«Cities under Strain: Rethinking the Ungovernable»
17–20 JUNE 2026 – Venice, Italy
European Urban Research Association 2026 Conference
The IUAV University of Venice (Italy), is delighted to be hosting the 2026 EURA Annual Conference. The overall theme of this conference is Cities under Strain: Rethinking the Ungovernable.
How can cities and territories cope with instability, disorder, and radical uncertainty in an era of turbulence, when traditional dualisms (living/inanimate, human/non-human, nature/technology, reality/cognition, centre/periphery, urban/rural) are increasingly dismissed? How can they “ride” the uncontrollable and take advantage of it?
Major environmental, social, and economic transitions have been identified (due to climate change, global migration and refugee flows, financial crises, and the emergence of a deeply unstable geopolitical situation). However, their interconnections and modes of coping are still poorly understood, and there is still insufficient research and experimentation on how to address them in public policy, also because of their irreducible trans-scalar dimension. New keys are needed to understand how cities and territories work.
In this situation, where governance is fragmented and often conflict-ridden, what actions end up blocked? What actions get through? What are the pathways through which innovation travels? What are the new levers for constructing actions capable of confronting the current urban and territorial situation?
The conference aims to encourage critical reflection on the links between environmental, social, and spatial justice; between institutional action and the agency of citizens and their organisations; and between different kinds of knowledge from the perspective of more than human agency in cities and territories.
Two plenaries anchor the programme: an opening session on “Cities under strain: Rethinking the ungovernable” with keynotes Patrick Le Galès and Jennifer Robinson, and a second on “Historic urban landscapes under over-tourism” featuring Francesco Bandarin and Maria Gravari-Barbas. In addition, mobile workshops, will be provided as part of the conference offering a wide range of field visits across Venice’s distinctive urban system—its historic centre, outlying islands, and the mainland— organised in collaboration with stakeholder and sponsor representatives and addressing the challenges of over-tourism in this heritage-rich city.
The annual EURA conference is a key meeting point for researchers and scholars from diverse disciplines engaged in urban studies. It brings together researchers who are committed to international exchange and collaboration, and to advancing interdisciplinary and comparative urban research. By doing so, EURA actively contributes to critical debates on urban policy and regional development strategies.
CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
Conference tracks
Track 1: Inequalities. Tackling inequalities between institutional power and civic alternatives
Chairs: Elena Ostanel, Naomi Pedri Stocco (Iuav University of Venice); Sonia de Gregorio Hurtado (Technical University of Madrid); Paula Russell (University College Dublin)
Track 2: Housing. Beyond the market fix: housing governance at the intersections of crisis
Chairs: Laura Colini, Laura Fregolent (Iuav University of Venice); Ivan Tosics (Metropolitan Research Institute, Budapest)
Track 3: Migration Flows. Migrants’ struggles for socio-spatial inclusion: local policies and practices in times of pressure
Chairs: Martina Bovo, Giovanna Marconi (Iuav University of Venice); Cristiana Rossignolo (Polytechnic University of Turin)
Track 4: Environmental Transition. Adaptation and mitigation strategies between climate change and socio-ecological justice
Chairs: Marta De Marchi, Giulia Lucertini, Filippo Magni, Francesco Musco (Iuav University of Venice)
Track 5: Risk and Hazard Management. Shocks, stresses, and the shifting landscape of urban resilience
Chairs: Mattia Bertin, Vittore Negretto, Linda Zardo (Iuav University of Venice); Danielle Sinnett (University of the West of England, Bristol)
Track 6: Governance. Navigating uncertainty, assembling agency, and reimagining institutions in urban and territorial contexts
Chairs: Matteo Basso, Francesca Gelli (Iuav University of Venice); Valeria Fedeli (Polytechnic University of Milano); Carsten Jahn Hansen (Aalborg University); Dubravka Jurlina Alibegović (The Institute of Economics, Zagreb); Karsten Zimmermann (Technical University of Dortmund)
Track 7: Knowledge Intersections. Challenges from contemporary urban and territorial context
Chairs: Denis Maragno, Maria Chiara Tosi (Iuav University of Venice); Camilla Perrone (University of Florence)
Track 8: Heritage under Overtourism. Reframing the management of change in historic urban landscapes
Chairs: Anna Marson (Iuav University of Venice); Diego Calaon, Monica Calcagno (Ca' Foscari University of Venice)
Track 9: Mobilities. Transport and mobility spaces: between reorganization and innovation
Chairs: Federico Cavallaro, Luca Velo (Iuav University of Venice); Ignazio Vinci (University of Palermo)
Read here the detailed description of conference tracks
Call for abstracts
We welcome proposals for abstracts for the EURA Conference 2026, via the submission portal by 15 December 2025.
Read here the detailed call for abstracts
Abstracts must include:
-
Title (maximum 20 words)
-
Abstract (maximum 250-300 words)
-
Keywords (at least 3 keywords)
-
References (up to 3 references)
-
The track you are submitting your proposal to
Call for Pre-organised Panels
We welcome proposals for pre-organised panels for the EURA Conference 2026, via the submission portal by 15 December 2025.
Pre-organised panel proposals must include:
-
A title outlining the content of the panel (maximum 20 words)
-
An abstract outlining the significance of the contribution; introducing the main arguments from the methodological/conceptual points of view; highlighting its relevance to the track themes and the core topics of the conference; introducing the authors/presenters, their specific contribution to the panel (maximum 1000 words)
-
Keywords (at least 3 keywords and no more than 5 keywords)
-
The track you are submitting your proposal to
Submission Portal
To submit your abstract or pre-organised panel proposal please use the submission portal button below. After you have been redirected to the Oxford Abstracts page, select 'create an account'. Please do not use the Google or LinkedIn options.
Please complete all sections of the submission form: SUBMISSION PORTAL
IMPORTANT DATES
- Submission of Abstracts deadline: 15 December 2025
- Opening of registration: 30 January 2025
- Early-bird registration deadline: 28 February 2026
- Final registration deadline: 1 May 2026
If you have any questions regarding the conference please get in touch at:
Keep updated by checking the official EURA 2026 website: https://www.eura2026.org/
Get to know the Europan Urban Research Association: https://eura.org/
