Papers in Regional Science (PiRS) and Regional Science Policy and Practice (RSPP).

As shown in the table below, our Immediacy Index of 1.53 currently leads this group, reflecting the rapid resonance and timeliness of the research we are publishing.

GCRS provides a significantly faster editorial process, with an average of 100 days from submission to acceptance, ensuring that your research reaches the global community promptly.

Furthermore, based on our strong initial performance indicators and rigorous peer-review standards, we are on a firm path toward indexation. We anticipate that Global Challenges and Regional Science will be included in Scopus within two years of its launch. This achievement will further solidify the journal's visibility and ensure that your research achieves the international recognition it deserves.

Distinguished Contributors

We are proud to feature works from some of the most prominent voices in Regional Science. Our most downloaded papers include contributions from esteemed scholars such as:

• Daniel Arribas-Bel, Camilla Lenzi, Hans Westlund, and Daniel A. Griffith;
• Roberta Capello, Geoffrey Hewings, Andrea Conte, and James Murphy;
• Anabela Santos, Simona Ciappei, George Petrakos, and Eduardo A. Haddad;
• Ugo Fratesi, Jens Suedekum, Moisés Obaco, Sandy Dall’erba, and Amitrajeet A. Batabyal.

The research published in our initial volumes reflects the multidisciplinary nature of our mission, focusing on key Global Challenges faced by Regional Science, including:

• Regional Policy & Global Outreach: Influencing policy to enhance collective responses to global disparities and social justice.
• Regional Innovation & Resilience: Exploring innovation systems, IPR dynamics, and firm-level resilience.
• Urban Dynamics & Spatial Analytics: Utilizing big data and high-resolution geographic analysis to track regional growth.
• Sustainability & Environment: Analyzing the environmental Kuznets curve and the impact of climate change through spatial lenses.

Last Chance for APC Waivers: May 31st

To support the scholarly dialogue on pressing global issues, we are currently offering a 100% discount on Article Publishing Charges (APC).

Please note that this full waiver is valid only for articles submitted by May 31, 2026. After this date, the standard APC of USD 1,800 will apply. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to publish your high-quality, rigorous research in a high-impact, Open Access format at no cost.

You can find the full submission guidelines and our Open Access policy on our website: ? GCRS Submission Portal on ScienceDirect

We look forward to receiving your innovative work and continuing to build GCRS as a cornerstone of our discipline.

Warm regards,

The most downladed articles in the last 90 days are

An analysis of agricultural crop residue burning and urban air pollution in New Delhi, India, by Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Hamid Beladi. September 2025

Measuring regional economic transformation: Which European regions are leading the competitiveness and sustainability challenge? Anabela Santos, Andrea Conte. December 2025

Housing deprivation in rapidly urbanizing regions: evidence from functional urban areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Danny Granda, ... Jorge Urrutia-Mosquera. December 2025

A second spatial autocorrelation mechanism: Geographic hierarchies and urban systems. Daniel A. Griffith, ... Arturo Kerlim Villarino. December 2025

Place-based policies – How to do them and why. Jens Suedekum. March 2025

Navigating coastal resilience: Exploring population density and coastal distance dynamics along the gold coast. James Murphy, ... Daniel Arribas-Bel. September 2025

The great challenge for local labour markets. Lovely and lousy jobs in the digital era. Roberta Capello, ... Camilla Lenzi. September 2025

Deluge of costs: Navigating the economic impacts of flooding in Egyptian port cities. Eduardo A. Haddad, ... Hogeun Park. September 2025