Cities
The great recession (2008) and the Pandemic (2020) have redefined the balances and economies of European cities, but we could easily scale this consideration globally, however, in this conversation I will stay within the EU borders. The first crisis at least had the advantage of being progressive and of affecting only the demand side, the second instead hit us like an asteroid. The crisis induced by Covid tri...
Thursday, February 24, 2022, I lay in bed unable to sleep. Two days before, Russia announced that it would recognize the independence of two pro-Russian Ukrainian territories and this morning, the invasion of Ukraine began. I was at a loss. Speaking to others – friends, relatives, students, and colleagues – it was clear that I was not alone. Fear, sadness, uncertainty, frustration, anger… the emotions roiling inside of us were legion. This was not new: It brought me b...
The 5th edition of Cities Forum will be held in Torino, Italy from 16 to 17 March 2023. The event brings together key urban stakeholders at European, national, regional and local levels who are committed to a green and just future of cities. Discover what’s next in sustainable urban development...
According to UN Habitat, urban areas consume 75% of total energy consumption and are responsible for around 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions. This is because all of the major urban infrastructures are highly energy-dependent: water supply, treatment and waste water disposal, transportation and communication infrastructures, intricate webs of food and material supply, waste disposal, and energy supply itself...
Swedish democracy is heading towards grimmer days. The political direction of the new conservative government of 2022, supported by the radical nationalist “Sweden democrats” sprung out of a neo-Nazi-party in the 1990’s, has a knife tip aimed towards migrants and multicultural society. Many fear that the main attack is against our egalitarian welfare model ...
In many countries, policymakers are focussing on administrative-territorial reforms in order to improve the effectiveness of local governance. Some have reduced the number of municipalities through mergers. A voluntary merger is when central government provides the legal framework for the merger but leaves local authorities to negotiate and propose new boundaries. This is a "bottom-up" process and ...
Generative AI is a form of artificial intelligence (AI) that produces content based on patterns it observes in large datasets. Although AI has been in use extensively in many settings (e.g. in scientific work and in the classroom), excitement and concern around AI seemed to reach a crescendo at the beginning of 2023. For instance, teachers began sharing reflections on the implications these language models ...
EURA Conversations is now taking a summer break. Since last September nine authors from the following countries have made contributions to the series. And scholars from a variety of countries have added their comments on these posts. From the role of EURA conferences in providing an important platform for international exchange between scholars, decision-makers and practitioners working in cities, to the changes taking place in different urban contexts around the world, we invite you to take a dip into recent EURA blog posts. Looking ahead we will be back in September with new authors covering more urban studies topics that we think will interest you. We are always on the look out for new contributors!
