*Apologies for cross posting*

REGIONAL POLARISATION AND UNEQUAL DEVELOPMENT IN CEE: CHALLENGES FOR INNOVATIVE PLACE-BASED POLICIES

10th – 13th September 2017, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Special Session Proposal deadline: 26th March 2017
Early Career Plenary Speaker application deadline: 31st March 2016
Bursary* application deadline: 30th April 2017
Abstract submission deadline: 23rd May 2017

Over the last decades new patterns of regional disparities and polarisation have developed in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries, drawing the attention of both researchers and policy-makers. Cohesion Policy responded to this challenge by focusing on balanced spatial development of the European regions. However, although achieving significant progress in developing towards the EU-average, CEE still faces serious internal spatial imbalances between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, between core regions and peripheries.

The increasing social and economic disparities at regional level within CEE have led to the need to develop new strategies with a strong spatial focus, in order to deal with and respond to the challenges. This conference seeks to explore questions such as: how can we deal with polarisation and peripheralisation? What are the challenges for future space-based policies? What new approaches should be developed to deal with growing regional imbalances?

Plenary Speakers:

• Prof. John Bachtler, European Policies Research Centre, University of Strathclyde, UK
• Prof. Michael Keating, School of Social Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
• Assoc. Prof. Ewa Korcelli-Olejniczak, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
• Prof. Jennifer Clark, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
• Prof. Zoltán Kovács, University of Szeged, Hungary Academy of Science, Hungary
• Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Peter Meusburger, Heidelberg University, Germany
• Dr. Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, Romania – Gala Dinner Speech

To see the full Call for Paper please click here. To submit your abstract and register please click here.

The RSA CEE Conference in Cluj-Napoca welcomes inputs from researchers, policy-makers and practitioners working in all areas of regional development. The conference will offer an excellent opportunity for initiating a multidisciplinary dialogue on themes such as:

Cohesion Policy	Territorial Governance
Resilient Communities	Cross-Border Regions and Transnational Cooperation
Creative Regions/Economies (ITC, Creative Industries)	Rural Areas Under Pressure (Marginalization & Rural Peripheries/Areas)
The Role of Clusters in Local Developmen	Places and Tourism Destination Development
Geo-politics and Geo-economy	GIS, GIScience and Spatial Data
Smart Specialization (Smart Cities & Smart Rural Areas	Prospects for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Use in Regional Development
Sustainable Transport and Urban Mobility	Developing Cluj: Round Table Discussion
Regional Impacts and Responses to Climate Change	Urban/Regional Change and Development in CEE
Territorial Change: Polarised Spatial Development or Convergence?	Environmental, Economic and Social Risks and Vulnerabilities
Regional Policy in CEE: Old Legacies and New Challenges

Academic Organiser: Professor Jozsef Benedek, Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Geography, Cluj Napoca, Romania

To read more, please click here to visit the conference website.

* The bursary takes the form of a free conference place