What, where and who is urban studies? On research centres in an unequal world

This paper poses the question of what proliferation urban research centres across world means for studies as a field research, this tells us about (uneven) geographies knowledge production and circulation, who are key institutions researchers involved. In other words: what, where is studies? Building on minor tradition bibliometric in related disciplines, assesses Scopus-registered 2011–2021 publication output more than 1000 affiliated to 30 world. The analysis points four main observations. First, published an extraordinarily wide range journals, representing work from communities social sciences humanities, engineering, natural medical sciences. Second, clear global hierarchies exist production, but co-authorship relations also shaped by geographical proximity multidisciplinary profile each individual centre. Third, English dominant language academic publications, languages play important roles at level journals. Fourth, article provides evidence diverse globally distributed landscape mid-sized that contribute substantially top Each observation linked reflection potential role creating equal playing studies.