The Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association (ARL) is currently establishing an international working group (IAG) “Resilient Metropolitan Regions – Spatial Planning and Management for Urban Transformation” and looking for participants. The members of the working group will work for approximately three years together and address the topic from inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives.
The central objective of the IAG "Resilient Metropolitan Regions - Planning and Management for the Transformation of Urban Spaces" is to work on questions of increasing resilience in spatial development using the example of selected metropolitan regions in German-speaking countries as well as Southwestern Europe. This is intended to contribute to an expansion of both spatial and planning theory as well as practical planning knowledge and discourse. The following research questions are crucial:
- Which fields of action and challenges for spatial planning result from the current multiple crisis?
- How can the resilience of metropolitan regions be increased?
- How can urban transformations address normative goals like justice and equality and thus contribute to a just and resilient transformation?
- Which spatial planning instruments are suitable for promoting the transformation to resilient metropolitan regions, and which adjustments are necessary?
- What institutional framework conditions are required to strengthen the resilience of metropolitan regions and to ensure their sustainable development?
- Which strategic, planning, and organisational approaches in metropolitan regions can be established as "good examples" for other regions and should thus be further developed?
The working group will consist of 12 members representing different European countries, from practice and research. We are particularly interested in applications with a regional focus on sustainable and resilient urban planning and development in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and France, as well as in Germany, Suisse, and Austria. The working group will run for three years. In thematic workshops, which will be held as face-to-face meetings, specific topics will be discussed in detail. The joint products of the working group may include articles in peer reviewed journals, a special issue, a policy paper round tables or interactive story maps.
The Call for Membership is addressed to representatives of different disciplinary approaches (e.g., geography, spatial planning, environmental sciences, sustainability sciences, sociology) who have solid expertise on resilience, urban sustainable development, and spatial planning with a regional focus on Southern European metropolitan regions. Applications from both researchers and practitioners of all stages of experience, all gender and ages are welcome.
Applications should be submitted by December 15th, 2023.
If you are interested in applying, you can find further information here: https://www.arl-international.com/news/call-membership-resilient-metropolitan-regions
or directly in the Call for Membership.
