Date and time
Important Dates and information
- Please note the welcome reception and conference dinner are now fully booked
- Early bird registration extended deadline 13th March 2024
The Regional Studies Association’s Annual Conference 2024 #RSA24 is being held in partnership with the Department of Economics and Business Sciences and Department of Architecture, University of Florence, Italy. 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 Florence.
The conference will feature presentations, high-profile plenary speakers, a number of specially convened sessions, workshops, professional development and networking sessions, walking tours and field trips. The social programme will include a reception, side events, exhibitor stalls and post-conference tours to explore Florence.
Conference Format & App
#RSA24 is an in-person conference only.
We have been updating the conference programme and this can be accessed online on our events app RSA Hub. Please download the free RSA Hub (Events App) for IOS or Android from your phone’s App Store. You can also access session information through the desktop version of the App.
You will need the app to view the programme, abstracts, speakers, to message other delegates, to create your profile and personal conference schedule, to receive email reminders about your selected sessions, to swap business cards and more. There will be no detailed printed programme.
See our “How to” video guides for information on downloading RSA Hub App and using it in preparation for the conference. Please contact us if you need assistance.
Conference Fees
We offer different rates for members and non-members and have tiered members’ conference fees depending on your country’s band. If you are not an RSA member, then now is a good time to join the community to benefit from a discounted conference fee in addition to accessing journals, policy impact books, professional development resources, funding opportunities, discounts and more.
Signing up as an RSA member will offer you a discounted conference rate, so registering as a member and then then registering for the conference is likely to be cheaper than paying the non-members rate. For more details on membership categories, bands, benefits and rates, please see the relevant career-stage category at www.regionalstudies.org/about/memberships or get in touch with Alex Holmes at alex.holmes@regionalstudies.org.
To sign up for membership and receive your reduced conference fee please use the following steps:
- Login to your profile or if you haven’t used our portal previously sign up as a new user
- Select your membership category and pay the membership fee
- Wait for around 30 minutes
- you can now signup for the conference and the system will automatically calculate the correct reduced fee.
Normal Rates (from 14 March 2024)
Professional Development and Networking Sessions
Although many researchers opt for further careers in higher education, there are plenty of other options for pursuing regional research outside academia. In this session, we bring together representatives of organisations that operate beyond academia and offer employment opportunities to regional researchers and scientists. You will learn more about these organisations and gain insights into career opportunities. This will be an interactive session with time for questions and 1-1 discussions. Everybody welcome!
- Speakers:
Carlo Menon, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, Italy
Davide Maffei, EURAC research, Italy
Lewis Dijkstra, Joint Research Center, European Commission, Spain
Vanda Almeida, OECD, France
Come along to hear about key journals in the field of regional studies and regional science and requirements to publish in these journals. Editors will introduce their journal, its scope, factors to consider when choosing a journal and give advice on how to write papers for successful publication. There will be time for questions and an opportunity to discuss your paper with editors of each journal. Everybody welcome!
