Looking forward to the 4S conference in Toronto

At the 50th Anniversary for the Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S), Toronto, October 7-10, 2026, Scott Frickel (Brown University), Silke Beck (Technical University of Munich) and David Demortain (University of Paris - Gustave Eiffel) have put together an exciting panel entitled, “Computational Science and Technology Studies?”

The panel seeks to explore questions/dilemmas associated with the emergence of computational methods–broadly, the harnessing of computer techniques, tools and pipelines to interactively extract and analyze digital datasets – that represent an increasingly transformative technoscientific force in society, one that portends major shifts in the organization and distribution of technoscientific power. To date, STS seems unsure what to do about it. Where some see algorithms and “big data” as ontological threats that reduce complex social worlds to ones and zeros, others see epistemic opportunity in mysterious cultures and research objects to investigate. Where some have questioned computational methods as an imperialist (and racist) project, others champion specific approaches or techniques. Still others signal a cautious curiosity about whether computational methods might hold a legitimate place within STS, a way to broaden the field’s predominantly analog analytic toolkit by reflexively and systematically analyzing the voluminous textual worlds of technoscience refracted through regulatory reports, transcriptions of parliamentary debates, expert testimony, social media, and more. We propose a traditional open panel to provide a forum for discussing and debating the challenges and potential advantages of computational methods as these technologies relate to the study of science, technology, innovation, and society. As artificial intelligence and related technologies rapidly reshape societal norms, values, and institutions, how is STS responding? How should it respond? What would the reflexive integration of computational approaches into more standardized STS theory-methods packages look like? Conversely, how might STS inform critical thinking in the broader society and shape public policy to minimize threats these technologies may pose?

Exploring similar dilemmas raised as a research proposal pitch, at this panel Uni Luxembourg researchers Carr (DGE=) along with State/Wang/Yue (SnT) will take the side of 'cautious curiosity' as it lays at the heart of how social scientists and computer scientists can work/research together and boost one another's work towards solving real-world, urgent, problems.  In this case, we explore gaming as a means of modeling. The title and abstract are as follows.

Digital twinning and learning about AI infrastructural development: What can Minecraft tell us about data centers? 

Abstract

Data centers are a real-world problem springing up in/around cities, demanding resources, and posing as both threats and answers to digital security. Meanwhile, scholars are exposing related societal risks for land use, electrical grids, waterways, property values, and local politics (Carr/Madron 2025). To deliver a critical reflection on these issues, we experiment with digital twins generated in Minecraft. The urban twin is constructed using spatial data obtained from Google Earth Engine and related open geographic data sources, enabling the reconstruction of a prototype small Luxembourgish municipality, along with its infrastructure networks, buildings and land use. At the same time, LLM-driven agents representing urban residents are unleashed inside the digital twin, which then simulate interactions with the changing environment and with each other. Cautiously, we contend that the simulation has several applications and implications for the literature: 1) following scholars of urban gaming, it can act as an educational tool towards digital literacy and urban development; 2) following scholars of digital twinning (van der Laag et al. 2026), renderings help unpack the sociopolitical implications of data centre development, including cross-jurisdictional asymmetries; 3) LLMs and Minecraft can offer a new generation of modeling, contributing to debates about new modes in mapping (Kitchin/Dawkins 2024).

References

Carr/Madron 2025. Post-political clouds: Suspended failure in Google’s data centre development. Urban Stud, 62(13), 2600-2616.

Kitchin/Dawkins 2025. Digital twins and deep maps. Trans. Inst. Br. Geogr. 50e12699. 

Van der Laag et al. 2026. Digital twins for cities–The rise of the socio-technical system. Environ Plan B: Urban

Kicking off DGEO's Research Domains

In September 2026 DGEO will inaugurate the new transversal Research Domains, that aim to make research at DGEOs more visible and encourage collaboration across teams. Researchers are welcome to contribute to more than one domain.

The domain of Migration and Borders will bring together expertise from migration, morder, and development studies to explore how mobility and borders shape societies, focussing particularly on young (vulnerable) migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, as well as people who move for work, education, or family reasons. The domain of Communities and Neighbourhoods research domain examines the interaction between cultural, social, environmental, and economic dynamics within places. We explore how spatial scale, identity, and belonging shape everyday experiences of place, while also considering how processes of inclusion, exclusion, and integration influence participation in societal change.

Carr and Florian Hertweck will coordinate the domain of Land and Housing that addresses some of the most visible urban challenges of today: cities sprawling, growing and extending, into surrounding natural areas at the cost of wildlife and accessibility; buildings, infrastructure and transport consuming large amounts of energy; global investment flows increasingly deciding what gets built; and soaring rents and growing inequality all expose the urgency of prioritizing how land and cities can be sustainably organized.

In this research area, geographers, spatial and urban planners, and architects use quantitative and qualitative approaches to explore how our urban territories are "inhabited" in the broadest sense. Cities are complex systems, made by the daily decisions of residents, public authorities, developers, or businesses. Understanding how these choices add up into patterns of urban growth, socio-spatial segregation, or unequal access to opportunities, to each other, and to a healthy environment is central to our work.

Beyond the question of the current state of the production of space—that is how cities and neighbourhoods are physically and socially shaped over time—we also investigate which political processes and design strategies are needed to successfully approach climate change and the socio-ecological transition. This means asking how urban regions can be transformed in ways that reduce both social inequalities and environmental impacts, and how cities can evolve and work better for people and for the planet.

Applied and fundamental research spans questions of land ownership, housing, resource sufficiency, climate resilience, spatial justice, digital urbanization, and the repair society. Ultimately, our research concerns the work of planners, policymakers, and citizens and social groups alike. It seeks to give everyone tools to understand how cities change and engage with the sociopolitical and environmental challenges facing our cities.

What are the many dilemmas around the spatial planning of data centers?

What are the many dilemmas around the spatial planning of data centers? The Working Group (AK) for data centers at the Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association (ARL) brings researchers from around Germany, Austria and Luxembourg (me) together with planners from Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna, and Nierstein to discuss issues around provision of infrastructure and resources, health, property values, multiscalar economic development. Important work in the interests of balancing knowledge asymmetries, and inclusive political and socioeconomic development.  Data centers are in the media almost everyday now with serious and justified concerns but both pro and contra debates in the media are often rather simplistic analyses. This is a great group, and there is a lot to discuss and organize.  Publications coming soon!

News from the International Network of Urban Research and Action

Carr was nominated and elected to replace Prof. Christian Schmid as president of the International Network of Urban Research and Action (INURA). 

