Dear all,
the deadline for submission - abstracts or propose full
sessions to the EURA 2016 Annual Conference – is
approaching (1st December 2015).
The EURA Conference “City lights. Cities and citizens
within/beyond/notwithstanding the crisis” will take place
in Torino (IT), June 16-18 2016.
Please refer to the website for more info on submissions
and formats: www.eura2016.org.
As track-chair of Track 3_GOVERNING CITIES: STRESSED
INSTITUTIONS AND NEW SHAPES OF URBAN DEMOCRACY, together
with Robin Hambleton (University of the West of England,
Bristol), I invite you to take part to this conference and
send your contribution.
Cities are being called upon to take a leading role in
dealing with a range of global socio-economic challenges.
For example, debates about how to deal with public
indebtedness, growing inequality and the rapid movements
of people across international frontiers now loom large in
city halls and urban communities.
On the one hand these global pressures have led to the
emergence of new state-led models of urban welfare, often
involving innovation in place-based leadership and
community involvement. On the other hand, activists
outside the state can be seen experimenting new
participatory models, including co-decision-making, the
development of new kinds of civic economy, and the
creation of alternative ways of meeting the needs of the
community.
This track aims to explore these developments and consider
the implications for future approaches to city politics,
urban governance, city management, urban regeneration and
community activism. Can crisis conditions lead to fruitful
innovations that can improve the quality of life for all
in the city? And/or, are we now facing the need to
re-examine, at a deeper level, the nature of urban
democracy? Contributions that compare experiences in
different countries are welcomed alongside studies
examining practices in specific cities and communities. In
addition, contributions exploring the strength and
weaknesses of current urban theories and their
applicability to current urban conditions are invited.
Questions for consideration:
What are the main challenges now facing those charged with
governing cities and city regions? Why do some cities sink
into crisis while others seem able to make progressive
changes? What is happening to territorial, economic and
social cohesion?
How are different cities governments, local communities
and other actors responding to these challenges? Is power
being restructured?
Do the stresses resulting from the current crisis require
us to rethink approaches to urban policy, city management
and local democracy?
Is there evidence to suggest that place-based leaders are
responding imaginatively to the current challenges and, if
so, can constructive lessons for other cities be
identified?
Do theories relating to urban power structures, local
democracy and public service innovation require a rethink?
We welcome contributions that address these questions at
any scale (from neighbourhoods to city regions) and we
also hope to see contributions examining the behaviour of
different types of actors in the city.
Hope to see you in Torino and sorry for any cross posting!
All the best
Cristiana
Cristiana Rossignolo
EU-POLIS
DIST_Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban
Studies and Planning
Politecnico e Università di Torino
viale Mattioli 39, 10125 Torino - Italy
phone +39 011 0907473
fax +39 011 0907499
e-mail [log in to unmask]
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