2022 RSA Winter Conference

Regions are always transitioning, however the usual technological, social, environmental and economic changes have been jolted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Throw in growing geopolitical instability, climate change and migration pressures, and we find ourselves in an increasingly volatile and uncertain global context. Shifting towards a more sustainable and resilient model of regional and urban development becomes even more urgent but ever more challenging.

These pressures are triggering policy innovation in cities and regions, from universal income experimentation, foundational economies, digital citizen participation, adaptive spatial planning or deployment of nature-based or circular economy solutions. However, these innovations seldom become mainstream and the ‘business as usual’ approach dominates. Too often, responses remain based on outdated policy recipes and ideas that failed. As with any societal, economic and technological change, sustainability transitions also tend to benefit cities and regions best equipped to capitalise on it. Other places are highly vulnerable to the negative impacts and are likely to lag further behind. In this light, regions and cities across the globe are in a desperate need of new policy ideas and experimentation in terms of new economic models, ways to empower citizens and promote a fairer distribution of the fruits of economic growth. This requires tools and indicators for regional and urban policies, and modes of regional planning and governance to overcome the limitations that the administrative, spatial or sectoral boundaries pose.

• Break new ground by identifying new fields of enquiry
• Propose new concepts and methods
• Examine the consequences of and challenges to sustainability transitions (especially on the linkages between the three pillars of sustainability – economic, social and environmental)
• Propose new policy solutions for local and regional policy and planning practitioners
• Collaborative, comparative or interdisciplinary papers are especially welcome
• Session proposals experimenting with new formats for the debate and engagement of the audience are encouraged

Please click here for the Call for Papers.

Corporate: £310
Individual: £310
Honorary: £310
Retired/Emeritus: £230
Early Career: £230
Student: £185

Non-members rates includes a 1 year RSA Membership

Non-member Individual: £390
Non-member Retired/Emeritus: £290
Non-member Early Career: £290
Non-member Student: £220

Marcin Dąbrowski, TU Delft, The Netherlands