Conversation #72

We provide here a warm welcome to the EURA 2025 Conference to be held in Bristol, UK on 10-13 June 2025. The conference theme is ‘Creating healthy and sustainable cities’ and we are absolutely delighted with the response to the call for papers.

Over 280 scholars have now registered for the conference, and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) is now working closely with the Co-Chairs of the nine tracks to schedule the various sessions.

In addition to 19 pre-organised panels more than 230 papers will be delivered. This is a most encouraging response.

The conference content has been designed not just to address the main theme of the conference, but also to provide opportunities for academics to exchange views on topics that are of recurring interest to urban scholars within the EURA community. The nine tracks are:

• Track 1: Creating Healthy and Liveable Places
• Track 2: Regenerating the City
• Track 3: Smart City Governance driving Green and Digital Transitions
• Track 4: Regulating the City: Planning and Beyond
• Track 5: Enhancing Democratic Governance in Changing Cities
• Track 6: Strategic Thinking for City Futures – looking beyond City Boundaries
• Track 7: Inclusive Futures and Spatial Practices
• Track 8: Designing accessible cities: towards low-carbon and inclusive mobility futures
• Track 9: Greening the City

We take this opportunity to thank all those who submitted proposals, and we thank the Track Co-chairs for the excellent work they are now doing to construct the sessions for the conference. A consequence of all this academic effort is that those who participate in EURA 2025 can be certain that they will experience an intellectually stimulating and constructive conference.

As with all previous EURA conferences, this gathering will bring together scholars from a wide range of countries to share insights and ideas on how to co-create more liveable and inclusive cities. In addition, given the remarkable shifts that are now taking place in world politics, EURA 2025 will provide a well-informed space for international exchange of views on the roles that cities and communities may be able to play in a world that is being threatened by a range of malign political forces.

As longstanding residents of Bristol, we accept that we may be biased when we say that EURA has chosen a great location for the 2025 Conference. But we say it just the same!

Like many European cities Bristol has a truly remarkable history and is now a vibrant, multicultural city. Over the centuries Bristol has established a national reputation as a city of effective public protest – from the Bristol Bridge riot of 1793 to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations of 2020. Over the years civic leaders in Bristol have pioneered efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the city and to address the climate change crisis. For example, in 2015 Bristol became the first UK city to be named European Green Capital, an award that recognises Bristol’s commitment to sustainability and environmental initiatives. Launched in 2016 the Bristol One City Approach, a prize-winning approach to city governance, has the aim of delivering a ‘fair, healthy and sustainable city’.

As is normal EURA practice, the LOC has reached out to a range of civic actors in our city to co-create a variety of study tours that will take place early in the conference programme. There will be 11 mobile workshops providing participants with opportunities to meet local activists and learn more about intriguing urban innovations and developments in Bristol, and in nearby locations, including the City of Bath.

We have worked very closely with Bristol City Council (BCC) in planning this conference and we would like to express our sincere thanks to Councillor Tony Dyer (Leader of BCC and a Green Party member) for his personal support.

The conference will take place in Bristol City Hall. Designed in the 1930s this iconic building, which lies on College Green in the centre of the city, is a Grade II listed building – meaning that it is nationally recognised as a structure of architectural interest deserving of special protection. We know that having participants gather in the heart of city governance will be attractive to EURA members as they value engaged scholarship – meaning the critical importance of bridging the gap that too often exists between academic knowledge and practical action.

There will be two plenary sessions in the EURA 2025 conference. We are delighted that the leading experts we first approached to contribute have accepted our invitation to speak.

The first plenary will feature Professor Elena Marco (Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of College for Arts, Technology and Environment – UWE), Julia Thrift (Director, Healthier Place-making – Town and Country Planning Association) and Professor Katy Roelich (Professor of Sustainability Transformations – University of Leeds).

The second plenary will feature professional and political leaders who have experience of delivering healthy and sustainable cities, including Dr Victoria Hills (Chief Executive – Royal Town Planning Institute), Councillor Tony Dyer (Leader of Bristol City Council), Simone Wilding (Chief Planning Officer – Bristol City Council) and Savita Willmott (Chief Executive – The Natural History Consortium).

We hope that the EURA 2025 Conference in Bristol can provide a space for thinking new thoughts about the future of cities and regions in Europe and beyond.

If you have not registered yet there is still time! Registration for the conference closes on 1 May 2025. We hope very much to see you in Bristol in June. Click here to register for the conference!