Welcome Elide Nicotra

Elide Nicotra joins the DIGI-GOV team in May as a Student Assistant during her first year of Master in Geography and Spatial Planning at the University of Luxembourg.

Before starting her journey at the UL, Elide concluded her undergraduate studies in France in geography and management. She interned at the municipality of Reims (FR) in the department of sanitation and managament of resources, more specifically water.

Elide takes this latter issue to heart and being fascinated by urban processes, she hopes to work in a sustainable development-oriented sector in the future. She joins the DIGI-GOV team feeling inspired by the contemporary approach, hoping to learn more about Large Digital Corporations (LDC’s) and their impact on a local and regional planning.

Elide grew up living in suburbs of large cities, such as Catania (IT), as well as small ones like Luxembourg. She mostly travels by camper, which is something she appreciates because it allows to cross different countries and observe how their territories are differently shaped.

Welcome Chris Reiter!

Chris Reiter joins the DIGI-GOV team this April as a new Student assistant during his first year of the Master in Geography and Spatial planning at the University of Luxembourg. 

 

Prior to joining the University of Luxembourg, Chris completed his undergraduate studies in Applied Geography at the University of Trier following a track in human geography with emphasis on spatial planning and development. During his Bachelor studies he interned and worked at a local spatial planning and architecture office in Esch-sur-Alzette (LU) for circa one year before continuing his Master studies.

 

Chris comes to DIGI-GOV hoping to expand his knowledge on large digital corporations, such as Google or Amazon, and their impact on local, regional decision-making processes as it has been the case in Bissen with the google data center. With him joining his Master’s program and  DIGI-GOV, he seeks to further diversify his skill sets and knowledge and to be part of new team building experiences. His interests include smart cities, digitalization, and housing issues especially in his home country – Luxembourg, where he has lived for most of his life. 

 

As an enthusiast for walks, hikes or just wandering, he spends as much time outside as the weather here in Luxembourg allows for, so you might encounter him one day on one of Luxembourg’s many trails.

Call for Papers: Special Issue "Urban Science and the Future of Sustainable Urban Systems"

Cities Journal

Guest Editors: Céline Rozenblat, Jose Lobo

Deadline delayed: 30 April 2022

All information available on the Journal website:

Urban Science and the Future of Sustainable Urban Systems - Call for papers - Cities - Journal - Elsevier

Summary of issue:

Humanity’s success in addressing the related challenges of climate change, sustainability, poverty alleviation and shared prosperity will be largely determined by what happens in cities. “Urban science” is now a well-defined field that is examining a shared set of phenomena across many disciplines, developing common theoretical ideas and analytical methods, treating cities and urbanization in a unified way across the globe and history. Urban areas are multifaceted entities, involving biological, social, economic, infrastructural, and cultural aspects. Individual cities, furthermore, are part of regional, national and international cities’ and regions’ systems comprising interdependent urban and rural areas and every community category between urban and rural.

This special issue aims at advancing the integration of insights long accumulated from research on cities and urban phenomena by various academic fields, and those being generated by the new field of urban science, in order to highlight current explanatory strengths and identify needed new research to better understand urbanization and sustainable urban development.

“Urban science” seeks to understand the fundamental processes that drive, shape and sustain cities and urbanization. It is a  multi/transdisciplinary approach involving concepts, methods and research from the social, natural, engineering and computational sciences, along with the humanities.[1] Urban science goes further than simply stating that cities are “complex", explaining in what they are complex, by questioning the interactions between different levels of factors and why in some places they interact differently than in others. The complexity approach enlightens the different levels of forces that can explain the uneven diffusion speeds, reactions and consequences in different cities. These interactions are “universal” but take forms that are fitting to the local conditions affecting spatial and temporal scales and levels.