INURA is also super happy to announce that the 35th Annual Conference will take place in London next year, organized by Jason Katz and Jennifer Robinson (of Uni College London) and Teresa Hoskyns (of the Cross-cultural Research in Architecture Collective). Thematically the exciting program will explore ‘staying with the troubles’ of  transnational, translocal and transgenerational activism and planning in and across the metropole. As a hub of multiple scales of power and activism, the conference will expose participants to, and generate conversation around, the visceral everyday contradictions of London: Topics include redevelopment politics of the London Plan, King’s Cross from below, and the Just Space Collective, Spectacle Productions and the legacy of Mark Saunders, the urban social activism from William Morris to Louanne Tranchell, and many more.   Tentative dates to save:  June 21-27, 2027.

Those who made (or make) progress in geography III

Jean-Bernard Racine (1940-2026)

Dear colleagues, dear friends

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our colleague and dear friend, Jean-Bernard Racine, on March 23rd, 2026. He was emeritus Professor at the Institute of Geography at the University of Lausanne, and above all one of the greatest French-speaking geographers, whose thinking and work have had a profound impact on the field of geography. Born on 29 April 1940 in Neuchâtel (Switzerland), Jean-Bernard Racine had a profound influence on the history of geography through his pioneering spirit and his unwavering commitment to understanding cities and societies. After studying geography at the University of Aix-en-Provence (1965), he spent time in Canada, teaching first at the University of Sherbrooke (1965–1969) and then at the University of Ottawa (1969–1973).

Together with Hugh French, he organised a landmark conference whose title clearly reflects his commitment to an inclusive epistemology (‘Quantitative and Qualitative: The Need for Dialogue’), held in 1971 at the University of Ottawa. Having been introduced to multivariate analysis by Brian Berry, he defended a doctoral thesis in Nice in 1973 entitled “A North American Type of Metropolitan Expansion: The Greater Montreal Urban Belt – An Experimental Factorial Geography of a Suburban Phenomenon”. Called back to Switzerland to join the University of Lausanne, he became a leading figure at the Institute of Geography and served as Vice-Dean (1980–1982) and Dean (1982–1984) of the Faculty of Arts.

He played a pivotal role in introducing and adapting quantitative geography to French-speaking Europe. As early as 1973, he published “Quantitative Analysis in Geography” with Henri Reymond, a pioneering and seminal work for the understanding and analysis of socio-spatial systems. In 1981, he published, with Hildebert Isnard and Henri Reymond, “Problématiques de la géographie”, an important book for the epistemology of scientific and pluralistic geography. He played a very active role in several discussion groups focusing on theoretical issues in geography and the social sciences, for example with the French speaking Regional Science Association, the journal “L’Espace géographique”, the Dupont Group and the Géopoint symposia (organising the 1983 event in Lausanne with Claude Raffestin), and publishing, with Paul Villeneuve in 1992, the volume devoted to Canada in the “Géographie Universelle” edited by Roger Brunet.

More recently, the interdisciplinary group “Raison et rationalités” coordinated by Giovanni Busino in association with the Revue européenne des sciences sociales. On the international stage, Jean-Bernard Racine played a leading role within the Commission on Urban Geography of the International Geographical Union, “Urban Development and Urban Life”, serving as its vice-president from 1992 to 1996. These years were marked by numerous trips and academic exchanges on politically sensitive topics, in Vaasa in 1993 (with Mauri Palomäki), Berlin in 1994 (with Gerhard Braun), South Africa in 1995 (with Ron Davies), Sinaia in 1996 (with Ian Ianos), and Nanjing in 1998 (with Shen Dao Qi)…

His excellent international scientific reputation earned him the Vautrin Lud Prize in 1997 and an honorary doctorate from the University of Iași (Romania) in 1998. Through his involvement in local initiatives with Swiss cantonal officials and the city of Lausanne, as well as his extensive connections within the worlds of architecture and art, Jean-Bernard Racine was a humanist intellectual, curious about all trends, passionate about anything that might help us understand the world, and always mindful of ethics and justice. We shall not dwell on his geographical work, except to say that he embraced it all with enthusiasm – from quantitative geography to phenomenology, from the geography of religion to critical geography, from the geography of well-being to the geography of emotions – whilst constantly striving for the right expression and ethical action. The work that perhaps best represents his aspirations, ‘La ville entre Dieu et les hommes’ (1993), explores the profound meaning of the urban, situated between spiritualities of all origins and social organisations.

We shall greatly miss his immense generosity, his enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and ideas, his “passion for the practice of geography”, his zest for life, his warm welcome, and the way he brought intellect and emotion together.

Denise Pumain and Céline Rozenblat

'Democracy dies in darkness' - Urgent help needed

Urgent help needed for people in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine!

'Democracy dies in darkness'-- this quote is used as an official slogan by the Washington Post in its print and online version. The quote was originally said to have been expressed by Bob Woodward, the journalist who uncovered the Watergate affair in 1972 together with his fellow reporter Carl Bernstein. This led to the resignation of then U.S. President Richard Nixon, whose administration was found responsible for initiating a burglary at the Democratic Party's headquarters.

The photo (courtesy EPA) was published in Oct 2025 in the South China Morning Post and shows a rescue team at work in Kyiv after a Russian missile strike.

Millions of people in Ukraine are currently experiencing daily missile and drone strikes as part of Russia's war. Ukrainians are fighting for survival, independence and ... yes: democracy. As if this were not tragic enough, they are also suffering from freezing conditions and darkness as a result of deliberate attacks on the energy grid and power stations. This is particularly the case in the capital city of Kyiv. While they are now experiencing the coldest winter since the war began in February 2022.

As of today, February 2, 2026, "There are currently 244 buildings without heating in the capital [...At one point] 3,419 high-rise buildings were without heating. While, the vast majority of them have been reconnected to the heat supply, utility workers and energy specialists continue to work and restore heating in Kyiv residents' homes," Vitali Klitschko.

Urgent help is needed.

Several organisations across Europe are collecting donations to provide power generators, heating systems and many other essential items to help keep people safe. Some of these organisations specialise in the rapid delivery of these devices, so please don't hesitate to donate.

LUKRAINE is active in Luxembourg and speaks to the Ukrainian community in the Grand Duchy and beyond. Donations can be made HERE.

MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERE has a Luxembourg chapter that provides medical and development aid in many parts of the world, among them also Ukraine. More information can be found HERE.

WE AID understands itself as a non-profit-as-a-service organisation and, among other initiatives, runs a programme called Ukraine2Power. It specifically aims at organising fast-track help with all devices that can bring warmth to people. More information can be found HERE.