Journals presented in this session include:
Regional Studies is a leading international journal covering the development of theories and concepts, empirical analysis and policy debate in the field of regional studies. The journal publishes original research spanning the economic, social, political and environmental dimensions of urban and regional (subnational) change. The distinctive purpose of Regional Studies is to connect insights across intellectual disciplines in a systematic and grounded way to understand how and why regions and cities evolve. It publishes research that distils how economic and political processes and outcomes are contingent upon regional and local circumstances. The journal is a pluralist forum, which showcases diverse perspectives and analytical techniques. More details on the journal at www.tandfonline.com/toc/cres20/current. X @RegionalStudies
Territory, Politics, Governance is an interdisciplinary journal from the Regional Studies Association. It is committed to the development of theory and research in territorial politics and the governance of space. This journal creates a platform on which to explore the interface between territory, politics, economy, identity and the organisation of political space. It confronts topical and emergent issues of world economic and political concern. The journal publishes original, high quality international scholarship from this growing, international and increasingly vibrant field directed at a worldwide academic audience and at policy makers, activists and other communities of practice. More details on the journal at https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rtep20/current. X @RSA_TPG
Spatial Economic Analysis is a pioneering economics journal dedicated to the development of theory and methods in spatial economics. A spatial perspective is more relevant than ever to our understanding of economic and geographical phenomena, both globally and at the scale of neighbourhoods, cities and regions. Differences in economic performance at these scales are topical subjects for intellectual enquiry and have long been the focus of policy initiatives by national, regional and local governments. The journal is published by the Regional Studies Association and the British and Irish Section of the Regional Science Association International. More details on the journal at www.tandfonline.com/toc/rsea20/current. X @spatialeconomic
Regional Studies, Regional Science (open access journal) is an interdisciplinary open access journal from the Regional Studies Association, first published in 2014. We particularly welcome submissions from authors working on regional issues in geography, economics, planning, and political science. The journal features a streamlined peer-review process and quick turnaround times from submission to acceptance. Authors will normally receive a decision on their manuscript within 60 days of submission. The journal also offers a mentored paper route for early career academics, for which public calls are regularly made. More details on the journal at www.tandfonline.com/toc/rsrs20/current. X @RSRS_OA
Area Development and Policy (ADP) publishes original academic research examining the economic, political, cultural and geographical contexts which play a fundamental role in shaping and developing regions, cities, rural areas and the relationships between them. ADP concentrates on issues relating to the Greater BRICS and welcomes submissions emerging from these countries as well from the developed world. ADP places an emphasis on research which examines the role of diverse institutional configurations and values at both national and regional levels within the Greater BRICS and believes that theories should derive from the experiences of these countries and regions and not necessarily from the (possibly exceptional) experiences of Northwest Europe and North America. More details on the journal at www.tandfonline.com/toc/rard20/current. X @RSA_ADP WeChat RSACHandADP
Finance and Space is a new journal that will be published by the Regional Studies Association and the Global Network on Financial Geography (FinGeo). Finance and Space will publish contributions to theory, methodology, empirical studies, as well as research relevant to strategy and policymaking. It will promote a global coverage and diversity of research both in terms of authors and the subject matter. While dedicated to a geographical imagination, the journal is founded on the belief that advancing our understanding of the changing finance-space nexus requires an interdisciplinary approach and heterodox thinking. This includes, but is not limited to, political economy and political science, economics and regional science, sociology, anthropology, housing studies, environmental studies, financial history, development studies, and urban and regional planning, in addition to geography, regional studies, and urban studies. More details on the journal at Finance and Space | Taylor & Francis Online (tandfonline.com). X @financeandspace
Editors attending:
- Jennifer Clark, Professor, The Ohio State University – Editor in Chief Regional Studies
- Ugo Fratesi, Politecnico di Milano, Italy – Editor in Chief Spatial Economic Analysis
- Carlo Inverardi-Ferri, Lecturer in Economic Georgraphy, Queen Mary University of London and National Research Council of Italy – Editor Territory, Politics, Governance
- Miguel Atienza, Universidad Catolica del Norte, Chile – Editor Area Development and Policy
- Chandrima Mukhopadhyay, P4CA – Editor Regional Studies, Regional Science
- David Bassens, Associate Professor, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium – Editor Finance and Space
This session is being run by Jenny Kanellopoulou and Brady Reid – Join us a for a speed networking session at this year’s conference.
Meet fellow attendees and presenters, and practice your interview, networking, and presentation skills, all within 5′. Can you beat the buzzer and potentially meet the academic partner you’ve been dreaming of?
This speed networking session is open to all.”
Following the popularity and success of the inaugural RSA PowerPoint Karaoke at the #RSA23 conference in Ljubljana, we will be organising the second edition in Florence. This is a session not to be missed!