[1] https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3526940

If “Urban science” aims at a fundamental understanding of the processes that shape and sustain cities, the ultimate applied objective of this body of knowledge must be to help create global urban sustainable systems. The website of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America describes sustainability science as “. . .an emerging field of research dealing with the interactions between natural and social systems, and with how those interactions affect the challenge of sustainability: meeting the needs of present and future generations while substantially reducing poverty and conserving the planet’s life support systems.” Nowhere are these interactions more intense, stark, concentrated and consequential than in urban areas. “Urban sustainability” at the moment remains more a collection of methods and aspirations than a science (Waldrop, 2019). The ecological, energetic, physical, biological and social aspects of cities need to be integrated into a consistent theory, but one that grounds the treatment of cities as social systems embedded in physical and biological networks. We echo the call made in 2018 by the National Science Foundation of the USA for the development of a field of urban sustainability science that seeks to study the various opportunities and challenges that cities, urbanization and urban systems pose for the transition to sustainable and equitable socioeconomic development.[2]

[2] https://www.nsf.gov/ere/ereweb/ac-ere/sustainable-urban-systems.pdf 

Technological and social developments have combined (intentionally but also as unintended consequences) to generate unprecedented amounts of data concerning what people (individuals and organizations) do when they agglomerate in cities. To some, this “big data” revolution, seemed to hold the promise of more effective urban management. But experience has reminded us, once again, that data — even enormous amounts — without associated theory to interrogate and make sense of it, does not generate predictive insights. At the same time that “urban big data” was capturing the imagination of urbanists and city managers, another intellectual movement that we refer to as “Urban science” was taking shape. A number of streams came together in this new approach to a long-standing area of inquiry: the increasing availability of diverse urban data; the realization that the city should be treated as its own unit of study (Romer); a revival of Jacobs’ view of the city as a “complex system”; the flowering of work on network science; and the growing importance of multi-disciplinarity.

By this special issue, we seek to advance the capacity of “Urban Science” to contribute to the development of urban sustainability science, and even ask whether the two emerging fields of research are in effect the same. We propose to examine a shared set of phenomena across many disciplines, developing common theoretical ideas and analytical methods,  addressing cities urbanization in unified ways (but adapted on local situations) across the globe, across history, and working towards a common set of goals. A common starting point for the varied efforts that are now bundled up as “Urban Science” is the recognition, well-articulated by Paul Romer, that the city deserves, and can be treated, as its own unit of analysis. As cities and urban communities will bear the brunt of the effects of climate change and adapting to climate change, how can urban science and urban sustainability science help cities adapt to climate change?

We welcome submissions exemplifying interdisciplinary frameworks and utilizing a variety of methods such as the spatial statistics, network models, comparative historical analyses, information theory, dynamical systems, multi-agent models and econometric analyses. Authors are encouraged to address questions about the drivers and consequences of urbanization throughout history, the role of technology in urbanization, the diminished importance of transportation costs and the effect on  urban occupations of the rise of digital communications, the relationship between urban development and inequality, and the  relationship between urban sustainability, adaptivity and resilience. The papers are expected to formulate hypotheses and pose ambitious questions — but also to engage with why many of the questions posed by “Urban Science” are difficult to answer. Contributions to the special issue should also address the potential and urgency in researchers collaborating with varied stakeholders (including organizations representing the urban poor) in order to co-produce knowledge which is both scientifically rigorous and capable of informing decisions and policymaking.

Keywords: Urban science, Urban Sustainability Science, Cities, Systems of cities, Urbanization, Complex systems, Resilience

CONTACT: celine.rozenblat@unil.ch and/or jose.lobo@asu.edu 

How to help people in Ukraine now - II

A few days ago, the Deanery of our Faculty for Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHES) provided a list of websites and bank account information for helping people in Ukraine and neighbour countries now. See list here.

In addition, the European Migration Network Luxembourg has published information for arrivals to Luxembourg and residents of Luxembourg who want to help. These concern legal issues, protection status, medical assistance -- the pandemic, "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" (Das Coronavirus Update, DE) -- and how to host arrivals or assist in transportation.

"All Luxembourg residents who have offered or are offering to host Ukrainian nationals in their homes are invited to contact the Hotline managed by Caritas and the Red Cross with the support of the Ministry of Family, Integration and the Greater Region on +352 621 796 780 or by email at Ukraine@zesummeliewen.lu.

