International Conference "The European Space between Consolidation and New Challenges"

The International Conference on "European Space between Consolidation and New Challenges. Spatial Planning and Spatial Research from 1975 to the Present" hosted by ARL - Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association and University of Rome Tor Vergata will take place in Rome from 10 to 11 October 2024. 

+++ Register for the International Conference in Rome, 10 to 11 October 2024 +++ 

There is no conference fee. However, registration is required.

 Programme, Venue and Registration (PDF)

As the Iron Curtain was lifted step by step at the end of the 1980s, the contours of a new Europe – politically and spatially – gradually emerged, which by the first decade of the new millennium increasingly included former Eastern bloc states. 
The geopolitical situation may have changed, but the forms of regional differentiation or disparities and the competition between the various European economic areas increased even more. 

Anywhere in Europe, the regional disparities and the accompanying social divergences came to a head, to which another wave of globalisation with new forms of division of labour and production contributed considerably: The economy networked itself anew across Europe and the globe, creating new levels of interdependence and dependency. As a result, some regions experienced substantial strains, while others benefited significantly from the transformation. 
On the side of the European Union this was not accompanied by an explicit special policy because this did not belong to their duties but was strictly in the charge of the states. 

However, the regional economic development programmes and the agricultural subsidies had an enormous influence on the shaping of the European territories. In addition, there is a continuation of urban-rural divergencies with considerable differences in their social and national configurations and in the perception and shape of spatial politics and policies in relation to their political implications – not the least in shaping political orientations and their impact on political culture, regionally, nationally, and Europe wide.

These considerations result in three thematic complexes:

• Intra-regional social and economic problems or boom and bust on an inter-regional scale 
• The actual functioning of the transformation paradigm for the mitigation of the above-mentioned problems, beyond purely normative or rhetorical policy approaches
• The challenges related to Europe’s loss of importance on a global scale, regarding the European model of society and questions of environmental and climate protection

The conference language is English.

We sincerely value your participation and look forward to welcoming you to the International Conference. Don’t miss out on this exceptional opportunity to expand your knowledge and discuss with us insights from the past to understand and shape the future.