The DEUTSCH-UKRAINISCHE GESELLSCHAFT was recently founded in Germany, pursuing a commitment not only to providing help, but also to fostering scientific and political collaboration — activities that will be needed when the country is rebuilt. Technical assistance is one of the purposes for which donations can be made via their website HERE.

Reference:
Без тепла у Києві залишаються 244 будинки. Kyiv. Info. https://kyiv.info/article/bez-tepla-u-kyyevi-zalyshayutsya-244-budynky

The BeNeLux Geography Conference in Leuven 8-10 April is approaching fast - register and sign up for activities!

The BeNeLux Geography Conference in Leuven 8-10 April is approaching fast, and we are excited to share that the preliminary program for the conference is now online! With over 400 abstract submissions across 90+ sessions, the program offers a broad and inspiring overview of current geographical research and practice in the region and beyond. You can already explore the preliminary schedule here. Please note that minor changes may still happen.

More than sessions

In addition to the main sessions, the conference includes,

• Three keynotes by Erik Swyngedouw, Meredith Glaser, and Bart Crease
• Early career workshops
• Excursions in and around Leuven
• A geography pub quiz on Wednesday evening
• Plenty of opportunities to meet colleagues from across the BeNeLux and beyond during coffee breaks, lunches and reception.

Conference Registration is open until 26 February, and some activities have limited capacity, so we encourage you to register soon if you plan to attend.

More information about, and a sign-up form for, the extra activities can be found here. Please note that all of the activities have a maximum capacity so register quickly as it’s first-come-first-served. Deadline to fill in the form: February 13, 2026!

Education Track – Thursday 9 April

There are quite a few sessions that are directly or indirectly relevant to high school geography teachers. To make attending the conference as accessible as possible for teachers we’ve created a dedicated Education Track on Thursday 9 April that bundles many of the sessions most likely to be of interest to teachers in this single day. In part thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Flemish Science Foundation and the Dutch 'Koninklijk Nederlands Aardrijkskundig Genootschap’, we are able to offer a limited number of reduced-fee registrations of €40 for high school geography teachers who wish to attend the Education Track on that day (see https://www.benelux-geo.eu/registration.html for details).

We hope to welcome you in Leuven this April! The BeNeLux Geography Organizing Committee

European Regional Policy in Times of Transition--ARL International Congress 2026

The Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz-Association (ARL) accepts proposals for paper contributions to its 2026 International Congress, which will take place on 1st and 2nd October 2026 in Cologne, Germany.

The main topic of the Congress is “European Regional Policy in Times of Transition”. European regions are facing overlapping crises, ranging from economic and demo-graphic shifts to environmental and geopolitical challenges. There is a constantly changing patchwork of spatial structures, including structurally weak peripheries, growing and shrinking urban regions, and dynamic rural areas. “Left-behind” places pose major challenges, as does implementation of the Green Deal and the digital transition. With EU budget negotiations and the post-2027 future of the Cohesion Policy at stake, key questions arise about how to ensure territorial cohesion and spatial justice, particularly given the uneven impacts of sectoral policies.

Photo: Lea Molina Caminera/ARL, 2nd place in the 2020-photo contest "Just Spaces"

The conference aims to create a platform for critical reflection and forward-looking discussion: How can regional and cohesion policy be made effective, just, and sustainable in times of multiple transitions? We welcome contributions that address key problem areas of regional development and policy from different analytical and conceptual perspectives at various spatial scales. Interdisciplinary perspectives are most welcome. Contributions from geography, regional and spatial planning, economics, political science, environmental and sustainability studies, or related fields are encouraged.

We are particularly interested in abstracts that engage with the following topics:

1. The future of EU Cohesion and Regional Policy

Firstly, we invite contributions that critically examine the future of various policy con-cepts and strategies − such as the EU Cohesion Policy and Regional Policy – intended to support regional growth and innovation, and compare them with place-based approaches to regional development. One focal point of the discussion will be the current debates of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027. Moreover, we particularly welcome analyses that address debates around the notion of a “Europe of the Regions” and the potential re-nationalisation of regional policy within the evolving European governance framework. This includes analyses of the European Green Deal and related strategies for regional transformation. We also welcome analytical perspectives on cross-border, transnational, and interregional cooperation aimed at addressing shared challenges and enhancing resilience, connectivity, and territorial cohesion.

2. Regional Disparities and Policy under Conditions of Transition

Secondly, the Congress provides a forum for discussing issues related to regional development and policy under conditions of transition − for example, the challenges faced by “left-behind” regions, growing spatial disparities, associated path dependencies, and “lock-in” effects, as well as the normative tensions between equity and growth. We particularly encourage critical reflections on socio-economic, environ-mental, and geopolitical resilience within the context of regional and industrial policy. Furthermore, we seek contributions that critically engage with the interrelations between democracy, populism, and governance at the regional level.

3. Long-Term Perspectives on Regional Policy and Regional Transformation

Thirdly, we welcome contributions that address fundamental or long-term issues of regional development, including structural transformation and evolving notions of “development”, digitalisation, urban–rural relations, and political polarisation, as well as questions of territorial justice, sustainability transitions, and multi-level governance frameworks. We consider different territorial scales and especially encourage submissions that explore the interactions and tensions between different policy domains, for instance, how cohesion and innovation policies can be aligned with sustainability objectives.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Alongside invited panellists (tba), the programme will feature two confirmed keynote speakers:

Professor Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, London School of Economics and Political Science

Rachel Lancry Beaumont, European Committee of the Regions, Head of Department for the COTER Commission

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND TIMELINE 

 If you are interested, please submit your abstract by 15 February 2026 to <congress@arl-net.de>. 

For this purpose, please send us a short summary of your planned contribution on European regional policy (max. 2,500 characters without spaces), with clear reference to at least one of the focal areas presented above. Your abstract should include the central research question, your arguments and conclusions, and a meaningful title. Please also provide your name, academic title (if applicable), and your institution. The congress language is English; however, selected sessions will allow presentations in German. Please indicate your preferred presentation language: English, German, or either. After a review of the submitted contributions, a selection will be made.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Britta Bockhorn ARL – Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association Head of International Affairs 

<britta.bockhorn@arl-net.de>

Those Who Made or Make Progress in Geography II

Professor Peter Haggett (1933-2025) 

Peter Haggett was one of the important figures in the Anglophone research and teaching community of geographers in the second half of the 20th century, particularly in the field of location study, regional geography and methodology. Born in 1933, he studied geography as an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, where he later also obtained his PhD. Following posts at University College London (UCL) (1955–57) and at Cambridge, he was offered a chair in urban and regional geography at the University of Bristol in 1966. He remained affiliated with Bristol until his retirement in 1995. Haggett was a visiting professor at many universities in the U.S., Australia, and Asia. He was awarded six honorary doctoral degrees and numerous awards and gold medals, including from the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and the American Association of Geographers (AAG). At the age of 92, he passed away on 9 February 2025. 

