Journal Cedoua

2026 – n.º 52

The Cedoua Journal (RevCedoua), published in digital and open-access format, is issued annually by the Centre for Studies on Spatial Planning, Urbanism and the Environment of the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra. The Journal is dedicated to the publication of original scholarly works of a legal or interdisciplinary nature that reflect advanced research on issues related to spatial planning, urbanism and the environment, contributing to the identification and proposal of solutions to relevant problems in these fields.

In accordance with the principles of impartiality and scientific-legal rigour, RevCedoua selects contributions written in Portuguese, English, Spanish or French, authored by professionals, researchers or academics working on these topics within their respective areas of expertise. The Journal publishes three types of scholarly texts: doctrinal articles, case-law commentaries and book reviews. Through a demanding process of selection and peer review of the published contributions, RevCedoua seeks to promote the expansion of the boundaries of knowledge in the fields of spatial planning, urbanism and the environment.

Call for Papers:

Ecological, Territorial and Urban Dignity

Over the centuries, the importance of the legal concept of dignity has progressively increased, becoming almost omnipresent in constitutions and in international legal instruments for the protection of human rights.

In the context of the triple planetary crisis — climate change, biodiversity loss and increasing pollution — combined with the intensification of territorial and urban inequalities, dignity acquires new meanings and an expanded legal relevance for governance and decision-making. Dignity now emerges as a fundamental limit that constrains both abusive intervention and institutional neglect in the sphere of environmental and urban policies.

In a context marked by the climate emergency and population displacement; by urban development pressure and persistent social and spatial segregation; by the energy transition and the deployment of large-scale renewable energy projects, which generate conflicts and territorial inequalities; and by digital urban governance, with risks of mass surveillance, restriction of freedoms and technological exclusion in smart cities, decision-making complexity intensifies and deepens, while indecision multiplies. Vulnerability is increasingly the rule rather than the exception. In response, ecological, urban and territorial dignity plays a central role in guiding, coordinating and promoting transitions towards sustainability, as well as serving as a normative criterion orienting public action.

In times of emergency, dignity is far more than an ethical commitment inspiring environmental, territorial and urban law and governance. It is a fundamental legal principle that shapes rights and duties, burdens and expectations, powers and responsibilities.

Reflection on ecological, urban and territorial dignity seeks to support fair and transformative governance solutions to restore and maintain DIGNIFIED ecosystems, cities and territories.

Within this framework, the 52nd issue of the Cedoua Journal aims to contribute to a comprehensive reflection, in particular, on the following thematic axes:

(1) Ecological Dignity and Law

• Ecological dignity as a legal category: foundations, scope and limits
• Relationships between human dignity, environmental protection and the rights of future generations
• Ecological dignity, environmental justice and the principle of sustainability
• Ecological dignity in environmental constitutionalism and European law
• New subjects of ecological dignity: nature, ecosystems, rivers or territorial entities
• Ecological dignity as a limit to State inaction and as a benchmark for protection and reparation measures

(2) Territorial Dignity and Spatial Planning

• Territorial dignity and territorial cohesion: legal perspectives
• Low-density territories, territorial abandonment and spatial justice
• The right to remain, and the ecological and social functions of territory
• Spatial planning and the fight against “sacrifice zones”
• Territorial planning, public policies and spatial inequalities
• Territorial dignity in contexts of energy transition and major projects of public interest
• Decision-making scales and multilevel articulation (local, regional, transnational and global)

(3) Urban Dignity and Social Sustainability

• Urban dignity and the right to the city
• o Social sustainability in urban planning
• o Inequality in access to urban ecological goods (green spaces, mobility, environmental quality)
• o Green gentrification, sustainable urbanism and social exclusion
• o Adequate housing, energy efficiency and urban justice
• o Urban vulnerability and dignity in scenarios of climate emergency (heatwaves, floods, urban heat islands, technological risks)

(4) Planning, Governance and Public Decision-Making

• Dignity as a legal criterion in administrative decision-making in territorial and urban matters
• Assessment of the social and territorial impacts of environmental and urban policies
• Multilevel governance, dignity and territorial justice
• The role of planning instruments in the implementation of ecological, territorial and urban dignity
• Temporalities of dignity: strategic decisions, implementation, monitoring, improvement and reparation
• Public participation mechanisms, citizen science and transparency as guarantees of dignity

(5) Critical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives

• Contributions from philosophy, geography, sociology or urban studies to the legal concept of territorial dignity
• o Tensions between ecological efficiency, territorial competitiveness and dignity
• o Dignity, planning and utopia: which territorial futures?
• o Cartographies of dignity: identifying ecological, urban and territorial critical points
• o Dignity as a legal argument: potentials and limits in climate, environmental and urban litigation

This call for papers by RevCedoua will accept submissions for the following sections:

(1)   Full articles: original doctrinal and/or theoretical-practical texts, approximately 6,000 words (equivalent to about 9–10 pages, including spaces and references), with a legal or interdisciplinary focus. Submissions should reflect advanced research on issues related to spatial planning, urbanism, and the environment, and contribute to the identification and proposal of solutions to relevant problems in these areas.

