Call for Thematic Dossier

Thematic Dossier 01 – Excluded Territories: Neoliberal City and Urban Vulnerability

Contemporary Brazilian cities, in their form and socio-spatial structure, embody the effects of an urban model driven by neoliberal logic. This model fosters the commodification of space, concentrating investments in highly valued areas while relegating vast metropolitan zones to precariousness, informality, and the absence of adequate infrastructure. The result is a fragmented city, in which excluded territories coexist with high-standard enclaves, revealing the profound inequality that characterizes the Brazilian urbanization process.

An examination of these territories shows that urban and environmental vulnerability are not accidental phenomena but structural ones. Informal settlements, occupations in risk-prone areas, and disconnected peripheries materialize the contradictions of the neoliberal city, in which traditional urban planning proves insufficient to respond to social demands and environmental risks. The occurrence of floods, landslides, and other extreme events intensifies these vulnerabilities, demanding a rethinking of the city’s production paradigm.

In this context, geographical analysis plays a strategic role by providing theoretical and methodological foundations capable of interpreting the processes of metropolitan spatial structuring and guiding interventions aimed at its reconfiguration. The Brazilian Census (IBGE), by revealing patterns of land use and occupation, population densities, and infrastructure deficits, constitutes a high-value technical-scientific resource, enabling the diagnosis of inequalities, the identification of critical areas, and the support of urban projects committed to reversing the exclusionary logic that marks contemporary urbanization.

This dossier aims to gather critical analyses and applied studies that contribute to a proactive urban agenda, articulating diagnosis and intervention. Contributions are especially welcome that address:

  • Spatial and socio-environmental analyses of metropolitan regions, based on Census data and territorial indicators;

  • Urban and environmental vulnerability in precarious territories, considering risks, infrastructure deficits, and the impacts of climate change;

  • Urban resilience strategies and urban projects aimed at risk mitigation and socio-environmental justice;

  • Proposals for territorial transformation that combine urban planning, the requalification of degraded areas, and the integration of peripheries into the formal city;

  • Critical perspectives on the neoliberal urban model, questioning its contradictions and exploring pathways toward building fairer and more sustainable cities.

By combining rigorous diagnosis and project-oriented proposals, this dossier seeks to stimulate consistent reflections in urban geography and contribute to the debate on how to reverse processes of exclusion and vulnerability, transforming urban space into a territory of opportunity, resilience, and equity.

Publication Guidelines

Participation in the dossiers is entirely free, with no fees for submission, editing, or publication of approved articles. However, authors of selected papers must provide an English version of their article, which will be reviewed and standardized by the editors to ensure high-quality dissemination and broader international reach.

Evaluation criteria will strictly follow the journal’s editorial guidelines, prioritizing:

  • The theoretical and scientific contribution of the manuscript;

  • The originality and relevance of the study;

  • Methodological consistency;

  • Excellence in academic writing.

The selection of articles will be based solely on the quality of the text, valuing research that makes significant contributions to Geography and its interfaces with related areas.

Article Submission

  • Mandatory use of the template provided by the journal.

  • When submitting the manuscript through the system.

  • Only articles written in Portuguese will be accepted.

Deadlines

  • Article submission deadline: November 30, 2025

  • Announcement of accepted papers: February 15, 2026

  • Expected publication: June 30, 2026