Derby
Cities, Communities and Homes

Is the Future Livable?
Event Date: June 22-23, 2017
Abstract Date: March 1, 2017
Keynote
Richard Blyth, Head of Policy and Practice. Royal Town Planning Institute | Hendrik W van der Kamp, Vice President. European Council of Spatial Planners – Conseil européen des urbanistes

Call

The complexity of our cities is well documented. The economies they are based on are multiple. Some are growing exponentially, others are shrinking. Some pride themselves on architectural heritage, others are seeking to build and rebrand. Some are old, some are new. Inevitably their urban fabrics vary.  The communities that live in these places reflect these conditions. Some are are long-standing, others are new and in-formation. Sometimes they are active, on occasion homogenous. More generally they are diverse. These communities need, and want, a say in their futures. Some are well connect and affluent, others suffer deprivation and social exclusion. A constant in the mist of this complexity is their need to be housed – whether by themselves, the market, or governments.

Taking on the issues of cities, communities and housing, this conference seeks to explore and document the way in which our thinking about living in cities cannot be isolated into categories. The urban plans we develop reflect larger socio-political forces which determine the houses we build and urban services we offer. In turn, a city’s public services promote inclusivity or exclusion. The housing we build determine the growth, survival or evolution of the communities we form. All contribute to the livability of our urban environments.

This conference thus seeks to explore how the three issues of city development, sense of community and housing need, all combine to make lives in our cities livable – or not. How will our urban environments change in the near future? Are the cities we live in now likely to contract or expand? How will these changes impact on communities and the way they are housed? Will new technologies facilitate community engagement with planning? Will resident voices be heard by planners? Will unaffordable housing turn some cities into enclaves of the wealthy, or will the private sector and personal preference gate our communities?

The conference encourages debate and exchange between disciplines, and will promote and publish multiple voices. It seeks to better understand the relationships between cities, communities and homes.

Disciplines

  • Urban design
  • Regional Planning
  • Urban Economics
  • Development Planning
  • Community Studies
  • Housing
  • Sociology
  • Architecture

Key Dates

Abstract Submissions (extended on request to 15 March)
01 March 2017
Abstract Feedback
01 April 2017
Registration closes
01 June 2017
Conference
22 – 23 June 2017
Full Paper Submissions (where applicable)
01 September 2017
Feedback for publication
01 November 2017
Publication of Full papers begins
01 February 2018

Themes

Housing
Affordable Housing | Private Sector Design v Public Architecture | Affordable ‘Design’ | Incremental Housing
Communities
Gentrification | Participatory Planning | Community Activism | Social Equity | The Right to the City | City Services
Cities
Zoning Laws | Urban Planning | Transport Orientated Development | Consultation and Communities
Design
The Role of Architects | Planners | Landscape Architects | Urban Designers | People in The Design Process

Formats

To make the event as inclusive as possible, delegates can attend in-person but can also avoid travel costs by making their presentation as a pre-recorded film. It will be permanently available via the AMPS YouTube channel. Alternatively, they can present virtually via Skype. In all cases, written papers are also acceptable.
Possible formats include:

Pre-recorded video (20 minutes)
Skype (20 minutes)
Conference Presentations (20 minutes)
Written Papers (3,000 words)

Publications

The publishers that AMPS works with include UCL Press, Routledge Taylor & Francis, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Vernon Press, Libri Publishing and Intellect Books.

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Conference outputs include the AMPS Proceedings Series, ISSN 2398-9467; Special Issue Publications of the academic journal Architecture_MPS ISSN 2020-9006; Books with the publishing houses listed above and short films available on the AMPS Academic YouTube Channel.

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Written papers are optional.  If submitted they should be 3,000 word length. Formatting instructions to follow after the conference. All papers are double- blind peer reviewed for the AMPS Conference Proceedings Series. Subject to review, selected authors will be invited to develop longer versions as articles in the academic journal Architecture_MPS or in specially produced conference books.

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Image: Pixabay