For consular questions for people trying to leave Ukraine or in transit from Ukraine, it is recommended to send an email to the address of the consular assistance of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs: assistance.consulaire@mae.etat.lu, or to call +352 2478 2386.

In view of the numerous private initiatives to organise transport to pick up Ukrainian nationals at Ukraine’s borders, the Ministry urges anyone planning such transport to send all information to the following address: transport.ukraine@mae.etat.lu.

The Ministry strongly recommends that information be obtained before organising such private transport as reception, accommodation and medical measures must be provided in order to receive these people, in many cases traumatised, in the best possible conditions."

Wiederholungsfall: Zweiter Termin Bürgerinformation „mobilitéitsplang.vdl.lu“

Luxemburg-Stadt bekommt einen neuen Verkehrsentwicklungsplan. Der Prozess dazu wurde im vergangenen Jahr mit einer denkwürdigen Versammlung im städtischen Theater eröffnet (siehe den Eintrag auf diesem Blog, Oktober 2021). Am 3. März 2022 wurden nun die Ergebnisse einer ersten Arbeitsphase im Limpertsberger Tramschapp vorgestellt (siehe die Grafik der VdL).

Auf dem Podium saßen zwei Schöffen der Hauptstadt, der Chef des städtischen Service Mobilité sowie ein Mitarbeiter, außerdem der Vertreter des auswärtigen Büros, das der VdL hier Zuarbeit leistet. Präsentiert wurden Ergebnisse von drei unterschiedlichen Konsultationen: Erstens eine Online-Befragung zu Verkehrsmittelwahl und -bewertung unter der städtischen Wohn- und Arbeitsbevölkerung, an der über 8.000 Personen teilgenommen hatten. Zweitens die Ergebnisse von Diskussionen, die in drei Sitzungen eines nicht näher erläuterten „Mobilitätsbeirats“ geführt wurden. Drittens die ergänzenden Einschätzungen zur örtlichen Situation aus der Perspektive des auswärtigen Büros. Details der Online-Konsultation können der Website entnommen werden. Die Versammlung selbst wurde im Livestream übertragen und kann HIER auf YouTube angeschaut werden.

    Kommentierende Präsentationen erfolgten zu allen drei Punkten vom Leiter des städtischen Service. Weder der externe Gutachter noch der Beirat sprachen auf dem Podium für sich – eine Praxis, die hier im Land durchaus üblich ist; auch Regierungsbeiräte werden nicht nur durch die Ministerien selbst ernannt, sondern auch zentral gesteuert, kommen eher selten zu eigenständiger Meinungsbildung. Natürlich hat das dann Konsequenzen für den Rahmen, in den dann die Ergebnisse kommentierend eingebettet und bewertet werden.

Befunde und Problemkreise

Würde man die präsentierten Befunde in wenigen Sätzen resümieren, dann ergäbe sich folgendes Fazit: Mobilität und Verkehr sind in der Tat ein Problem, aber man bemüht sich seit geraumer Zeit, auf der richtigen Seite dieser Geschichte zu stehen. Zumal sich die Dinge bereits konkret zum Positiven verändert hätten, mit Parkraumbewirtschaftung und Ausleihrädern, dem neuen Tram und öffentlichem Gratistransport. Anerkannte Baustellen Nr. 1 sind der Radverkehr (Infrastruktur, Netzausbau) sowie dessen latenten Konflikte mit dem Kfz; darüber hinaus ließen sich mehr Leute zum Umsteigen bringen, wenn die Takte von Bus und Tram außerhalb der Spitzenzeiten verdichtet würden und neue Stadtquartiere ihre avisierten Mobilitätslösungen entfalten.

