Urban resilience, sustainability and the future of inclusive post-industrial societies
7-9 May 2025 Malmö University
Call for Contributions
CfP Opens: 15 July 2024 CfP Closes: 11 November 2024
Conference Contact: conference[AT]unic.eu
About the Conference
We are delighted to announce the 1st UNIC Thematic Conference, which will be held from 7-9 May 2025 at Malmö University.
In an era marked by rapid urbanization and the pressing need for sustainable development, cities face unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The UNIC Thematic Conference aims to address these critical issues by fostering multidisciplinary dialogue and innovation. Drawing on contemporary inter-disciplinary scholarship and engaged research, the conference will explore sustainability and urban resilience within postindustrial settings.
The event will bring together leading scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to share insights, develop collaborative solutions, build bridges between research and innovative education and chart pathways toward more resilient and sustainable urban futures.
Conference Themes
The conference will be built around two key thematic streams, each addressing crucial aspects of sustainable development and urban resilience in postindustrial settings
Sustainability and Green Cities
This stream focuses on sustainability and green cities, emphasizing innovative and co-creative solutions to achieve a just transition.
Urban Resilience and Smart Cities
This stream explores the central theme of urban resilience, focusing on smart city development from both theoretical and empirical perspectives.
Stream 1: Sustainability and Green Cities
This stream focuses on sustainability and green cities, emphasizing innovative and co-creative solutions to achieve a just transition. Key areas include but are not limited to:
• Environmental Sustainability: Developing strategies for carbon-neutral cities, enhancing air quality, improving recycling practices, etc.
• Circular Economic Systems: Promoting circular economies to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency.
• Biodiversity Support: Promoting biodiversity in urban environments, environmental revalorization of brownfields, etc.
• Climate Adaptation and Climate Justice: Ensuring equitable climate adaptation strategies.
• Thermal Regulation: Enhancing urban thermal comfort through sustainable building practices.
• EU Mission Cities for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities 2030: Exploring initiatives and strategies aligned with the EU mission for climate-neutral cities.
• Critical Perspectives: Encouraging critical analysis of existing sustainability practices to foster innovation.
• Environmental, social and economic sustainability perspectives: Key elements, indicators and trade-offs in the context of cities.
Stream 2: Urban Resilience and Smart Cities
This stream explores the central theme of urban resilience, focusing on smart city development from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Key areas include but are not limited to:
• Social and Cultural Aspects of Urban Resilience: Addressing social dimensions, including social organization, civic participation, civil society networks, etc.
• Participatory Planning: Involving academia, political stakeholders, civic society, and the economic sector in urban planning.
• Development of Networks: Building networks to facilitate collaboration across sectors and disciplines, capacity building, institutional networks, leadership sustainability and governance practices.
• Digitization of Cities: Utilizing technology to improve adaptive capacities and urban management, utilizing data science to optimize resource allocation, the role of information and communication technologies and services in sustainable and resilient smart cities.
• Disaster Management: Disaster risk mitigation (flood risk, earthquakes, heatwaves etc.) exploring innovative solutions for managing urban water resources, sustainable drainage solutions, flood risk mitigation, thermal management etc.
• Noise Reduction: Enhancing urban living by reducing noise pollution.
• Critical Perspectives: Encouraging critical analysis of existing strategies to build urban resilience.
Transversal Theme: Superdiversity
Another key objective of the conference is to develop these thematic streams with an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion in governance networks and social dynamics. Topics include but are not limited to:
Inclusive Prosperity: Understanding the specific needs of diverse populations and ensuring all community members benefit from urban development.
Right to the City: Developing solutions for equitable access to urban resources and opportunities for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
Co-creating the City: Democratic and inclusive cooperation for innovation within the quintuple helix model.
Submission Guidelines
We invite submissions of high-quality proposals that address any of the conference themes. Both theoretical and empirical contributions are welcome. We strongly value the active participation of representatives of cities and civil society organizations, policymakers, and other non-academic actors in panels and workshops.
Submission Process
Submissions will be accepted electronically via the application form below, which will be accessible from 15 July 2024. The deadline for all submissions is 11 November 2024. We welcome individual paper presentations and full thematic panels, but also workshops, roundtables, and book presentations.
Review Process
All submitted abstracts will undergo a peer-review process. Authors will be notified of the review results by 15 January 2025.
SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL
Email us at conference[at]unic.eu for all queries and clarifications.
