Urban Complex Futures: Critical Leverage Points
An exciting workshop/conference ahead on 8-9 January 2027 in Nicosia/Cyprus on 'Complexity Unpacked: Analytical Tools & Practical Insights for Uncertain Futures'. Solon and team are busy getting everything on the ground for us - do not forget to submit your contribution latest by 15 June 2026. See full Call for Papers: https://aesop-planning.eu/tg-news/planning-and-complexity/complexity-unpacked-nicosia-cyprus-2027
We have been able to team up with a few neighbouring networks and activities - including AESOP's Thematic Group on Urban Futures - for an open exchange. A number of discussion events are coming up that can also help us feed the Cyprus event with further thoughts. More information to follow in the coming months and in summer.
Hybrid Seminar Series: Urban Complex Futures: Critical Leverage Points
The urban condition today oscillates between dystopian and utopian futures: increasing spatial segregation, political polarisation, socio-economic inequality, authoritarian governance, retrogressive and repressive national interventions are unfolding alongside a resurgence of urban agency, long-term thinking, visionary planning, collective action, community building, and the exploration of alternative futures, including post-growth paradigms, democratic innovations, and real(-istic) utopias. As time and space appear to compress further, urban discourse increasingly seeks pathways toward sustainable and equitable futures.
Our moment in time may represent an urban tipping point capable of leveraging transformations within complex, yet-to-be-understood and shaped realities. Exploring this momentum at the intersection of urban politics, spatial planning, systems thinking, and complexity theory offers a promising framework for developing, debating, and deploying concrete utopias to shape the future of our cities and regions. The aim is to seek pathways for reconciling urban politics today with potential positive future directions, connecting three established network efforts across Europe in consecutive events. The seminar series is in particular open for emerging ideas, young researchers, and students as the future drivers of democratic change.
Save the Dates:
- 15 September 2026, noon/afternoon, Groningen/hybrid
- 30 September 2026, 15.00 hrs CET, Groningen
- October 2026, online
- 11 November 2026, 15.00 hrs CET, online
- 2 December 2026, 15.00 hrs CET, online
- 8-9 January 2027, Nicosia
See full Save the Date (PDF):
https://edu.nl/vh4x8
Each event is individually organised and can be visited individually. The series is an open invitation to reflect back, discuss forward, explore futures, and initiate activities, under a joint umbrella. It does not (yet) link to a shared research project and the full series did not receive dedicated funding. Series contact: Christian Lamker, Marian Counihan
