Return to 2026 IACP Annual Conference Call for Abstracts

Special Session on High-Speed Rail Planning, Station–City Integration, and Regional Development at IACP 2026 Conference

The 20th International Association for China Planning (IACP) Annual Conference, July 10-13, 2026

SI: High-Speed Rail Planning, Station–City Integration, and Regional Development in Transportation Research Part A

This Special Issue examines how high-speed rail systems are planned, financed, governed, and integrated with station–city and regional development strategies, using international and comparative evidence to inform transportation policy and planning.

Guest editors:

1) Dr. Zhenhua Chen, chen.7172@osu.edu, Knowlton School of Architecture, The Ohio State University, USA.

2) Dr. Kojiro Sho, shokojiro@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Japan.

3) Dr. Francesca Pagliara, fpagliar@unina.it, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.

4) Dr. Chao Liu, liuchao1020@tongji.edu.cn, Urban Planning and Computing‬, Tongji University, China.

Special issue information:

The goal of this Special Issue is to provide a platform for rigorous empirical, theoretical, and comparative research on how HSR systems are planned, financed, governed, and integrated into urban and regional development strategies. While HSR station–oriented development remains an important area of interest, we also welcome studies addressing HSR policy, investment, governance, and larger-scale spatial effects.
Contributions should offer conceptual clarity, robust empirical analysis, and insights with direct planning and policy relevance. Analyses using advanced empirical methods, such as quasi-experimental designs, spatial modeling, or large-scale data, are particularly welcome.

Themes of Interest

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Institutional, regulatory, and financial arrangements for HSR planning, including coordination between rail operators, national and local governments, and private developers.
  • HSR policy and governance frameworks, including national corridor planning, regulatory design, and land-use integration.
  • Economic, spatial, and demographic impacts of HSR systems, including accessibility change, land value dynamics, firm location, labor market integration, and regional restructuring.
  • Comparative international studies examining the planning philosophies, governance systems, and institutional logics behind HSR development in China, Japan, Europe, and emerging HSR systems.
  • HSR station–oriented development, including redevelopment around central stations, new-town development near peripheral stations, and multimodal integration.
  • Financing models and land value capture mechanisms, including rail–property development and public–private partnership strategies.
  • Environmental and social dimensions of HSR, including carbon reduction, accessibility, and distributional impacts.
  • Empirical evaluations using new forms of data, such as mobility data, remote sensing, or network analytics, to assess development intensity, urban form, or regional accessibility.
  • Policy lessons for existing and emerging HSR systems, including sequencing of investments, governance capacity, and long-term financial sustainability.

 

Expected Contributions

Submissions should aim to enrich academic understanding while also contributing to policy debates. Papers may clarify conceptual distinctions, identify critical institutional mechanisms, or provide evidence-based assessments of HSR’s effects on urban and regional development. Comparative analysis and cross-country perspectives are especially encouraged.

Manuscript submission information:

All submissions will go through the journal’s standard peer-review process. For guidelines to prepare your manuscript please visit Guide for authors.

Your paper can be submitted via Editorial Manager:

When submitting your manuscript, please choose “VSI: HSR Planning & Development” for “Article Type”. This is to ensure that your submission will be considered for this special issue instead of being handled as a regular paper.

For questions regarding the Special Issue, please contact the executive guest editor:
Dr. Zhenhua Chen
The Ohio State University
Email: chen.7172@osu.edu

Keywords:

High-speed rail; station–city integration; regional development; transportation policy; rail governance; land-use planning; station-oriented development; accessibility; rail–property development; infrastructure planning