RSA WORKSHOP

EU and the CITY

14 October 2016

Department of Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

Workshop focus

More than two thirds of EU citizens live in urban areas and that share is set to grow further. Cities are Europe’s core hubs for economic growth, innovation and employment. However, at the same time cities magnify some of the key challenges that Europe faces, from environment, social deprivation, quality of life, mobility, to integration of migrants and refugees. The importance of cities for Europe’s future is reflected in recent European strategies and agreements such as the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities, the Toledo Declaration or the more recent Urban Agenda for the EU, acknowledging the cities as focal points for economic development and as actors with a key responsibility in achieving territorial cohesion and the EU’s strategic goals. This in turn resulted in a pledge for boosting the urban dimension in EU cohesion policy as well as the development of national urban policies across all of the member states. Consequently, there is a growing number of instruments and initiatives as part of EU cohesion policy (e.g. JESSICA, Community-Led Local Development) and other initiatives (Adaptation Strategies for European Cities, European Urban Knowledge Network, URBACT, etc.) that support sustainable urban development and facilitate cooperation across municipal boundaries to promote development in metropolitan areas (e.g. Integrated Territorial Investment). Echoing these developments DG Regio recently changed its name to Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy.

But what is behind those changes? What have been the effects of the new instruments? How have cities responded to them and who actually benefits from them? To what extent these new instruments contribute to Europe 2020 goals? To what extent and how has the EU influenced national urban policies and practices of urban practitioners on the ground? Does this new EU urban agenda stimulate new urban governance solutions? Do the EU instruments help to respond to the emerging challenges in the cities? These are some of the questions that this workshop in Delft aims to address. By bringing together scholars and practitioners working on this still under-researched but vitally important topic, the workshop seeks to offer a significant contribution to the scholarly debates and a forum for a critical reflection on the emerging EU urban policy.

Paper proposals

We invite research-based paper proposals with clear implications for practice on the following (or related) themes:

  1. The activities of cities and urban networks as shapers and beneficiaries of EU Cohesion Policy;
  2. The take-up and impacts of EU instruments for supporting urban development/redevelopment
  3. The urban dimension in EU Cohesion Policy operational programmes;
  4. EU instruments for supporting urban (re)development (e.g. financial instruments) and their impacts on the ground;
  5. EU instruments supporting urban governance and inter-municipal cooperation (e.g. Integrated Territorial Investment; Community-Led Local Development)
  6. Cross-border city networks and urban mobility in Europe;
  7. Energy transition and energy efficiency in European cities;
  8. The influences of EU Cohesion Policy in shaping European identities and perceptions of European integration in cities.

The proposals should:

  1. a) Include a presentation of maximum 5 slides, outlining the research questions, the conceptual framework, the research design and the key findings of the research;
  2. b) Include an abstract of up to 500 words summarising the research and clearly outlining its originality and contribution to the scholarly and policy debates;
  3. c) Include a short bio of up to 150 words accompanied by full contact details of the Author(s);
  4. d) Be submitted by email to cohesion.policy@gmail.com

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 4 September 2016

  • The presentations during the workshop will have to be limited to 10 slides. One extra slide as cover with contacts is allowed. Speakers will be given 15 minutes to present their work.
  • The final papers are expected to be submitted before 30 September 2016. The suggested word count is 7000 words including abstract, references, tables, endnotes.
  • Keynote speakers will be invited to open the proceedings.

Practical information

  • Participation in the event is free of charge.
  • Venue: Berlage room 2 at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment (Delft University of Technology), Julianalaan 134 in Delft, The Netherlands (map).
  • Participants not presenting papers are welcome, but will need to register.
  • Lunch, refreshments and beverages will be provided and the speakers will be invited to workshop dinner after the event.
  • Thanks to the financial support from the RSA we will be able to offer several travel bursaries for attending the workshop. Bursaries will be offered on a ‘first come, first served basis.’ If you wish to apply for a bursary or if you have any questions regarding your eligibility, please contact Marcin Dąbrowski: m.m.dabrowski@tudelft.nl. Please note that bursaries can only be offered to participants who are members of the RSA and fulfil one of the following eligibility criteria: (a) are student or early career members of RSA; (b) are associate (retired) members of RSA; (c) are RSA member working in a Band B, C or D country (see RSA website for more information).
  • For any other inquiries please contact the local organisers of the workshop (Marcin Dąbrowski and Dominic Stead, m.m.dabrowski@tudelft.nl).

The Network

This workshop is held under the auspices of the Regional Studies Association’s Research Network on EU Cohesion Policy, co-organised with the Network’s partners and hosted by the Department of Urbanism at Delft University of Technology. The Network is co-organised and animated by a group of partners from several European research institutions, including Marcin DĄBROWSKI (Department of Urbanism, TU Delft), Laura POLVERARI and John BACHTLER (University of Strathclyde),Oto POTLUKA (CEPS, University of Basel / University of Economics, Prague), Ida MUSIAŁKOWSKA (Poznan University of Economics and Business), Nicola Francesco DOTTI (Université catholique de Louvain), Fanny SBARAGLIA (IEE, CEVIPOL, Université Libre de Bruxelles), Magdalena SAPALA (European Parliamentary Research Service), Eduarda COSTA and Eduardo MEDEIROS (IGOT, University of Lisbon).

You can find out more about the Network  on the RSA website and on Facebook.