SCIENCE:

International conference Socio-demographic change of European cities and its spatial consequences

Leipzig (Germany), 14-16 April 2008

Call for Papers

During the last decades, demographic and social change came up as decisive factors im-printing on the shape and development of urban structures in Europe. They affect housing markets as well as residential patterns, location decisions or the use of amen ities.
While social transformations represent a major issue of urban studies, demographic change is still relatively rarely taken notice of. This is all the more astonishing, as demography always mattered in urbanisation processes, be it as population g rowth or shrinkage, in- or out-migration, rejuvenation or ageing. The phenomena of the Second Demographic Transition population decrease, ageing, evolving diversity of migration as well as of household and life style
patterns bring about new challenges but also prospects for European cities. To stabilise and keep up attractive cities is one of these challenges. The effects of socio-demographic changes certainly differ from context to context. Throughout Europe, common trends coincide with regional fragmentation and diversification. Set against this background, it is the objective of the international conference:

Socio-demographic change of European cities and its spatial consequences in Leipzig (Germany), KUBUS conference centre, 14 - 16 April 2008

... to identify and explain current socio-demographic processes and their consequences for urban spatial structures, housing markets, segregation patterns, decision-making processes and policy instruments. What is the current impact of declining (or increas ing) population numbers, transforming household structures, ageing and immigration on urban processes at different scales and what is to be expected in future? The regional focus of the conference comprises the whole of Europe. Papers related to cities in East Central and Eastern Europe are especially welcome. We appreciate theoreti-cal, conceptual, empirical and methodological contributions from different fie lds of urban and demographic research. Since the conference wants to highlight the comparative view both in terms of content and space, cross-national comparisons are particularly appreci-ated. Conference papers should address one or several of the following umbrella topics:

1. Interplay of demographic and societal processes in European cities;
2. Qualitative and quantitative change of demographic structures in European cities;
3. Household change and its consequences in the inner and outer city ( housing de-mography );
4. Socio-demographic diversification of residential structures and neighbourhoods;
5. Residential mobility and its impact on the shape of urban spatial structures;
6. Immigration processes as drivers of urban change;
7. Simultaneousness of shrinkage and growth in urban agglomerations;
8. Effects of socio-demographic change on housing markets, infrastructure, planning processes and governance structures;
9. Instruments and strategies of municipalities, housing companies, landlords and other urban actors to cope with socio- demographic change.

Please send an abstract using the form attached here or on our project website under www.condense-project.org by 31 October 2007
to condense@fu-confirm.de.

Since the program of the conference also includes a moderated poster session you are welcome to present a poster. If you are interested please also send an abstract and indicate clearly that the abstract relates to a poster.

As a poster presenter, your attendance at the conference is obligatory since posters will be presented by you during a separate session. The decision about the acceptance of all submitted abstracts will be made until 10 December 2007. The convenors of the conference plan different publications in the aftermath of the conference (in particular in highly ranked scientific journals).

More information on postconference papers will be provided during the conference. For the conference two full days are planned for sessions. On the third day for an extra charge there will be organised an excursion.

The conference fee amounts to 150€ and 100€ for students and PhD students for early bird registration until 15 January 2008.
After that date, it amounts to 200€ resp. 120€.

The fees include conference materials, coffee/tea break catering as well as a conference dinner at the KUBUS conference centre on 14 April.

Travel and accommodation costs must be covered by the participants.

Do let us know if there are any special difficulties with the payment requests.

For further information about the conference please visit the website
www.condense-project.org or contact condense@fu-confirm.de.

Annegret Haase, Sigrun Kabisch and Annett Steinführer
(conDENSE project)
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology
Permoserstr. 15
04318 Leipzig (Germany)
www.ufz.de
www.condense-project.org