Date and time
Important Dates
- Abstract submission deadline extended to 6th September 2024
- Registration opening mid-September
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 will provide 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 are keen to attract papers and closed special sessions (see below) which identify 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 are especially welcome.
Broad themes and key agendas the organisers are keen to facilitate discussion around include, but are not limited to:
- Teaching the next generation: pedagogy, skills, knowledge
- Building better futures: housing, labour markets and infrastructure
- Strategies for enhancing regional security (e.g. health, food, energy, data, financial, geopolitical, democracy)
- Reviving left behind places and tackling uneven development
- Industry 4.0 and the future shape of innovation, industrial development and strategy
- Regional policies for the majority world: fostering stronger South-South and North-South relations
- Designing the regions, cities and rural areas of the future
- Pathways to successful transitions: energy, climate, and sustainability
- Fair regions: justice, democracy, equality
- Equity, diversity and inclusion in regions and regional studies
- Caring for people: health, ageing populations and young people
- Caring for places: communities, land use, settlements, environment, nature
- Welcoming regions: migration, labour, housing
- Cities and regions in a post-Covid world
- Alternative models for regional development (e.g. foundational, circular, post-growth)
- Reshaping regions: the role of universities, private actors, and non-state actors
- Financing regional change: investment flows, trading relations, value chains
- Technological change, innovation and entrepreneurship
- Digital transformations: data analytics, smart cities and AI
- The future of the European project
Submission Details:
Please submit your abstract (up to 250 words and text only) through the RSA conference portal by 20th August 2024 the latest. Abstracts will be considered and reviewed by the Conference Committee against the criteria of originality, interest, subject balance and geographical spread.
Closed Special Session Submissions:
As part of the RSA Winter Conference, we welcome proposals for closed Special Sessions. Special Sessions are a great way to bring together presenters to discuss and highlight a particular topic and to develop or further extend your network. For a Closed Session – the session organiser proposes the complete session including all speakers, the session slots are two hours and require a minimum of five papers to go ahead. Other delegates may not submit their abstracts for this session. Please note that all speakers need to register to be able to present.
For more information and to submit your closed special session, please see and complete the Call-for-Closed-Special-Sessions-Winter-2024
Please submit proposals via the above form to nicola.pilling@regionalstudies.org by 20th August 2024
Conference Fees and Registration
Registration will open mid September. If you are not currently an RSA member your conference fee will include one year membership. For more information about membership, please click here.
| RSA Members | |
| Individual | £332 |
| Early Career | £255 |
| Retired/Emeritus | £255 |
| Student | £204 |
| Non-members | |
| Individual | £423 |
| Early Career | £321 |
| Retired/Emeritus | £321 |
| Student | £250 |
RSA Conference Manager:
Nicola Pilling, nicola.pilling@regionalstudies.org +44 (0) 1273 698017