African and European Perspectives on Sustainable Urbanisation: Challenges, Dimensions and Solutions

Currently, more than 50 per cent of the world population lives in cities. It is predicted that by the middle of this century, 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban areas. The rapid urbanisation poses enormous environmental and social challenges in both African and European countries.

This summer school will focus on questions around how the quality of life of growing urban populations and environmental services can be safeguarded. Examining whether and how participatory and ecosystem-based planning approaches, smart neighbourhood models and (peri-)urban agriculture, we will explore solutions and help urban and peri-urban areas to become more resilient and to advance pathways of more sustainable urbanisation.

The Dresden Leibniz Graduate School (DLGS) is an international graduate school of spatial research, economics and social sciences in Germany. It pursues a European comparative perspective with focus on regional and local development strategies. The DLGS provides an interdisciplinary Doctoral Studies Programme for recent university graduates as well as professionally experienced junior researchers.

The Dresden Leibniz Graduate School has been founded in 2008 as a joint activity of the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) and the Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden). The doctoral candidates use synergies between the TU Dresden and non-university research institutes in Dresden.

The conference "Space, Values and Power – Eurasian Cities and Regions in Transformation" is based on the experiences of the research project Shifting paradigms – towards participatory and effective urban planning in Ukraine, Russia and Germany, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.

The conference intends to stimulate transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary dialogue, bringing together scientists of various disciplines (e.g. geography, planning, political science, sociology, anthropology) and practitioners (e.g. urban planners, civil activists, politicians, economic stakeholders). We aim at a critical discussion on spatial transformations as contestations and negotiations of values and power relations within Eurasian cities and regions. In particular, we are interested in a careful consideration of the broader dimensions of normativity, practiced power and materiality, their interlinkages and practical relevance.

Symposium in Aachen, Germany, 06-07 September 2018

Call for Extended Abstracts

This call for extended abstracts addresses post-doctoral researchers from the fields of housing policy, urban and regional planning, policy and data processing, urban design, human geography and social sciences and related. Early post-doctoral researchers are especially encouraged to join. We also welcome PhD candidates in mature stages to introduce their work.

The participants will be selected according to the suitability of their current research to the topics of the sessions. Best abstracts presented will be invited to a full paper and peer review for journal publication.

Seit über 100 Jahren sind Internationale Bauausstellungen (IBA) Aushängeschilder für Stadtentwicklung in Deutschland. Immer mehr Länder und Kommunen, längst auch außerhalb Deutschlands, setzen auf das IBA-Format. Inzwischen haben sich IBA von Architektur- zu Baukultur-Ausstellungen gewandelt. Um die komplexer werdenden Ausstellungen zu realisieren, bringen Städte und Regionen viel Mut und Mittel auf. Aufgrund der Vielzahl von Aktivitäten und IBA-Initiativen hat das Bundesbauministerium in enger Zusammenarbeit mit dem IBA-Expertenrat eine Qualitätsoffensive angestoßen. Bei einem Treffen in Berlin überreichten die Mitglieder des IBA-Expertenrates Baustaatssekretär Adler ein überarbeitetes "Memorandum zur Zukunft Internationaler Bauausstellungen" sowie neu erstellte Handreichungen zur Entwicklung und Realisierung dieses Formats.

Join us for the IRS Spring Academy for doctoral and early postdoctoral researchers

Investigating Space(s):
Current Theoretical and Methodological Approaches:
Part 2 – Virtuality and Socio-Materiality
22 to 25 May 2018
Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS) in Erkner, near Berlin

www.leibniz-irs.de/springacademy2018

In the past two decades the interdisciplinary field between spatial and social sciences has undergone an extraordinarily dynamic development with a high potential for innovation. On the one hand, many social-scientific disciplines performed a "spatial turn" and became more interested in integrating spatial concepts and terminology. On the other hand, disciplines like human geography or spatial planning, understand space less as an exclusive object of analysis and instead emphasize a "spatial perspective" as a shared ontological ground. This has opened up a broad "trading zone" within which novel conceptualizations of space and spatiality are negotiated in an inter-disciplinary field. Against this background, the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS) together with different academic partners and supported by the Volkswagen Foundation organizes a series of three successive Spring Academies entitled "Investigating Space(s): Current Theoretical and Methodological Approaches".