(2)  Book reviews: texts of approximately 1,500 words (about 2–3 pages, including spaces and references), focusing on recent monographs, preferably published in a foreign language, with a legal or interdisciplinary approach. Reviews should address one or more of the following themes: spatial planning, urbanism, or the environment in a broad sense. The review should begin with a physical description of the book, followed by a concise summary of its main points. It may include a brief biographical note on the author, as well as the reviewer’s critical appraisal of the work.

(3)  Case law commentaries: texts of approximately 3,000 words (about 4–5 pages, including spaces and references), analyzing judicial or administrative decisions, whether national or international, that are relevant to the fields of spatial planning, urbanism, and the environment. The analysis should go beyond merely presenting the facts and legal reasoning, offering a critical reflection on the decision’s normative and practical impacts. Commentaries should include: (a) contextualization: Introduction of the case and its legal background; (b) legal discussion: identification of the central legal issue, the underlying controversy, and the resolution provided, with detailed analysis of the legal arguments used by the courts and their consistency with applicable legislation and doctrine; (c) critical assessment: agreement or disagreement with the decision, evaluation of its impact on the legal framework and on urban and environmental practices, including relevant precedents and future trends; and (d) conclusion: summary of key points and final reflections or proposals.

Interested authors must submit, by March 15, 2026, a proposal abstract for an article, case law commentary, or book review with a maximum of 250 words, accompanied by a brief biographical note of up to 150 words per author, including institutional affiliation and ORCID ID (https://orcid.org/register).

Authors whose abstracts are selected will be notified by March 25, 2026 and must submit their full manuscripts by June 15, 2026. Final acceptance is subject to the outcome of the peer-review process.

Important dates up to the publication of issue 52:

Date

Action

March 15, 2026

Abstract submission deadline

March 25, 2026

Notification of accepted abstracts

June 15, 2026

Full paper submission deadline

September 5, 2026

Deadline for the review process

September 15, 2026

Notification of accepted full papers

September 30, 2026

Deadline for final revisions and adjustments

October 31, 2026

Expected completion of final editing

Abstract submission guidelines:

1. The proposal for the original work to be developed must be summarized in an abstract of up to 250 words, using Times New Roman, font size 10, with 1.5 line spacing.
2. The title (maximum 100 characters) must appear above the abstract, in Times New Roman, font size 14.
3. Above the title, the author must indicate whether the submission is for a doctrinal article, a case law commentary, or a book review.
4. The author’s name(s) must appear below the abstract, followed by a brief biographical note of up to 150 words per author, including institutional affiliation and ORCID identification (https://orcid.org/register).
5. Both abstracts and full papers (articles, commentaries, or reviews) may be written in Portuguese, English, Spanish, or French.
6. Abstracts must be submitted by March 15, 2026, to rcedoua@fd.uc.pt

Guidelines for Full Paper Submission (after abstract acceptance):

1. Authors whose abstracts are accepted must submit their complete manuscripts in an anonymous file (with no identifying information) by June 15, 2026, via the Impactum platform (https://impactum-journals.uc.pt/index.php/revcedoua)
2. Submitted texts must be original or not previously fully published elsewhere.
3. Word count (including spaces and references): 6,000 words for full articles; 1,500 words for book reviews; or 3,000 words for case law commentaries.
4. Texts may be written in Portuguese, English, Spanish, or French
5. Submissions must be in an editable file format (.doc, .docx, .odt, or .txt), with consistent formatting. Use Times New Roman, font size 10, 1.5 line spacing in the body of the text, and single spacing for footnotes. All four margins should be set to 2.5 cm on A4 paper.
6. Titles and subtitles must be written in lowercase and be presented in at least two languages (Portuguese and English), or three languages if the main text is in Spanish or French.
7. Include an abstract of up to 250 words, in the language of the article, in Portuguese and English, along with five keywords.
8. Bibliographic references should follow this format: Last Name, First Name, Title of the publication, City, Publisher, Year of publication. For journal articles or periodicals, also include the date of publication.
9. If bibliographic references are provided in footnotes, it is not necessary to include a final bibliography.
10. A separate file must be submitted with the title of the work and full identification of the author(s), in no more than five lines per author, including name, institutional affiliation(s), email address, and ORCID. Templates for the full paper and this identification page will be sent to selected authors

RevCedoua does not charge any fees for the processing and publication of articles.

The content of the texts is the sole responsibility of the authors.

Any questions can be sent via email to: rcedoua@fd.uc.pt.