Above all, Peter Haggett spearheaded the transformation of geography from a descriptive ‘art’ to a spatial science. This was in line with methodological advancements within the discipline, thanks to the development of computers during the period known as the ‘quantitative revolution’. His research areas included geography as a modern science, regional geography, locational analysis, and quantitative methods. Well versed in both human and physical geography, his work on the spatio-temporal diffusion of diseases was emblematic within the discipline for decades (with very few exceptions) until the topic became common knowledge during the 2020–21 global COVID-19 pandemic. In hindsight, he was aptly described as a ‘model geographer’ due to his passion for modelling and abstraction, as well as being considered a template teacher and researcher. 

    “From a distance of more than 50 years, it is hard to appreciate quite how disruptive – to use a modern term – the spatial science that Peter helped diffuse across the discipline was to contemporaneous practices of regional geography. With mathematically imbued formalisations of spatial thinking, Peter and his peers searched for ‘rules’ (or regularities) in spatial organisation and behaviour, established precepts (or guiding concepts) for their analysis (for example, scale, flows, networks, hierarchies, surfaces), and believed in the existence (or possibility) of a systematic and spatially organised approach to geographic study. This ‘new geography’, which Peter pioneered, represented a clear shift in how to study geography and, by extension, to be a geographer.”  (R. Harris et al., 13 March 2025, University of Bristol’s website)

In terms of geography education, Peter Haggett’s introductory exercise on ‘The Beach’ was well known to many beginners of the subject. By approaching a beach from a spatial analysis perspective and applying the most fundamental geometric classification techniques, Chapter 1 of his widely read book Geography: A Modern Synthesis made students aware of geographical thought and also taught them how to study location. The textbook was published in various editions, with the final one paying tribute to globalisation by slightly adjusting the title to ‘A Global Synthesis’. In more varied formats, The Beach was also covered in Holt-Jensen’s 2004 textbook 'Geography: History and Concepts', as well as in Pauline Couper’s ‘A Student’s Introduction to Geographical Thought’ (2015).

            From Peter Haggett (1972): Gography--A Modern Synthesis, 3rd Edition 

In their attempt to establish geography as a spatial science, Haggett and his contemporaries were labelled ‘space cadets’ due to the causal role they attributed to territory, space and place in social contexts. Haggett’s work is considered an important foundation of the discipline in both human and physical geography, as well as in their integration. Peter Haggett contributed an entry on a subject named ‘geography’ to the 3rd edition of the ‘Dictionary of Human Geography’ (Johnston, Gregory & Smith, 1994). This probably suggests that the community considered him to be the authority on presenting his view of the discipline in the broadest terms. He was also included in the encyclopaedic edited volume ‘Key Thinkers in Geography’ (Hubbard, Kitchin & Valentine, 2004). This text is highly recommended for gaining an understanding of the individual and collective dimensions of contemporary geography and those who helped creating it.

At the UL’s Department of Geography & Spatial Planning, teaching practice made particular use of Haggett’s contribution. His understanding of and approach to geography formed one of the pillars of the Master seminar dealing with ‘Foundations and Trends in Geography’ (now 1st year Master in Geography & Spatial Planning). Reading Haggett’s definition of geography from the 1994 third edition of the Dictionary revealed the prevailing understanding of the discipline at that time. In comparison, the definition written by Derek Gregory, published in the fifth edition fifteen years later, highlights innovation and diversification that have occurred within the discipline more recently. When starting to explore the basics of geographical analysis, a trip to The Beach is also always recommended.

Markus Hesse

Further reading

Harris, R., Hoare, T., Jones, K., Richards, D., & Wylie, J. (2025). Professor Peter Haggett (1933–2025). The Geographical Journal. DOI: 10.1111/geoj.70006.

Szende, N. (2025). Vie de géographe. Peter Haggett. Géoconfluences. Available for download HERE.

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Call for Membership/ARL

Transformation als Herausforderung für politisch-administrative Praxis 

                    Spinelli-Park und Areal, Stadtumbau in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Nov 2025

Mitglieder für einen neuen Arbeitskreis „Transformation als Herausforderung für politisch-administrative Praxis“ der Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (ARL) gesucht.

Im Arbeitskreis werden die institutionellen Gelingens- und Umsetzungsbedingungen von „Transformation“ genauer analysiert. An der Schnittstelle zwischen Wissenschaft und Politik bzw. Wissenschaft und Verwaltung sollen die Strukturen, Praktiken und Steuerungsvoraussetzungen transformativen Wandels, d. h. systembezogener Veränderungen, in den Blick genommen werden.

Wir streben einen guten Mix aus Praxis und Wissenschaft an; insbesondere wünschen wir uns Akteure, die die jeweilige „andere Seite“ aus eigener Anschauung kennen. Auch wären Schnittstellenakteure von Interesse sowie Akteure, die aus der Wissenschaft in die Praxis und umgekehrt gewechselt sind. Der Call richtet sich an Expert:innen aus allen Karrierestufen.

Wenn Sie sich thematisch und fachlich angesprochen fühlen sowie Interesse an einer Mitarbeit haben, dann senden Sie uns bitte bis zum 31. Januar 2026 Ihre schriftliche Bewerbung per E-Mail an <inka.tumforde@arl-net.de>. Alle Details zum Call finden sich auch in dieser Anlage.

Für Fragen sind Bastian Lange, HU Berlin (bastian.lange@hu-berlin.de), Markus Hesse, Universität Luxemburg (markus.hesse@uni.lu) sowie Katharina Kapitza aus der Geschäftsstelle der ARL (katharina.kapitza@arl-net.de) ansprechbar.

Those Who Make, or Made, Progress in Geography I

Claude Raffestin (1936-2025)

On 25 September 2025, Claude Raffestin has passed away. He was one of the most prolific and creative theorists on geography, territory and politics across the francophone realm. Juliet Fall from the University of Geneva's Dept. of Geography has honored her former colleague with this obituary, which we gratefully publish here with her permission.

