Global Challenges for Regions and Cities: Adaptation, Development, Governance

Conference venue: Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, 51, Lenina av.
Period: 17th November 2017

In the modern context, cities and regions are faced with increasing interdependence and necessity to coordinate decision-making on the one hand, and explosive growth of uncertainty and turbulence of the external environment on the other. The main factors contributing to the growing uncertainty and turbulence are global changes of demographic and migration trends, macroeconomic instability, new technological challenges, political upheavals, intensification of regional military conflicts. The scale of the uncertainty is so large, and the changes run so deep that it is critical to rethink our perception of the role of cities and regions in the modern world. At the same time the choice of regional adaptation models will vary for different countries (developed, developing, emerging), for different types of regions and cities (industrial, rural and post-industrial regions, small towns, big cities, urban agglomerations, etc.). These circumstances define the key topic of the workshop: searching for appropriate models of adaptation to new external environment for regions and cities; searching for new drivers and sources of sustainable territorial development.

The workshop’s discussion will be divided into three thematic clusters: The first one will focus on the new economic reality for cities and regions and aims to discuss issues regarding specific features of manifestation of global economic processes at the regional level, systematization of new challenges and threats for regional development. Particular attention will be given to characteristics of adapting different types of regions and cities to the new economic conditions, as well as identifying best practices.

The second thematic cluster is going to be devoted to the analysis of development trends in different types of regions and cities under the new economic conditions with a focus on issues of spatial differentiation of socio-economic development, including those in the areas of financial security, employment, migration, and demographic dynamics.

In the framework of the third cluster discussion, we will focus on best practice models of regional and city development management, identifying financial resources for implementation of strategic priorities of regions and cities under the new conditions.

We welcome papers addressing the following themes:

We kindly invite researchers, experts, young scientists, policy makers, representatives of the government, local authorities and business community who are interested in the thorough understanding of issues concerned with regional and city development, as well as the search for appropriate models of adaptation to the new economic reality.

400-500 words in length;
Titled;
Text only; no diagrams, graphs, pictures, citations or maps;
All contributing authors must be named when submitting the paper via the online registration portal, with their country and institution, otherwise they may not appear in the conference volume. If you have problems with this, please contact the office;

Indicate which theme the paper is being submitted under.

The Regional Studies Association reserves the right to reject abstracts that do not conform to the above criteria, or that fall out of the scope of relevant gateway themes. Please refer to the call for papers for relevant themes.

Please contact Wanda Miczorek if you have any questions about submitting your abstract: wanda.miczorek@regionalstudies.org or contact local Organizer: Irina Turgel - turgel@k96.ru.