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For all the talk of external shocks (the Covid pandemic, war in Ukraine and Middle East), crises (in energy, cost of living, disruption to shipping routes) and emergencies (the climate emergency, African food crisis) regional studies exists to present an optimistic vision for brighter regional futures. Regional policies, planning and governance are all underpinned by a desire to offer better options, opportunities and solutions to drive regions forward in their development. The core themes of innovation, entrepreneurship, skills, technology, trade, and investment are some of the many enablers of regional development. Our focus on issues of housing, migration, land use, mobility, are all driven by a desire to improve the lives of people and the places we inhabit. And as a community, improvements to equity, diversity and inclusion, and the drive to enthuse the next generation of regional researchers and practitioners is at the very heart of everything we do.
The Regional Studies Association Winter Conference 2024 presents a timely opportunity to champion a positive agenda for regional change and development. The event provided an important platform to come together, to discuss and debate the future of regions and regional studies, to establish the need and nature of future research imperatives in the field, and to assess options for practitioners and policymakers in working towards brighter regional futures.
The conference organisers attracted papers and closed special sessions which identified new fields of enquiry, address broad research and policy agendas, and include contributions from any discipline offering insights at local and regional levels. Papers which are highly innovative, collaborative, international or multi-disciplinary were especially welcome.