On a pu écrire que le géographe Claude Raffestin (1936-2025) était un «doxeur», un boxeur de la doxa, pugnace dans ses positions, iconoclaste des disciplines, loin d’un système de pensée figé. Personnalité imposante, parfois austère dans ses interactions, il était également pudique et fidèle dans ses amitiés. Toute sa carrière professorale s'est déroulée à Genève, à l'exception de quelques missions de courte durée ailleurs. Né en 1936, Claude Raffestin a grandi à Paris avant de s’installer à Genève où il a terminé ses études, obtenant sa licence et son doctorat (1968) à l’Université de Genève, ce dernier rédigé alors qu’il enseignait dans le Secondaire. Il a été nommé professeur au Département de géographie de la Faculté des sciences économiques et sociales à l’âge de 33 ans. Il a siégé au sein du Conseil national de la recherche du Fonds national suisse de la recherche scientifique (FNS), un poste hautement stratégique, et a été le premier géographe à occuper cette fonction. Impliqué dans la politique universitaire genevoise, cofondateur du Centre universitaire d’écologie humaine (qu’il a dirigé de 1986 à 1994), il a occupé le poste de Vice-recteur vers la fin de sa carrière. Il était également une personnalité publique considérée dans la ville, en raison notamment de sa lecture de l’aménagement du territoire genevois, de ses enseignements à l’Institut d’architecture de l’Université de Genève et de ses fonctions au sein de la Commission d’urbanisme du canton de Genève de 1982 à 1994. Il a pris sa retraite de l’Université de Genève en 2000.

    À la fin des années 1970, les sciences humaines et sociales étaient en ébullition. Tous ceux qui refusaient la «vieille» géographie étaient regroupés sous le nom de «nouveaux géographes», malgré des divergences importantes entre approches. Cette période a marqué l’entrée de Claude Raffestin dans les débats au sein de la géographie francophone, un an avant sa nomination comme professeur à l’UNIGE. Dès le début, il a pris position contre la géographie classique, formulant une critique claire des canons existants. Il était toutefois réticent à l’idée d’associer des adjectifs à la géographie, à la différence de ce qui se passait dans le contexte international anglophone où l’on se réclamait d’une géographie politique, culturelle ou sociale. Géographe inscrit dans les sciences humaines et sociales, Claude Raffestin introduisit des références théoriques nouvelles dans une discipline en transformation.

    Le rejet par Claude Raffestin des écoles de pensée et son attachement personnel à une pensée en procès pour laquelle un cadre théorique utilisable n’est atteint que par approximations successives, jamais figées, ne facilite pas toujours la lecture de ses travaux. Il est par exemple impossible ou imprudent d’identifier une contribution et de la considérer comme sa théorie définitive de la territorialité — peut-être le concept qui traverse le plus ses travaux — si ce n’est son caractère processuel. Tous ses écrits sur l’intelligibilité géographique de la réalité sont présentés davantage comme des propositions que comme des théories abouties ou définitives. Mosaïque construite lentement, dispositif ou proposition, ses ouvrages sont autant de moments de fixation temporaire de sa pensée qui revisite fréquemment les mêmes thèmes, pour les prolonger ou les contredire. Traduits en italien, espagnol et portugais et largement lus dans ces contextes linguistiques, les ouvrages et articles de Claude Raffestin n’ont été que très peu traduits en anglais, alors que nombre de propositions thématiques et théoriques similaires, mais consécutives aux siennes y ont connu un grand succès, dans une sorte de monde géographique et intellectuel parallèle.

 «C’est fatiguant de marcher sans atteindre effectivement ce que l’on voudrait» 

Extrait tiré d’un entretien réalisé à l’Université de Genève par Juliet Fall, en 2011.

    Parmi ses nombreuses contributions, trois phases plus ou moins distinctes se dégagent dans son œuvre. La première comprend ses premiers écrits morpho-fonctionnels jusqu’au début des années 1970, et en particulier sa thèse de doctorat qu’il a lui-même largement rejetée, la considérant comme aveugle à la question du pouvoir. La deuxième phase, dont la contribution majeure est Pour une géographie du pouvoir (1980), s’appuie sur l’affirmation de Michel Foucault selon laquelle l’espace est fondamental pour toute forme de vie communautaire et tout exercice du pouvoir. Cet ouvrage peut être considéré comme une réponse indirecte aux questions posées par Foucault aux géographes et publiées dans la revueHérodote en 1976. Il y formalise pour la première fois sa théorie du territoire et de la territorialité, en s’appuyant sur La Volonté de savoir de Michel Foucault (1976), une référence tout à fait inhabituelle pour un géographe de l’époque. Son concept de territoire doit également beaucoup à La production de l’espace d’Henri Lefebvre, en spatialisant son approche relationnelle. Cette période s’inspire également fortement de la sémiotique et d’auteurs aussi divers que Luis Prieto, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Umberto Eco, Edward Soja et David Harvey, tout comme Serge Moscovici et Alain Touraine. L’éclectisme de cette liste est inhabituel, tout comme le refus de Claude Raffestin de se limiter à certaines disciplines: il lit de nombreux auteurs, prend leurs propositions au sérieux et emprunte à chacun selon ses besoins. L’accent mis par Claude Raffestin sur le territoire comme lieu de toutes les relations sociales et spatiales, et investi à ce titre de signes qui le singularise pour un temps, et sur la territorialité comme résultat de ces relations. Il s’inspire également des travaux de René Girard, selon lesquels le territoire joue le rôle de médiateur dans les relations entre les personnes. Il y ajoute des considérations sur l’argent et le travail comme opérateurs sociaux et spatiaux fondamentaux. Cette théorisation du territoire et de la territorialité est certainement la contribution de Claude Raffestin la plus connue, même si sa contribution parallèle à une théorisation des frontières comme limites est reconnue et toujours mobilisée. La troisième phase démarre vers la fin des années 1980, dans une adhésion à un projet de phénoménologie du géographique qu’il associe à une écologie humaine. Ses travaux sur les paysages, notamment ceux rédigés et publiés en italien, prolongent cette phase.

    Pour saisir l’homme, sur un mode plus personnel, loin de ses écrits, on pourrait lire le roman policier écrit par son épouse Mercedes Bresso, Il profilo del tartufo (2009). Ce thriller géopolitique qui se déroule en Italie renferme un professeur suisse d’histoire du paysage appelé Claude, qui semble passer une sorte de congé sabbatique dans le Piémont. Ce gentleman charmant, érudit, gentil et sage séduit subtilement la policière italienne et, alors qu’on lui transmet une quantité quelque peu improbable de données confidentielles, finit par aider à résoudre l’enquête. Un portrait fictionnel qui suggère une autre facette que celles du professeur, collègue et auteur.

