The challenges of contemporary cities that will be discussed by the conference participants include:
- growing socio-spatial inequalities,
- uneven access to health and social care,
- the pressures of governing increasingly diverse and superdiverse urban populations.
The conference participants will examine how residents’ daily interactions with institutions – for example, in clinics, schools, offices, or in housing estates – impact their sense of belonging and well-being. In addition to scientific presentations, you can also submit texts on innovative education in teaching.
The goal of the conference is to:
- demonstrate how institutions can better adapt to changing urban realities,
- discuss ways to build more equitable and inclusive cities,
- promote cooperation between researchers, policymakers and practitioners.
The event will be an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences and to create new, joint methods of action for a better future for cities.
Funding
We are providing travel funding for accepted conference participants (as speakers) from UNIC funds. The amount of funding depends on the number of applications accepted.
Applications will be evaluated and applicants will be notified of the results in March 2026.
More information, thematic streams
The conference is organised around two key thematic streams. Superdiversity provides a cross-cutting perspective for all thematic blocks, highlighting the multitude of differences – ethnic, linguistic, legal, socioeconomic, gender, and cognitive – that shape contemporary urban life.
Stream 1. Justice, Security, and Institutional Dynamics: Resilience and Legitimacy
1. Institutional Shifts and Governance After COVID-19
- Evolving Roles and Legitimacy of Global Institutions (WHO, WTO, IMF, UN, EU)
- Prosperity Governance: Regions, Cities, and NGOs
- Emerging Actors in the Institutional Global Landscape
- Institutional Accountability and Rule of Law
2. Security Architectures in a Digital Age
- Cybersecurity, Resilience, Digital Sovereignty, and Data Governance
- AI and Big Data in Global and Urban Governance
- Digital Divide: Access to Technology and Digital Literacy
- Urban and Human Security in the Digital Era
- Democracy, Autocracy, and Erosion of Trust
3. Global Justice and Equity in Access to Right
- Transnational Human Rights and Legal Frameworks
- International Law, Peace, and New Accountability Mechanisms
- Access to Justice, Discrimination, and Migration Inclusion
- Rights, Law, and Critical Institutional Perspectives
- Regulating Transnational Actors and Platform Governance
4. Institutions and Social Transformation
- Local Integration and Inclusion Policies
- Inclusive and Decolonial Institutional Practices
- Civic Education and Democratic Participation
- Participatory Governance and Local Engagement
- Experiential Learning and Justice Innovation
Stream 2. Health and Wellbeing in Post-Industrial Cities: Institutions, Inequalities and Transformations
1. Urban Health, Access, and Inclusive Care Systems
- Equitable and Inclusive Health Service Design and Management
- Participatory and Interdisciplinary Care Models
- Intersectional Vulnerabilities and Social Determinants of Health
- Age-Friendly, Accessible, and Inclusive Infrastructures
2. Systems Thinking and Resilience in Health and Wellbeing
- “One Health” Approaches and Interlinked Crises
- Health in Conflict, Displacement, and Economic Instability
- Urban Sustainability, Infrastructure, and Crisis Recovery
- Health Labour Systems, Care Work and New Forms of Work
- Sustainable & Healthy Urban Food Systems
3. Subjective Wellbeing, Mental Health, and Everyday Urban Life
- Mental Health Promotion and Psychological Resilience
- Loneliness, Alienation, and Post-Pandemic Recovery
- Wellbeing in Education and Community Engagement
- Gendered and Youth Mental Health Experiences
- Everyday Encounters, Diversity, and Wellbeing
4. Technology, Innovation, and the Future of Urban Health
- Digital Technologies and Their Ethical and Governance Implications
- Trust, Access, and Digital Inclusion in Health Systems
More information about the conference, including the application form
