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WELCOME TO OUR APRIL NEWSLETTER
#2|2021 

EURA has a new newsletter! After our first number, announcing our New website (www.eura.org), we are now launching a renovated newsletter: it will come every 2 months and it will try to reach out all to our members and wider community, in order to inform them about EURA and its members.

EURA NEWS

This section presents the main news from our Association

New composition of the EURA Governing Board

 

Dear EURA Members and wider community,

During the last General Assembly, held on the 2nd of December, the EURA Governing Board was renewed; new board members have joined, while some announced their retirement.  

We warmly welcome the three new board members: 

• Le Anh Nguyen Long, institutional member representative, University of TWENTE, The Netherlands 

• Ilmavirta Tuomas, Department of Built Environment, institutional member representative, Aalto University, Finland 

• Carla Tedesco, institutional member representative, IUAV, Italy 

We warmly thank our colleagues and friends who are going to step down in July 2021 and we promise them a celebration to thank them for all their dedication to our Association. 

• Rob AtkinsonUniversity of the West of England, UK  

• Bas DentersUniversity of Twente, The Netherlands  

 

Click here to see how the Governing Board is composed

New organisation of the EURA Governing Board

This is not the only piece of news about the EURA Board. 

The General Assembly was the occasion to discuss proposals for improving the collective leadership of the association. Upon request of the President Valeria Fedeli, and on the base of the proposals formulated by the Task Force NEW GENERATION EURA, led by Robin Hambleton with the help of several colleagues of the GB, the General Assembly discussed and approved the idea of creating new dedicated roles and dedicated task forces, supporting the Association in the everyday activities as well as in more strategic tasks. 

Six Key-roles were identified, for the Governing Board to be effective: 

• The President. The President provides overall leadership of the association. She or he is the Chief Executive of the association and shall preside at all meetings of the Governing Board and the General Assembly. S/he is responsible for appointing Governing Board members and EURA members to committees of the association.  

• Vice PresidentThe Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the event of the absence, disability or death of the latter. The Vice President (VP) is responsible for building positive and mutually beneficial relations with EURA’s very important Institutional Members, for attracting young scholars to join the association and for expanding the membership of EURA (Institutional and Individual Members). The VP should consider whether they wish to be supported in this work by a new EURA Membership Committee (comprising, say, 3 to 5 members of EURA). The VP shall provide regular reports to the Governing Board on membership trends and initiatives to boost EURA membership.  
 

• The Secretary and EURA Initiatives LeaderThe Secretary shall work closely with the President and shall combine the roles of Secretary and Treasurer. S/he will record and circulate the minutes of the Governing Board and the General Assembly. The Secretary will work closely with the paid staff working in the EURA Secretariat and, in collaboration with the President, will keep under review the finances of EURA and provide financial reports to the Governing Board. In addition, the Secretary shall provide advice and support to various EURA Initiatives, such as EURA working groups, and shall take a lead in recommending new initiatives to the Governing Board.  

• The Conferences and Events Leader and TeamThe EURA Conferences and Events Leader (CEL), together with a dedicated task force from the Board (CELTf)shall take responsibility for developing the forward plan for EURA Annual Conferences as well as smaller EURA events and workshops. In the future events will be actual and virtual and the CEL shall be responsible for developing the EURA Conference and Events Strategy in a post COVID-19 world. The CEL should consider whether they wish to be supported in this work by a new EURA Conference and Events Committee (comprising 3 to 5 people with ideally some members from outside the Governing Board and, hopefully, one or two colleagues who have organised previous EURA Conferences). The CEL will work closely with those responsible for the development and delivery of EURA Summer Schools and Winter Schools to ensure their continued success.  

• The E-Communications Leader/Task ForceThe Communications Leader (CL), together with a dedicated Task Force (CTf) from the Board, shall take responsibility for developing the virtual presence of EURA on the internet, and will work closely with the paid EURA Web Officer. The CL and CT should be expected to develop new initiatives to enhance the digital vibrancy and immediacy of EURA as an international space devoted to informed discussions about the future of cities.  
 

• The Publications Leader/Task ForceThe Publications Leader (PL), together with a dedicated Task Force (PTfshall take responsibility for developing the EURA publications strategy. S/he will work closely with the Editor of Urban Research and Practice in developing ways of promoting the journal. In addition, the PL shall oversee the development of emerging and new EURA publications projects – for example, new books or book series 

 
The following colleagues have shown interest and availability to support this new organisation and we highly thank them for their dedication to developing the future of EURA future: 
 

• Vice President:  Filipe Teles 

• Conferences and Events Team: Paula Russell, Sonia De Gregorio Hurtado, Susanne SoholtJurlina Dubravka, Alistair JohnesLe Anh Nguyen Long 

• E-Communications Task Force: Ignazio Vinci, Le Anh Nguyen Long 

• Publications Task Force: Christina Stanus, Ignazio Vinci, Valeria Fedeli, Marichela Sepe

The year 2021 opens with the invitation to these taskforces to start organising, identifying their Leader and objectives, with the aim of being ready in the occasion of the new EURA President, due to be elected in June 2021 (see below).
Their work will be pivotal and the new EURA President will have the opportunity to revise this proposal on the base of the first results of this experimental semester. 

EURA President election

Every four Years, EURA elects its President, in the occasion of the yearly Governing Board and General Assembly.  Applications are now open and Members of the Governing Board are invited to show their interest in taking the initiative in putting themselves forward to be a candidate! 

Our Charter offers the opportunity to organise a postal ballot. The EURA board will publish the procedure in due time.