Juliet Fall avec ses collègues du Département de géographie, Université de Genève

=====

Raffestin's legacy has been widely perceived and discussed across geography in various debates and developments. In 2012, a theme issue in Environment & Planning D: Society and Space was devoted to critically acclaiming his oeuvre. On the occasion of Raffestin's passing, the same journal has devoted a  virtual theme issue including a remembrance by Fall and a link to all 2012-papers made available by open access. MH

The Call for Abstracts for the BeNeLux Geography Conference is now open

The Call for Abstracts for the BeNeLux Geography Conference in Leuven is now open (and closes December 8, 2025).

Over 50 sessions were accepted, the makings of a great international conference! Find the complete list of sessions here:
 

Submit your abstract here:

Carr will be looking for abstract proposals to the session: From Servers to Cityscapes - The corporeal geographies and governance of AI infrastructural development

Session Abstract: Urban geography has long examined the hard infrastructural backbone infrastructures of cyberworlds, unpacking the relationships between urban land use development, governance, and technological innovation. In recent years, data centers have garnered scholarly attention as they proliferate in and around cities posing sociopolitical and environmental risks and challenges. In basic terms, a data center is any building that accommodates IT equipment—servers, racks, electricity/cables, back-up systems, security, cooling. These facilities have grown in size and diversified, and nowadays the industry speaks of hyperscale, exascale, megascale supercomputing centers or hubs. These are high security campuses with unintermittent cooling, on-site energy storage, no fault systems, continuous monitoring, and are increasingly networked with local ecosystems of small business enterprises. Scholars from various fields have pointed out these infrastructures not only put pressure on local governance and planning, but potentially transform the spaces and flows of urbanity (land use regulation, housing, circulation, political economies, equity): Data centers also demand land, electrical grids, and waterways, as well as legal frameworks, specialized labour, local political support and planning.
   Industry leaders assert that growth in the data center sector continues to accelerate dramatically, in response to emerging innovations such as–but not limited to–artificial intelligences (AI), and that they will require significantly greater volumes of resources to operate. Similarly, governments are prioiritizing the building of domestic AI infrastructures–such as the European Commission’s AI Factories or the UK’s AI Growth Zones–to reduce cross-national dependencies. In short, there is no indication of the growth pressure in this sector abating. On the contrary, there is an urgent need to address the urban governance of DCs, including questions of spatial planning, local resource management, distribution of wealth, digital literacy and labour, equity and the trade-offs involved in shaping the kinds of living worlds people want to live in.
   Data centers are not only a new form of urban infrastructure now surfacing on local political agendas, they are also a lens into the material and corporeal underpinnings and consequences of emerging technologies that those same publics demand. In this session, we will address this paradox. Relevant topics include:

• Challenges in local governance and the spatial planning of digital infrastructures
• Policy and regulatory responses (addressing issues such as resource management, noise, land use, corporate pressure)
• Conflicts and local struggles over land use for digital urbanism
• The value chains of extraction that constitute digital infrastructures
• Creative epistemological and methodological approaches to researching the corporeal dimensions of digital urbanism
• Broader questions of how AI expansion reshapes the material, embodied, corporeal spaces and flows of cities

Session Convener: Constance Carr (constance.carr@uni.lu)



If you want to keep up-to-date, you can follow BeNeLux Geography on LinkedIn and sign up for our newsletter about the conference. You can always contact us with questions through beneluxgeo2026 at kuleuven.be.

Special Issue of Urban Studies Journal: Google, a major stakeholder in local governance?

Exciting reading this month from Sage's Urban Studies Journal, featuring a Special Issue, titled, Google, a major stakeholder in local governance?. These include a fabulous set of articles pulled together by Guest Editors, Antoine Courmont & Burcu Baykurt:

• Antoine Courmont & Burcu Baykurt, Editorial: "Google, a major stakeholder in local governance?" 
• Christo Sims "Putting the digital growth machine in place: Shifting growth genres in Silicon Valley’s urban politics" 
• Constance Carr & Karinne Madron "Post-political clouds: Suspended failure in Google’s data centre development" 
• Burcu Baykurt "Google urbanism 2010–2020: From infrastructural control to growing bit by bit" 
• Florian Koch & Sarah Beyer "A gift from heaven: Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer and its tech-down approach to monitor urban sustainability beyond local contexts" 
• Laure Guimbail "Navigating frictions in digital urbanism: Google Maps, public transportation and collaborative data-driven mobility governance" 
• Ignacio Pérez Karich "Waze seating in the control room: Enacting the data bricolage in urban traffic management in Santiago de Chile" 
• Antoine Courmont "Locked in a data imperative? French local businesses faced with Google Maps" 
• Sharon Zukin "From the control room to the Googleplex: ‘Innovation Needs a Where’" 
• Nancy Odendaal "Infrastructuration and spatial governance: Why Google is not just another service provider" 

Forschungsverbund Neue Suburbanität (Universität Kassel, Germany)--Fachkonferenz 23. Oktober 2025

Der Forschungsverbund Neue Suburbanität an der Universität Kassel lädt ein zur Fachkonferenz 2025 „Zwischen Anspruch und Wirklichkeit – Spannungsfelder des Suburbanen“ am Donnerstag, den 23. Oktober 2025 von 11:00 – 18:30 Uhr an der Universität Kassel im Gießhaus, Mönchebergstraße 5, 34127 Kassel.

Das detaillierte Veranstaltungsprogramm für die Fachkonferenz 2025 finden Sie hier.

Die Anmeldung für die Fachkonferenz 2025 ist online auf der Webseite der Forschungsgruppe bis zum 15.10.2025 möglich. 

Die Veranstaltung ist kostenfrei.

Im Rahmen der Fachkonferenz möchten wir unsere gewonnenen Erkenntnisse vorstellen und mit Ihnen gemeinsam diskutieren. In drei verschiedenen Sessions, die sich mit den räumlichen, zeitlichen und sozialen bzw. politischen Spannungsfeldern von Suburbanität befassen, wollen wir der Frage nachgehen, inwiefern Anspruch und Wirklichkeit von Stadterweiterungen voneinander abweichen und welche Handlungsstrategien sich daraus ableiten lassen.

Neben dem Hauptkonferenztag wird bereits am Mittwoch, den 22. Oktober um 19 Uhr eine Keynote von Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Siedentop zum Thema „Neue Suburbanisierung – Intensität, räumliche Muster und Handlungserfordernisse der räumlichen Planung“ in die Konferenz einleiten. 

 Am Freitag, den 24. Oktober 2025 um 10 Uhr besteht zudem die Möglichkeit, an der Exkursion im Kasseler Westen teilzunehmen. Für die Exkursion stehen nur begrenzte Plätze zur Verfügung. Bitte melden Sie sich im Voraus an.

