UrbanPromo 2017 | Call for Papers
International Conference
A SAFE FUTURE FOR THE CITY. Openness to Change and Acceptable Risk in Territorial Government

Milan, Italy
ABSTRACT DEADLINE (NEW!): 20 June 2017
DAY OF THE CONFERENCE: 21–24 November 2017
INU | Istituto Nazionale di Urbanistica
URBIT | Urbanistica Italiana SRL
Triennale di Milano
Planum. The Journal of Urbanism 
Urbanistica

URBANPROMO 2017 - INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR PAPERS
 21-25 November 2017, Triennale di Milano - Milano (Italy)

CALL FOR PAPERS THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE INU-URBIT
For the first time in more than two centuries, technological innovation seems unable to open new markets in order to compensate for the loss of manufacturing jobs resulting from an increase in productivity. Due to this increasing lack of new professional outlets, globalization processes and enormous demographic shifts originating in the poorest and most conflict-prone areas of the world are leading to growing unease in public opinion, which views the weakness of geographical and market borders as a primary source of insecurity and uncertainty. In reviewing the causes of this alarming instability, an additional uncontrolled factor should be highlighted. This is the discovery—which came late, certainly, but which is now no longer questioned—of the inescapable fragility of our ecosystem, whose endurance is continually threatened not only by natural calamities, but also by the traumatic effects of advancing climate change.
Due to these sudden upheavals, projections into the future are no longer perceived as an inexhaustible source of promising expectations and opportunities; rather, they encourage forms of resignation and paralysis, which certainly do not favour the development of planning abilities. In the same way, and perhaps more than other public policies, territorial government is also suffering from this eclipse of the future. A patiently reconstructed commitment towards that change is required while securing territorial structures and settlement systems from risks directly connected to the incapability, however inevitable, to foresee the effects of decisions that were made in conditions of uncertainty.
In consideration of the unique, alarming characteristics of this situation, the skills and knowledge of scholars in social and territorial formations should be mobilized to develop an original, integrated view of a society that can be built on an economy with a low work intensity and on the changes that this new paradigm is destined to introduce. The goal is to return both the instances of change and the need for environmental risk protection to urban-management tools.

 

GOALS AND STRUCTURE
Adopting the successful format of Urbanpromo 2016 (“A New Cycle of Urban Planning between Tactics and Strategy”), INU and Urbit aim to contribute further to the path outlined at the latest Congress of the National Institute of Urban Planning in Cagliari. An international scientific conference will therefore be held at La Triennale di Milano during the 14th edition of Urbanpromo. The conference is aimed at researchers, scholars, and professionals working at universities, in businesses, and in public administrations and relies on collaboration with Urbanistica and Planum – The Journal of Urbanism. Like last year, the latter will ensure the integral and timely publication of the papers, which will already be disseminated and subject to discussion at the conference. As well, Urbanistica - as with issue no. 157/2016, which contained the 25 best contributions presented at the 2016 conference - will again publish a special issue with a large selection of papers deemed to be the most interesting. 

In light of the of overall theme of the conference, the following thematic areas are proposed for those who intend to submit a contribution: 
• The evolution of urban-planning processes on an international scale; 
• Examining the conflicts and synergies between local and global values;
• Risk analysis; 
• Evaluation of the positive effects of heritage enhancement and land securing; 
• Climate change and adaptation strategies;
• The reuse of decommissioned areas and the management of deindustrialization processes; 
• Access to knowledge, involvement in decision making, shared spaces and networks for participation; 
• The rationalization and strengthening of citizen services;
• The access to new forms of urban competition;
• Processing paths to develop a shared vision of the future of the city. 

CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION AND SELECTION 
Participation in the conference is open to everyone. Those who would like to present a written contribution are invited to submit an abstract in Italian or English (300-400 words) by June 20, 2017 sending an email to the address futuroaffidabile@urbit.it, clearly indicating the name of the author(s), institution(s), telephon and email reference, and referring to one or more of the arguments proposed in the call. Contributions will remain anonymous when submitted to the reviewing committee.
Following favourable acceptance by the review committee, authors will be informed by June 14, 2017 and should submit a text of maximum length 20,000 characters - in Italian or English - by September 7, 2017 to the email address futuroaffidabile@urbit.it.
Contributions are subject to anonymous evaluation by a committee composed of members of the scientific committees of the conference and the two journals. To allow a fair, impartial evaluation of the texts, the paper should omit any explicit reference to the author and institution. The paper layout will be available on the Urbanpromo, INU, and Planum websites. It is necessary to observe the common layout for acceptance of the contribution at the conference. 

EVALUATION RESULT
• The results of the peer review will be returned to authors by October 9, 2017. If positive, the paper will be published in a monographic volume edited by Planum Publisher in collaboration with INU and Urbit.
• Final versions must be submitted by 31 October 2017 in Italian or English to the same email address: futuroaffidabile@urbit.it. The definitive text must follow Planum. The Journal of Urbanism’s editorial guidelines.

• Authors should send a receipt of payment for the €300 registration fee (€250 for INU members) before 31 October. 
• Registration is reduced to €250 (€200 for INU members) if paid before 15 September 2017.
• The registration includes participation at the conference and all events at the 14th edition of Urbanpromo, to be held at La Triennale di Milano from 21–24 November 2017.

PRESENTATION AND PUBLICATION
All papers included in the monograph publication by Planum. The Journal of Urbanism will be distributed and subject to discussion during the conference.
No fewer than 10 papers will be selected for presentation by the author at the International Conference. Through the same anonymous evaluation process, a larger number of contributions will be selected for publication in a special issue of Urbanistica. Authors should prepare the final version of their papers in line with the review committee’s and the journal’s editorial guidelines.

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
• Michele Talia (president), Angela Barbanente, Carlo Alberto Barbieri, Giuseppe De Luca, Patrizia Gabellini, Carlo Gasparrini, Paolo La Greca, Roberto Mascarucci, Francesco Domenico Moccia, Federico Oliva, Pierluigi Properzi, Francesco Rossi, Stefano Stanghellini, Silvia Viviani

TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC COORDINATORS
• Rosalba D'Onofrio, Giulia Fini, Carolina Giaimo, Laura Pogliani, Marichela Sepe

INFO & CONTACTS 
• Urbanpromo website
• E-mail: futuroaffidabile@urbit.it