PowerPoint Karaoke also known as battle decks is an improvisational activity in which a participant delivers a short Power Point presentation (5 minutes) based on a set of slides they have never seen before. It’s all about spontaneity, improvisation and having fun. Singing is not a requirement.
We have limited spaces available for presenters. Please contact Daniela at daniela.carl@regionalstudies.org to secure your slot.
If you like to join as audience, please come along to listen to improvised presentations on a variety of topics. Following the presentations there will be time for informal networking.
Moderators
Michael Kull and Mikko Weckwroth, LUKE, Finland
Confirmed Presenters
- Tom Hashimoto, Vilnius University, Lithuania and Lublin University of Technology, Poland
- Steve Millington, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
- Stefania Fiorentino, Cambridge University, UK
- Max Roessler, University of Greifswald, Germany
Technical Tours and Post-conference Tours
The tour will provide some illustrations and discussion on the industrial district of Prato, its evolution, and the role of PIN. PIN is an innovative hub in Prato that connects Research and innovative business services, Higher education and vocational training as well as a University. More on PIN can be found at www.pin.unifi.it/en.After visiting the industrial district, we will walk to the historic center of the city of Prato and explore the sights of the old industrial heritage and recent urban regeneration. More details on Prato can be found at www.cittadiprato.it/en. We will travel to Prato by railway and costs are around €6 for a return ticket. Participants will need to purchase the ticket.
Recommended reading in preparation for the tour: Bellandi, M. & Storai, D. (2022). Structural change and agency in territorial development: the case of mature industrial districts, Regional Studies, https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2022.2107190
This walking tour will visit the Santa Maria del Fiore complex, the former Via Larga to reach Palazzo Medici and the family’s ‘palatine’ church: San Lorenzo. Then we move on to Santa Maria Novella, and along Via della Vigna Nuova we arrive at Palazzo Rucellai. We end the tour in the political centre of the city – Piazza della Signoria – with its distinguished public and private monuments: Palazzo Vecchio, the Loggia dei Lanzi and the Uffizi Galleries.
We start from the most important public building erected in the first half of the 20th century: the Santa Maria Novella train station, looking also at the nearby Palazzina Reale. We will then talk about two of the most important contemporary interventions in the city: the museum projects of the Spedale degli Innocenti (Ipostudio) and the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (Natalini Architetti, with Guicciardini & Magni). We end the tour talking about the Teatro Puccini and the Manifattura Tabacchi.
This tour will be held in “Le Piagge”, a deprived neighborhood of social housing in the suburbs of Florence (that we will join by bus). We will visit “Germinale”, a multifunctional space self-constructed by the local community of Le Piagge in cooperation with the Department of Architecture of UNIFI. Germinale hosts workshops, artistic performances, lectures etc., and is a relevant example of spatial and social regeneration.
Private I Bike Florence – https://townsofitaly.com/en/florence-tuscany/private-florence-bike-tour-gelato-stop-included
Friday 14th June 2024: 15.00
Saturday 15th June 2024: 10.00
Duration: 2.5 hours – €78
Inclusions: Bicycle use Guided bike tour of Florence English speaking Licensed guide Gelato (Italian ice cream) Helmets Earphones for groups over 5 pax Water Bottle
To book the tour email: tours@townsofitaly.com with the reference #florencejune2024
Private Florentine Gondola Tour https://townsofitaly.com/en/florence-tuscany/private-florence-boat-tour-arno
Friday 14th June 2024: 17.00 and 20.00
Duration: 1 hours – €82
Inclusions: Mini Cruise on the Arno River aboard a Florentine Gondola (approx. 50 min) Cool Wine “aperitivo” (soft drink for children) English speaking fully licensed History guide
To book the tour email: tours@townsofitaly.com with the reference #florencejune2024
Academic Organisers
Marco Bellandi, Department of Economics and Business Sciences, University of Florence, Italy
Valeria Lingua, Department of Architecture, University of Florence, Italy
RSA Event Organiser
Lesa Reynolds: lesa.reynolds@regionalstudies.org