Wir freuen uns auf eine rege Beteiligung an der Fachkonferenz und würden Sie gerne in Kassel begrüßen.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Forschungsverbund Neue Suburbanität

Land policies in Europe – Interrogating the ‘no net land take’ policy package

These notes were presented as an introduction to the topic at the ARL-Academy of Territorial Development’s Brussels Talk on 1 October 2025. The Brussels Talk is an ARL initiative designed to intensify the exchange between research, planning, and policymaking at European and international levels. The first two editions were held in collaboration with the Ministry of European Affairs of Lower Saxony, the German state in which the ARL is based and from which it receives funding, alongside the federal government. 

    On this occasion, the aim of my overview was to contextualise land policy within planning and critically discuss related practices in relation to reducing new land take to zero, thus justifying the choice of topic for this year’s talk. This was followed by a walking presentation given by Professor Thomas Hartmann of the Faculty of Spatial Planning at TU Dortmund University in Germany (see the pic below). Professor Hartmann specialises in land policy. Based on the findings of an international working group established by the ARL, he presented four case studies on local and regional land policy from Bern (Switzerland), Dortmund (Germany), Ghent (Belgium) and Utrecht (the Netherlands).(1)

When we discuss land policy in general, and the goal of achieving 'no net land take' in particular, the dilemma we are dealing with is much more complex than simply creating a more efficient land use system. There are a couple of interrelated issues at play here. Firstly, we must address the problems associated with urbanisation, which has become a crisis in recent decades. Secondly, these associated issues necessitate the development of counter-strategies to increase land use efficiency and reduce land consumption. Thirdly, there is a legacy of policies developed in previous decades to address these issues, whose results should be taken into account when setting new goals (keywords include containment, compact city development, reurbanisation—all highly relevant in terms of land policy. However, these strategies often conflict with development interests and logics, and had therefore limited effect. Finally, this may have consequences for todays’ policies that aim to reduce or eliminate land take.

    I won’t discuss land policy in detail, as our colleague from Dortmund is a real expert in this field. To provide some context, these interconnected problems can be traced back to the urbanisation of much of the planet, which has resulted in the continuous expansion of developed areas. This expansion has had a significant impact on natural resources, open spaces and spatial organisation. The good news is that we have precise data on these issues and their implications. The following two illustrations are taken from the highly recommended publication Atlas of the Human Planet, which is available to download from the EU Science Hub. They demonstrate a case in point: Firstly, we can see the extent to which urbanisation has spread over the past few decades, both in the Global North and South and, paradoxically, in city regions and far beyond. This is also addressed by concepts such as planetary or extended urbanisation. Secondly, considering the increase in land use in relation to population growth, estimates suggest a ratio of 3 globally, compared to close to 4 in the Global North: This means that built-up areas and land use have developed four times faster than the population has grown.(2)

   Population growth, urbanisation and increased consumption have contributed to three interrelated crises: the loss of biodiversity, the global health crisis and climate change. These crises provide compelling reasons to change urbanisation, development and building practices. There is no doubt that we are currently on a dangerous path. In July 2023, when the United Nations presented their interim assessment of the state of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were agreed upon in 2015, they literally said that we would be in a “war against ourselves and against nature”. Clearly, land use and its associated issues are one of the causes mentioned.

    Therefore, the political goal of reducing land use, or even achieving no net land take, in the near future is by no means in question. In its 2011 ‘Roadmap for a Resource-Efficient Europe’, the EU made the following statement: “By 2020, EU policies will consider their direct and indirect impact on land use within the EU and worldwide. The rate of land use will be in line with the goal of achieving no net land use by 2050. Soil erosion will be reduced and soil organic matter increased. Remedial work on contaminated sites will be well underway” (p. 15). This ambition has become more concrete in follow-up documents and strategies of the European Commission, and is also being pursued by national governments — albeit with varying degrees of determination and outcome.

    Politically speaking, however, such call for reducing land use sounds as if it comes from a different age. It is obviously a legacy of the ‘green’ era of policy rhetoric in the 2010s which seems long ago. Also, it is much easier to formulate goals than to implement them and achieve impact. Is our planning system sufficiently effective (or powerful?) to remedy these issues? Planning alone probably can’t deliver on such expectations. Nic Phelps from the University of Queensland recently reviewed the politics of land, property, and planning. He identified three logics that influence the beliefs and practices of key stakeholders in land development, planning, and public policy: idealistic, realistic, and opportunistic (opportunity seeking). These logics can seriously undermine effective planning in order to reduce land take, and they have to be taken into account in any land policy.(3)

    Related practices vary, and they face a range of implementation barriers. The main agents of reducing land take, public land policy and planning, are subject to competing private and public interests. Beyond that, they are also controlled by different entities that do not necessarily collaborate with each other: The French term ‘millefeuille’ neatly describes the latter composition of public power across scales. Furthermore, apart from their economic value, land and property carry socio-cultural meaning and symbolise identity. ‘My home is my castle’ is more than just a slogan, and property enjoys constitutional protection in many countries, with some governments even providing direct subsidies to home builders. To add complexity and political contestation: If land and property are already unevenly distributed, how can counter-policies be organised to moderate, rather than exacerbate, inequality?

    Honestly, changing these mindsets and practices seems extremely difficult. This makes efficient land use planning challenging, regardless of how ambitious the goals may be. Our colleagues Antoine Decoville and Valérie Feltgen from Luxembourg have argued that policies pursuing no net land take require proper definitions for measurement and implementation; otherwise, the cure could make the disease worse, rather than resolving it. They have also emphasised that reducing land take would require a paradigm shift in planning and in all sectors that consume large amounts of space, land and property. Who is ready to shift related planning and policy paradigms?(4)

    In this context, it is important to note that the 'no net land take' policy package can and will be misused by local and national governments for whitewashing purposes, allowing them to present themselves as being at the forefront of planning progress while failing to address the structural issues of urban expansion and land consumption. Land issues are highly contentious, so authorities actually seem reluctant to cause trouble by implementing a real paradigm shift in planning. Therefore, it is vital that any discussion of this policy guideline and interim assessments of measures undertaken are reflective and honest. They must consider whether progress towards the NNLT target is merely slow or has stalled altogether. Depending on the outcomes of such discussions and assessments, planning actors would be well advised to align ambition with delivery, rather than setting goals that cannot be realised through actual policy and practice.

Index

1) The findings of the ARL’s international working group on “Land Policies in Europe” were published in an open access edited volume, which is available here.

2) The Atlas of the Human Planet is available here.

