Call for Abstracts


Challenging futures? Europe, its regions and cities 

Two momentous transformations have shaped European cities and regions over the past 30 years.

First, 2019 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the collapse of state socialism and the associated transitions to capitalism and liberal democracy in East-Central Europe. These events transformed European cities and regions, sometimes in unexpected ways, in both east and west. Second, 2018 marked ten years after the financial crisis and a series of reflections across Europe on experiences of the profound period of crisis and deepening uneven development triggered across the continent.

Throughout this time EURS has been at the forefront of documenting the unfolding spatial dynamics and reshaping of Europe, its nations, regions, cities and lived experiences.  Today, looking forwards, the ‘post crisis’ aftermath sits alongside other numerous challenges to and possibilities of Europe, its spaces and places. It is within this context, and its local.

To address these questions the Editors propose the following broad themes, but as always welcome papers that cut across or go beyond those specified.

Crises, Austerity and the New Economic Dynamics

  • Europe, the crisis and austerity urbanism/regionalism
  • Winners, losers and the new peripheries of European uneven development
  • Alternative and solidarity economies
  • Industrial and regional creativity and change
  • Global production networks, international divisions of labour and a re-organising economic Europe
  • Arbitrage Europe: new modalities and geographies of finance
  • New investment dynamics: land, property and nature
  • Resilient Europe?

Cities, regions and unequal Europe

  • Urban and regional inequality and (in)security within Europe
  • Poverty and wealth: social inequalities and social reproduction
  • Gender and ethnicity in European cities and regions
  • A “Europe of the Camps”?
  • Infrastructural geographies: Splintered, divided and smart
  • Energy transitions, energy poverty and affordability in European cities and regions
  • Un/healthy environments, environmental justice and Europe

Europe: challenging borders, changing mobilities

  • Borders and boundaries: European geographies of in/exclusion
  • Mobility and migration within Europe
  • The geo-politics of regional integration
  • A ‘new politics of Europe’ and its regions?
  • Contested politics: urban change, grassroots movements and participatory governance
  • State agency and socio-spatial processes in the post-crisis era
  • Policy mobilities in Europe: assemblages, experimentations, restructurings

Given the local organization of the conference in Budapest, Hungary: Post-crisis CEE: austerity, growing inequalities, rising authoritarian regimes - a re-emerging East/West division in Europe?

A 200 word abstract should be sent by 10th January 2019 to: Kathy Wood, Editorial Manager, European Urban and Regional Studies (email: eurs.sage@gmail.com).

All proposals will be refereed and acceptance of papers will be confirmed, and at which point participants can register for the conference.

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