The annual Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society conference will take place on 16-17 July 2026, at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, UK.
The 2026 Conference of the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society will address two key themes that are current issues of academic debate and policy relevance. The first is “Urban Agglomeration: Who Gains and Who Loses from Density-Driven Development?” It has become a conventional wisdom that the larger and more dense a city, the higher its productivity and prosperity. This conference theme aims to interrogate this claim, and the attendant policy calls for increasing the ‘densification’ of cities in order to raise their economic performance. The second theme will examine “Revisiting the Economic Geographies of the Defence Industry”. At a time when rapid technological change and heightened geopolitical conflicts are transforming the defence industry, what are the implications of the changing ‘military industrial complex’ for uneven regional development? This conference theme will address this crucial question. Both themes will also form the basis of two special issues of the journal.
Link to the conference website
Conference Keynote Speakers:
Emeritus Professor J Paul Dunne,
Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Cape Town and University of the West of England
“The restructuring of the international arms industry”
“The Power and Politics of Agglomerationism: what should we learn from Manchester’s pursuit of the agglomeration model in pursuit of political devolution, economic growth and densification?”
DOWNLOAD THE LATEST CONFERENCE PROGRAMME (last updated 30 April)
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION, COST AND BOOKING
All attendees to the conference have to register beforehand to attend. To register please see ticket bookings below.
CALL FOR PAPERS
The call for papers is now closed, if you wish to see the call for papers the full details are HERE.
REFUND POLICY AND PRIVACY POLICY
Please note in the event that you need to cancel your registration a full refund can be arranged up to 50 days after the original transaction booking date, providing it is before 1 July 2026. All Paypal transactions are subject to Paypal transactions charges, these and any additional administration fees will be deducted from the refund. All Paypal transactions are subject to Paypal’s Privacy Policy.
CONFERENCE VENUE
The conference will take place in the McGrath Conference Centre, at St Catharine’s College, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RL. There was no parking onsite, see the Parking in Cambridge webpage and the Finding the College webpage for further directions to the College.
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation for the conference needs to be booked directly by the delegate. There is some accommodation available at St Catharine’s College but it is limited and allocated on a first come basis.
Alternatively, there are a number of other options nearby, including those listed below:
- Other University College rooms (www.universityrooms.com/en/city/cambridge/home)
- The Graduate Hotel (https://www.graduatehotels.com/cambridge/ )
- The Hobson (https://thehobsoncambridge.com)
- Hotel du Vin (hotelduvin.com/Cambridge )
- Hilton Cambridge City Centre (www.hilton.co.uk)
- Premier Inn City Centre (www.premierinn.com)
- Travelodge (www.travelodge.co.uk)
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE:
Professor Mia Gray, University of Cambridge, UK
Professor Robert Hassink, Kiel University, Germany
Assistant Professor Michael Kitson, University of Cambridge, U.K
Professor Ron Martin, University of Cambridge, U.K
Professor Peter Tyler, University of Cambridge, U.K
Dr James Wood, University of Cambridge, U.K
Any conference enquiries can be sent to events@cpes.org.uk