1st Urban Transformations Symposium

Weaving knowledge and ideas towards a new transformative urban science agenda

Changing urban realities imply new challenges, opportunities and needs for science to engage in socially and ecologically responsible transformation work. The first Urban Transformations Symposium invites researchers and practitioners working on complex transformation dynamics in cities, to share their insights and ideas on how to understand and co-shape the future of transformative urban science.

How do we invigorate the frontiers and boundaries of transformative urban science, while keeping in mind how actions and the institutional spaces of urban science-policy-practice can enhance a turn towards more livable, just, sustainable and resilient cities? In order to give meaning to urban transformations, multiple knowledges need to come together, not only to bridge disciplinary divides, but to engage in an open and continuous process of knowledge weaving and co-production.

The symposium aims to provide the starting point for invigorating ‘what is a new transformative urban science’ and for co-shaping an ambitious agenda setting process. We will critically examine the state of the art in urban transformations research and in sustainability science in order to envision and position a “transformative urban science” agenda. This requires bringing together leading urban transformation “pathfinders” from around the globe to share a day of open and innovative knowledge co-production and interweaving.

Organisation and programme
The symposium will be organized by the DRIFT, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and the Urban Transformations Lab at SKKU (Sunkyunkwan University), South Korea, and will be held at DRIFT, Rotterdam, the 22^nd of February 2018.

Click here to view the programme.

Take part
We have a limited number of places for active urban and transition researchers at the symposium. Doctoral and post-doctoral researchers are specifically encouraged to contact us for their participation. You can express interest for participating by emailing a one page letter of motivation to: Niki Frantzeskaki by the 15^th of February 2018. Accepted participants will be notified by the 17^th of February 2018.