  Unter den wirtschaftlich prosperierenden Städten steht die Hauptstadt mit dem Verkehrsproblem keineswegs allein da. Die jüngere Entwicklung ist vielerorts hochgradig krisenhaft, Klima- und Umweltwirkungen sind erheblich, Verkehrsraum strukturell knapp. Und anders als dies von Bürgerseite geäußert wurde, darf man die Spezifika der hiesigen Situation durchaus anerkennen: vor allem was Wachstumsdruck und -tempo angeht, die Verflechtung der Stadt mit ihrem internationalen Umland, schließlich die Beharrungskräfte eines wohlstandssatten, um das Automobil zentrierten sozialen Milieus (mindestens unter der Wahlbevölkerung). Ökonomische Prosperität einerseits und Größe des Territoriums bzw. Infrastrukturausstattung andererseits stehen hier in so eklatanter Reibung zueinander, dass der aus dem Publikum vorgebrachte Vergleich mit Metropolen wie Brüssel oder London schon schief läuft.

Mobilität und Verkehr als Funktionssystem

Dieses Argument taugt indes nicht zur Verteidigung der Akteure in Politik und Verwaltung. Denn das objektiv gegebene Problem ist immer das eine, und der Umgang damit ist das andere. Dieser Umgang mit dem Problem, das wurde auf der Versammlung deutlich, atmet den Geist des Gestrigen. Etwas zugespitzt erscheint das Verkehrssystem als in sich geschlossener, technisch-ökonomischer Funktionszusammenhang, der weitgehend isoliert ist von den Lebenswelten, Interessen und Möglichkeiten der Individuen. Er ist auf ähnliche Weise abgekoppelt von den Eigenarten der Stadt- und Raumentwicklung. Klimawandel wird, wenn überhaupt, als eine ferne Randbedingung thematisiert, ist Teil der Zielkategorie 5 und rangiert bei Umwelt und Lebensqualität, deutlich hinter dem Imperativ der Erreichbarkeit (Zielkategorie 1). Dass man im 21. Jahrhundert und in der Hauptstadt eines globalen Hochverbrauchers, der die Hälfte seiner Kohlenstoffemissionen durch den motorisierten Verkehr erzeugt, ohne eine klare, quantifizierte Zeit- und Zielgröße in Richtung Dekarbonisierung auszukommen glaubt, das ist schon erstaunlich.

  Auch stellt sich die Frage nach Daten- und Planungsgrundlagen. Natürlich sollte man sich vom Zahlenzauber, den Verkehrsmodelle und -szenarien oft versprühen, nicht beeindrucken oder gar einschüchtern lassen. Aber deshalb komplett auf ein Mengengerüst für Ziele, Maßnahmen und Wirkungen verzichten? Nicht einmal die (im Grunde veraltete) Kenngröße des modal split kommt hier vor, wird mit Zahlen hinterlegt. Mit allgemeinen Spiegelstrichlisten und einer Mischung aus gutem Willen und Konfliktscheu dürften die vielen Aussagen des Planwerks, soweit es bis dato existiert, nur schwer einlösbar sein. Mangels konkreter Indikatoren sind sie auch nicht überprüfbar. Dies wird dann zum Problem für die Verpflichtung des Landes auf spürbare Senkung der Treibhausgasemissionen, die es auf dem Pariser Klimagipfel von 2015 eingegangen ist. Die von Regierungsvertretern jetzt fast mantra-mäßig anschwellende Rede vom „Luxembourg in transition 2050“ hat die Hauptstadt offenbar komplett unbeeindruckt gelassen.