• DEADLINE for expressions of interest are sought by 15th  MAY 2021: please, potential candidates, send you declaration of interest, by way of a short Statement Letter to secretariat@eura.org

• Governing Board and General Assembly will meet online to vote: provisional date 30th June 2021, to be confirmed

•  New EURA President Term to start on the 1st October 2021.

 

EURA Conversations


EURA
 Conversations and the COVID-19 pandemic - please consider contributing to this series.

Launched in May 2020 the EURA Conversations platform has provided a space for urban studies scholars from across Europe (and beyond) to share reflections on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cities, as well as on different communities within cities... And the platform provides a space to begin to explore the implications of the pandemic for the future of urban studies.

EURA Conversations will continue to provide up to date and insightful contributions once every two weeks direct to EURA members. To see the contributions posted so far please visit:
https://eura.org/eura-conversations/

We hope you think that this platform is informative. 
To offer your 500 word contribution please email to: secretariat@eura.org

 

New contributions

#16 Learning from 2020
EURA Conversations Post #16 – 11 January 2021
by Ignazio Vinci

#17 Remember Teaching?
EURA Conversations Post #17 – 25 January 2021
by Alistair Jones

#18 Distancing
EURA Conversations Post #18 – 8 February 2021
by Henrique Dorneles De Castro

# 19 Temporary uses 1
EURA Conversations Post #19 – 22 February 2021
by Robin Chang

# 20 Temporary uses 2 
EURA Conversations Post #20 – 8 March 2021
by Sara Caramaschi

#21 Mental health 
EURA Conversations Post #21 – 22 March 2021
by Isabelle Bray

 

See all the conversations at this link 

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NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS 

This section presents the main news from our Members: books, events, job positions, you are all invited to contribute!

DEADLINE APPROACHING for

Summer school on "Local government in motion - Local innovation in changhing contexts" organized by the research project on "Conditions for Institutional and Cultural Innovations in cities" (CICI)

 

More info here

Date: September 13 to 16, 2021

Location: Chania (Crete/Greece) at the Center of Mediterranean Architecture (KAM)
(the former Arsenali Veneziani)

Course directors: Prof. Dr. Nikolaos Hlepas and Prof. Dr. Björn Egner

 

Course Description : The 2021 summer school is aimed at doctoral and advanced students in master's programmes who want to answer the question of why innovation has been achieved in certain cities (and not in others).

 

Deadline for application: An abstract (up to 500 words) of the planned presentation should be send by the applicants to until the end of April 2021 to Prof. Dr. Björn Egner (bjoern.egner@tu-darmstadt.de)

The organisers are assuming that the Summer School will take place on Crete (Greece). Only if this should not be possible due to the development of the pandemic, an online event will be considered.

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A WINDOW ON OUR MEMBERS

This section opens a window on our Members, asking new members and consolidated ones to present themselves afresh. The idea is to provide a simple description, with some photos and pictures presenting the main activities in the fields of teaching and research, you are all invited to contribute!

The IUAV University of Venice - http://www.iuav.it/INTERNATIO/ABOUT-IUAV/Iuav-profi/index.htm - is one of the leading universities in Europe and across the world in the fields of architecture, design, fashion, visual arts, urban and regional planning, and theatre.
Established in 1926 as one of the first Architecture Schools in Italy, Iuav combines a renowned tradition with a strong commitment to permanent innovation while putting the design process at the core of the whole educational experience.

Degree programmes and courses in English, a wide network of worldwide partners in teaching and research, a number of visiting academics and professionals and vibrant student community from all over the world make Iuav an international university. Iuav is strategically and conveniently located in the heart of Venice historical centre. Syllabuses, courses and learning and workshop activities are organised in 4 bachelor’s degrees and 6 master degrees covering the fields of architecture, design, fashion, visual arts, urban and regional planning and theatre. In 2021 a new Master Degree Programme in Urban Planning for Transition will start, entirely taught in English. In addition, Iuav offers post graduated and advanced specialisation courses and a PhD program with 9 research areas.

 

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URBAN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

This section presents information on the latest issue of our journal Urban Research and Practice, Taylor & Francis

 

OUR WARMEST THANKS TO Professor Rob Atkinson, founding editor of Urban Research and Practice (URP)

The EURA Governing Board takes this opportunity to express sincere thanks to Rob Atkinson, Professor of Urban Studies at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK, for his fine efforts in co-creating the journal of Urban Research and Practice (URP), and leading it so effectively for the last twelve years.  
 
Rob is now stepping down as editor, and the leadership of the journal is transitioning to a new team headed by Professor Karsten Zimmermann, University of Dortmund, Germany. 
 
Rob started out with EURA by helping with the editorship of the EURANewsletter in 2000.  From a very early stage he made the case that EURA needed to create a new international urban studies journal, one that would advance urban scholarship, but also one that would bridge the worlds of academe and urban policy and practice.  His insight and tenacity proved fruitful and the November 2007 EURANewsletter was able to announce that a new EURA journal would be launched in 2008.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Urban Research and Practice, now in its 14th volume, is an internationally respected urban studies journal.  The journal has taken the step of celebrating the outstanding contribution of Rob Atkinson by publishing a Virtual Special Issue.  This looks back at the last twelve years and makes available, for open access, a selection of papers that the current editors feel show case published papers that are highly relevant to current urban debate and practice.  More: 
 
https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/rurp-specialissue/ 

 
The EURA Governing Board says many thanks to Rob and hopes, very much, that he will contribute to our urban research debates even though he will shortly be retiring from the University of the West of England, Bristol.  Many thanks for your fine intellectual leadership!