2023 RSA Annual Conference - Save the Date

The Regional Studies Association’s Annual Conference 2023 #RSA23 will be our largest knowledge exchange and networking gathering to date. It is being held in partnership with the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. This four-day conference brings together academics and policymakers to exchange news, views and research findings from the fields of regional studies and science, regional and economic development, policy and planning.  There will be representation from around 50 different global territories as we gather both established experts and early career researchers in the beautiful city of Ljubljana.

The conference will feature 450+ presentations, high-profile plenary speakers, a number of specially convened sessions, workshops, networking sessions, walking tours and field trips. The social programme will include the conference dinner and a reception, side events, sport activities, exhibitor stalls and post-conference tours to explore Slovenia.

#RSA20 will address topics concerned with regional and urban development, policy and research. The Association takes a broad view of its remit, but all submissions will be refereed prior to acceptance to ensure minimum standards of quality and field relevance and innovation are maintained. In addition to abstract submissions we welcome proposals for special sessions, networking events, book launches, author meets critic sessions, etc.

Call for Abstracts: Regions are always transforming. Global megatrends transform the way we live, work, interact, finance, produce and consume. At the same time, these long-run transformations are punctuated by events both large and small. We can think here about how the Covid-19 global health crisis and war in Ukraine have disrupted the social, economic, political and environmental landscape. Nationally, regionally and locally, new governments, policies, plans, developments, along with social movements and mobilisation around everyday issues of identity, representation, inclusion/exclusion, citizenship, all lead to change or transition in one form or other. Typically, many such attempts at transforming regions are also met with resistance, with interests keen to preserve the status quo or propose their own alternative changes.

Today, transitions to a new global order, to a post-Covid world and toward net zero dominate academic and public policy debates. Economic change is framed around resistance to support for growth/de-growth, globalisation/de-globalisation, capitalist/anti-capitalist futures. Industrial transition focuses attention on decarbonisation and carbon-neutral economies, technological change, and for many parts of the world, Industry 4.0. Societal changes in many regions are leading to aging populations, shifting electoral patterns, and new forms of exclusion. Add in the ever-changing dynamics between public/private, urban/rural, and the idea that we are living in ‘turbulent times’ is clear to see. The question is where do we go from here? More critically, what transitions should we be encouraging, and which require intervention to promote alternatives.

Transforming Regions presents a timely opportunity to discuss and debate these important issues. Regional research has a key role to play in revealing the opportunities, impacts and challenges of these transitions on people and places. The conference will also direct attention towards seeking to improve the “what” and “how” of regional policies and planning, ensuring transitions deliver for people and places.