Von friedlicher Ko-Existenz und heroic engineering

Ein weiterer Punkt: Denkstil und Programmatik des Plans und seiner öffentlichen Vorstellung sind gespeist von der Utopie der friedlichen Koexistenz der Verkehrsträger. Man will kein Medium bevorzugen oder benachteiligen, sondern alle gleichermaßen zur Geltung bringen. Dieser Ansatz war in den letzten Dekaden in den meisten Verdichtungsräumen der westlichen Welt hegemonial., nachdem sich die Phase der Dominanz des Automobils zuvor als historischer Irrtum erwiesen hatte. Der Versuch der Koexistenz, und hier ist sich die Fachwelt einig, soweit man das überblicken kann, ist allerdings krachend gescheitert. Deshalb wagt man sich vielerorts, mal mehr, mal weniger strukturiert, an die Bändigung des Straßenverkehrs. (Dass es dabei oft um Rhetorik geht, weniger um echte Praxis, sei dahin gestellt). Auf die objektiven Grenzen dieses nicht wirklich friedlichen Miteinanders der Verkehrsträger ging ein Beitrag aus dem Publikum ein, ohne eine Antwort zu bekommen. Vielsagend ist dagegen die Hochfrequenz, in der die Präsentation den Begriff der „Optimierung“ aufrief. Dies sagt Einiges über die hiesigen Ansprüche aus. Es ist, wenn man so will, der Esprit des heroic engineering, der 1980er Jahre, der hier grüßen lässt. 

    Damit markiert die Versammlung auch einen Kontrast zur Auftaktsitzung vom Oktober: Im Angebot ist nicht mehr die „Ville avant-gardiste“, die die Bürgermeisterin dort für sich reklamierte, sondern die staubtrockene Bearbeitung eines durchaus dramatischen Problems. Sie ist situiert in einem semantischen Spektrum zwischen „alles nicht so schlimm“ und „wir bemühen uns besser zu werden“. Diese gebremste Ambition ist insofern absolut realitätsnah, selbst wenn dieser Eindruck womöglich unbeabsichtigt entstanden ist. Man hat zurecht erst gar nicht versucht, mit dem derzeit populären Begriff der „Wende“ zu wedeln. Dies wäre auch absurd – weil man so etwas weder will noch sich zutraut, und weil selbst der Hauch von verbaler Radikalität im herrschenden Weltbild keinen Platz hat.

    Es ließen sich noch Punkte hinzufügen, etwa zum Entwurf von Strategien, zur Verzahnung von Urbanismus und Verkehrsplanung, zur hochkomplexen Beziehung zwischen Hauptstadt und Region. Dass eine zentrale Ursache des strukturellen Mobilitätsproblems der Stadt das krasse Missverhältnis zwischen Wohn- und Erwerbsbevölkerung ist (das die Stadt durch ihre anhaltende Verdichtung als Dienstleistungszentrum selbst weiter vorantreibt), blieb ohne Resonanz. Es darf in Zukunftsvisionen nicht fehlen. Es gibt noch zwei Sitzungen, warten wir also ab.

Zu welchem Ende partizipativ?

Zum Schluss kommt ein anderes Mantra in den Blick – das der Transparenz und Partizipation. In diesen Plan wird die Bürgerschaft eingebunden, das ist löblich. Die genannte Website bietet den Stand des Erarbeiteten, wenn auch der Weg dorthin verborgen bleibt. Man hätte im Mobilitätsbeirat „sehr kontrovers“ diskutiert, wurde auf Nachfrage konzediert. Wie kontrovers genau und vor allem warum, dies hat die Öffentlichkeit leider nicht erfahren. Zumindest das Format der Informationsversammlung gleicht in dieser Hinsicht einer Einbahnstraße, und es ist lückenhaft. Was sich im Tramschapp an Kommunikation artikulierte war eher erratisch, ein vom Zufall der Fragestellung geleitetes Experiment, keine offene, gegenseitige Auseinandersetzung. Vielleicht ist dazu auch der Beirat gedacht. Es wäre aber gut, der interessierten Öffentlichkeit statt vieler Details die Knackpunkte auf dem Weg zum Plan zu benennen. Ernst gemeinte Partizipation hat nur dann einen Wert, wenn dabei über alternative Pfade beraten wird, jeweilige Vor- und Nachteile abgewogen werden können. Sollte auch hier, wie so oft im Land, zum Schluss eine ultimative, als allein „richtig“ erkannte Lösung angestrebt werden, dann wäre Partizipation Selbstzweck gewesen, nicht aber kreatives Mittel einer veränderten Praxis.