Die acht Mitglieder des neu gegründeten Klimaweisen-Rates der Klimaschutzregion Hannover sind am 17. Januar 2018 zur ihrer ersten Sitzung zusammengekommen. Der für die Kommunalwahlperiode 2017 bis 2021 von Landeshauptstadt und Region Hannover berufene Klimaweisen-Rat soll durch zukunftsweisende Empfehlungen Impulse für die Klimaschutzarbeit geben. Weiterhin gehört es zu seinen Aufgaben, die Arbeit des Kuratoriums Klimaschutzregion Hannover zum Umsetzen des „Masterplans Stadt und Region Hannover | 100 % für den Klimaschutz“ zu begleiten und voranzubringen. Eine klimaneutrale Region Hannover bis zum Jahr 2050 ist das Ziel. Der ehrenamtliche Klimaweisen-Rat handelt unabhängig und überparteilich. Die Klimaschutzleitstelle der Region Hannover nimmt die Geschäftsführung für den Klimaweisen-Rat wahr.

This is the Call for Papers (CfP) for the Session „Temporary local economies and urban quarter development”, which will take place as part of the Global Conference on Economic Geography (July 24 – 28, 2018) in Cologne.

The dynamics in an unequal world (this year’s motto of the GCEG) do not only affect the structure and performance of national or regional economies but are also reflected in the transformation of economic settings at the level of single urban quarters. Global trends, such as the social acceleration, economic flexibilization, as well as the increased mobility of labor and capital tremendously in fact have significantly contributed to the change of local economies and, along with this, to the polarization of cities. While the concept of local economies is typically associated with economic activities that are permanently bound to certain urban quarters, such as small restaurants, travel agencies or betting shops, the examples of mobile vending, pop-up-stores and small-scale trade-fairs demonstrate that temporary activities play an important role at the level of urban quarters as well. Even though such activities create jobs and income, contribute to a distinct identity of the quarter population and can help to stabilize disadvantaged urban quarters, research, up to now, has widely neglected such temporary local economies and their impact on urban quarter development. This comes to a surprise when considering the great importance that local economies have played in integrated urban policies in the last years. Against this background, this session aims at deepening our understanding about such local temporary activities. In particular, it focuses on the following and related questions: Which types of temporary local arrangements can be distinguished? Which factors affect the emergence and change of temporary economies at the level of urban quarters? How do temporary local arrangements affect the development of urban quarters? How do permanent and temporary local economies interact? How can temporary local arrangements be supported by local communities?

Das 10. Dresdner Flächennutzungssymposium (DFNS) findet vom 16. – 17. Mai 2018 im Hotel Steigenberger im Zentrum Dresdens statt.

Weitere Informationen, Einladung und Anmeldung: Website der Veranstaltung

Call for Papers/Posters: Interessierte aus Wissenschaft und Praxis sind eingeladen, sich mit eigenen Beiträgen zu folgenden Themen einzubringen:

1. Nachhaltiges Flächenmanagement
2. Datenangebote und smarte Datengewinnung
3. Neue (deutschlandweite) Befunde zur Daseinsvorsorge

Das Abstract sollte 250 – 300 Worte umfassen, Problemstellung, Fragestellung, Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerungen prägnant darlegen und der aussagekräftige Titel den Inhalt wiedergeben. Falls der Beitrag oder Teile davon bereits veröffentlicht sind, so ist bitte darauf zu verweisen. Über die Annahme als Vortrag oder Poster entscheidet das Programmkomitee bis 1. März 2018. Die Annahme des Beitrages ist an eine verbindliche Anmeldung zum Symposium gebunden. Den Call for Papers/Posters finden Sie

3. Fachtagung Sozialplanung und Soziale Arbeit

13. September 2018 FHNW Campus Olten

Die Tagung rückt die normative Dimension des Wohnens ins Zentrum und fragt, wie Phänomene eines «falschen Wohnens» gesellschaftlich und politisch ausgehandelt werden: Welche Probleme des Wohnens werden verdrängt und welche Formen des «falschen Wohnens» entwickeln sich zu gesellschaftlichen Konflikten? Wie kann Sozialplanung in den Prozessen der Entstehung, Nutzung und Umnutzung von Wohnraum intervenieren?

http://www.tagung-sozialplanung.ch/