3) Phelps, N. (2025). Planning, Property, and Political Logics of Development Compared. APA-Journal, 91(1), 146-156. DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2024.2325036

4) Decoville, A., & Feltgen, V. (2023). Clarifying the EU objective of no net land take: A necessity to avoid the cure being worse than the disease. Land Use Policy, 131, 106722. DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106722 

Markus Hesse

BeNeLux Geography conference in Leuven, Call for Sessions is open

On 8-10 April 2026 the inaugural “BeNeLux Geography” conference will be held in Leuven, Belgium. Visit the conference homepage here.

The BeNeLux Geography conference is organized by the geographical communities of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg, and will provide an opportunity to present and debate work in geography and spatial planning as well as ample opportunities for informal conversation and networking. The conference is a continuation, and scaling up, of the bi-annual Belgian Geography Days (hosted by Namur in 2024) and the Dutch Geographers Days (last organized by KNAG in 2006). As such we hope to provide a forum for geographic conversation that is affordable and easy to reach for colleagues in the Benelux and beyond.

The organisation of conference sessions will take place in two phases. The Scientific Committee has proposed a first set of curated sessions. This is now supplemented by a general Call for Sessions that is currently open for submissions. This is your chance to convene your own set of people or papers! The timeline for the Call for Sessions and Papers/Abstracts is as follows: 

• General Call for Sessions: 22 September - 15 October 2025
• Call for Papers/Abstracts: 29 October - 9 December 2025
• Conference: 8 - 10 April 2026 

***

 

As Scientific Committee Member of BeNeLux Geography, Carr will host a session on the urban governance of AI infrastructures (e.g. data centers) entitled, "From Servers to Cityscapes: The corporeal geographies and governance of AI infrastructural development."  The official call for abstracts will follow the timeline and respective procedures set by BeNeLux Geog (see above). In the meantime, feel free to contact Carr to toss around paper proposal ideas (constance.carr@uni.lu). The session description can be found on the list of Curated Sessions at the BeNeLux website and is posted in the following.

Session Title: From Servers to Cityscapes: The corporeal geographies and governance of AI infrastructural development

Session Abstract: Urban geography has long examined the hard infrastructural backbone infrastructures of cyberworlds, unpacking the relationships between urban land use development, governance, and technological innovation. In recent years, data centers have garnered scholarly attention as they proliferate in and around cities posing sociopolitical and environmental risks and challenges. In basic terms, a data center is any building that accommodates IT equipment—servers, racks, electricity/cables, back-up systems, security, cooling. These facilities have grown in size and diversified, and nowadays the industry speaks of hyperscale, exascale, megascale supercomputing centers or hubs. These are high security campuses with unintermittent cooling, on-site energy storage, no fault systems, continuous monitoring, and are increasingly networked with local ecosystems of small business enterprises. Scholars from various fields have pointed out these infrastructures not only put pressure on local governance and planning, but potentially transform the spaces and flows of urbanity (land use regulation, housing, circulation, political economies, equity): Data centers also demand land, electrical grids, and waterways, as well as legal frameworks, specialized labour, local political support and planning.

  Industry leaders assert that growth in the data center sector continues to accelerate dramatically, in response to emerging innovations such as–but not limited to–artificial intelligences (AI), and that they will require significantly greater volumes of resources to operate. Similarly, governments are prioiritizing the building of domestic AI infrastructures–such as the European Commission’s AI Factories or the UK’s AI Growth Zones–to reduce cross-national dependencies. In short, there is no indication of the growth pressure in this sector abating. On the contrary, there is an urgent need to address the urban governance of DCs, including questions of spatial planning, local resource management, distribution of wealth, digital literacy and labour, equity and the trade-offs involved in shaping the kinds of living worlds people want to live in.

  Data centers are not only a new form of urban infrastructure now surfacing on local political agendas, they are also a lens into the material and corporeal underpinnings and consequences of emerging technologies that those same publics demand. In this session, we will address this paradox. Relevant topics include:

- Challenges in local governance and the spatial planning of digital infrastructures

- Policy and regulatory responses (addressing issues such as resource management, noise, land use, corporate pressure) 

- Conflicts and local struggles over land use for digital urbanism 

- The value chains of extraction that constitute digital infrastructures 

- Creative epistemological and methodological approaches to researching the corporeal dimensions of digital urbanism 

- Broader questions of how AI expansion reshapes the material, embodied, corporeal spaces and flows of cities

Convener: Constance Carr (University of Luxembourg)

Type: presentation 

 

 

If you want to keep up-to-date, you can follow BeNeLux Geography on LinkedIn and sign up for our newsletter about the conference. You can always contact us with questions through beneluxgeo2026 at kuleuven.be. 

New Article in Urban Studies by Carr and Madron

New article: Carr & Karinne Madron "Post-political clouds: Suspended failure in Google's data centre development". In Burcu Baykurt & Antoine Courmont's (eds) Special Issue on "Google, a major stakeholder in local governance?" Urban Studies

Abstract:  Digital corporations and governments alike are driving a post-political agenda around the expansion of data centres – the infrastructural backbone of expanding cyberworlds. With qualitative methods, the political socioeconomic context of a Google data centre project in Luxembourg was reconstructed. It is seen that the project resulted from both the country’s pursuit of a niche within global economic flows and Google’s international agenda to secure its business position. An eight-year narrative materialised with local dissent on one side, and the refusal of big business and big politics to disclose information to the public on the other. We argue that the ‘suspended failure’ of the project benefitted Google, disrupted local politics, tested the limits of local spatial planning practices, left communities in a state of uncertainty and ensured post-political urban governance throughout.

Permanent link here: https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251355132

We will work on getting Open Access. 

The sounds of infrastructure in Luxembourg

Photo by Carr, 2025

 

This year at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Luxembourg Pavilion presents an immersive sound installation titled "Sonic Investigations" (May–November 2025), created and curated by Valentin Bansac, Mike Fritsch, and Alice Loumeau with Ludwig Berger and Peter Szendy. The pavilion invites visitors into a sensory experience centred solely on the architecture of soundscapes across the Duchy.

Earlier this year, Carr had the joy of joining the team as they recorded a range of sounds at LuxConnect—a high-tech, secure data center in Luxembourg—capturing the super fascinating acoustic signatures of digital infrastructure.

A vinyl edition of the work, composed by Ludwig Berger and titled Ecotonalities: No Other Home Than the In-Between, will be released soon, including (but not limited to!) recordings from the data center. Additionally, a companion book Bansac, Fritsch, Loumeau, Szendy, Ecotones: Investigating Sounds and Territories, has been published by Spector Books.

And finally, look for their event on Saturday September 13 called, "Listening Along the Edge" at this year's Luxembourg Urban Garden (LUGA) festival in LuxCity.