Markus Hesse

How to help people in Ukraine now

The Deanery of our Faculty for Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHES) provided a list of websites and bank account informations for helping people in Ukraine and neighbour countries now. Kudos to our colleagues, particularly Robert Harmsen and Josip Glaurdic from the Dept of Social Sciences.

This list is about to be expanded further. Please help, solidarity needed.

In Luxembourg:

1) The Luxembourg Red Cross 

Bank account: IBAN LU52 1111 0000 1111 0000 (reference: “Urgence Ukraine”) 

Online at: https://donate.croix-rouge.lu/b/my-donation?cid=43&_cv=1 

2) Caritas Luxembourg

Bank account IBAN LU34 1111 0000 2020 0000 (reference: "Crise en Ukraine") 

Online at: https://www.caritas.lu/en/make-donation 

 

3) LUkraine asbl (Ukrainian Community in Luxembourg)

Online at: https://help.ukrainians.lu/

4) Médecins sans frontières: Luxembourg Emergency fund for Ukraine & Neighbors

Bank account: BGL BNP PARIBAS LU480030339600421000 BIC : BGLLLULL

Online: https://msf.lu/en/news/press-releases/msf-mobilises-response-in-ukraine-and-nearby-countries

International:

5) UNHCR

Online at: https://donate.unhcr.org/be/en-be/ukraine-emergency

 

6) UNICEF

Online at: https://unicef.org 

 

7) CARE

Online at: https://my.care.org/ 

 

8) Ukraine Red Cross

Online at: https://redcross.org.ua/en/donate/ 

 

9) International Medical Corps

Online at: https://give.internationalmedicalcorps.org/ 

 

10) SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde 

Bank account: IBAN LU65 1111 0050 0053 0000 (reference: “Urgence Ukraine 2022”)

Online at: www.sosve.lu 

 

11) Nova Ukraine

Online at: https://novaukraine.org/ 

 

12) Scholars at Risk

Online at: https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/get-involved-individuals/

 

STATEMENT BY the IFL-Leibniz institute For regionaL geography, Leipzig, Germany, ON THE RUSSIAN ATTACK ON UKRAINE

25 February 2022 

We are appalled by the Russian attack on Ukraine and strongly condemn the Russian government's actions, which violate international law.

At the IfL, we have been working for decades in close, trusting cooperation with scientists from all the states of Eastern Europe. We do this not only out of scientific curiosity, but also always in the conviction that the joint development of knowledge about each other, guided by mutual respect and recognition, and also the personal contacts between each other, contribute to international understanding and peace. This is one of the reasons why we have established the Leibniz Science Campus Eastern Europe – Global Area here in Central Germany together with eight other partners. The Campus supports young researchers from all over the world in developing new scientific perspectives on a globally embedded and interconnected Eastern Europe in an open exchange. It remains a basic principle priority for us to maintain close academic exchange with colleagues from Ukraine, Russia and all other successor states of the Soviet Union.

We are deeply concerned for our colleagues and friends in Ukraine. To them and their families we assure our full solidarity and our support for a self-determined life in peace and freedom.

Under these circumstances, it is out of the question for the director of the IfL, Prof Dr Sebastian Lentz, to accept the Semyonov Gold Medal of the Russian Geographical Society.

For all employees of the IfL,
Sebastian Lentz, Director

Declaration by the International Geographical Union (IGU-UGI) on the Ukraine crisis

Declaration by the International Geographical Union on the Ukraine crisis

The International Geographical Union notes with dismay the alarming situation in Ukraine and finds the invasion of a sovereign democratic nation by Russian forces senseless and unacceptable.  These actions are undermining global security and stability and have led to deplorable human suffering and loss of life.

In the interests of peace and stability in international relations, we call for an end to the hostilities and for a resolution that respects the sovereignty of Ukraine and all its people.

The International Geographical Union stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and its community of geographers, along with those in Russia who are courageously manifesting their rejection of war.  We wish the citizens of Ukraine great strength in resisting and overcoming this shocking crisis.

We note that scientists and scientific journalists in Russia have issued the following open letter on the situation:

https://www.eureporter.co/world/russia/2022/02/24/an-open-letter-from-russian-scientists-and-science-journalists-against-the-war-with-ukraine/

En Francais:

L’Union géographique internationale observe avec consternation la situation alarmante en Ukraine et juge insensé et inacceptable l’invasion d’une nation démocratique souveraine par les forces russes.  Ces actions portent atteinte à la sécurité et à la stabilité mondiales et entraînent des souffrances humaines et des pertes de vies déplorables.

Dans l’intérêt de la paix et de la stabilité des relations internationales, nous appelons à la fin des hostilités et à une résolution qui respecte la souveraineté de l’Ukraine et de tout son peuple.

L’Union géographique internationale est solidaire du peuple ukrainien et de sa communauté de géographes, ainsi que de ceux qui, en Russie, manifestent courageusement leur rejet de la guerre.  Nous souhaitons aux citoyens de l’Ukraine beaucoup de détermination pour résister et surmonter cette crise bouleversante.

Nous notons que des scientifiques et des journalistes scientifiques en Russie ont publié la lettre ouverte suivante sur la situation:

https://www.eureporter.co/world/russia/2022/02/24/an-open-letter-from-russian-scientists-and-science-journalists-against-the-war-with-ukraine/

The American Association of Geographers (AAG) has published a petition on its website that can be supported HERE.

Petition

We, the undersigned members of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), declare our unequivocal support for the sovereign country of Ukraine and the families and individuals impacted by this week's unprovoked aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Geography tells us that a people's right to determine their future is inextricably linked with their sense of place and space. Russia's unlawful invasion and occupation of Ukraine force the displacement and migration of countless communities, stripping them of their dignity and fundamental rights. In addition, the environmental damage and societal risks associated with nuclear contamination related to this unprovoked aggression threaten Ukraine and neighboring regions. Any country or political actor who threatens the sacred right of another people's rights to self-determination deserves global condemnation.

 

Additionally, this conflict has highlighted what terrible acts can be justified under the guise of disinformation. As geographers, we recognize the dire consequences of false narratives about history, boundaries, and territory. The free flow of information and the right of citizens to protest are the underpinnings of a healthy, functioning society. When scientific integrity is warped, or the free flow of information is stifled, leaders can more easily concentrate authority and act unilaterally. Freedom of information is the last bastion of defense against such egregious manipulation of power. As outlined in our organization's guiding policy principles, the AAG condemns any such practices that threaten open access to information and scientific integrity.

 

The American Association of Geographers (AAG) is a scholarly, non-profit organization that seeks to advance professional studies in geography and to encourage the application of geography in education, business, and government. Founded in 1904 and based in Washington, D.C., the AAG represents approximately 9,000 members in nearly 100 countries whose professional specialties span a broad spectrum of the physical, biological, and social sciences. 

on Declaration by the International Geographical Union on the Ukraine crisis

Save the date - INURA conference in Luxembourg this June

Organized in cooperation with the ETH's Department of Architecture (D-ARCH) and the INURA Common Office in Zurich, the Urban Group at the Department of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Luxembourg, is pleased to announce that, the 30th annual conference of the International Network of Urban Research and Action (INURA) will be taking place in Luxembourg, June 25-29, 2022

The conference website is currently under construction. Information will be posted there shortly. 

Feel free to contact the organizing committee at luxembourg2022@inura.org

New research project FINCITY

European Financial Centres in Transition

FINCITY is a multidisciplinary research project that focusses on how major global events coincide with broader processes of economic restructuring and financialisation in Dublin, Frankfurt/Main, and Luxembourg City —three of Europe’s most significant financial centres. More specifically, it aims to understand how these cities and other major European financial centres have been restructured in re-sponse to Brexit— which has expelled a large number of financial services firms from the UK, and COVID-19— which has redistributed population away from major urban centres toward smaller agglomerations and fundamentally altered the ‘labourscape’ in favour of telework. Both effects may also have ramifications for urban development and planning. The project is inspired by the dual nature of current conditions in continental European financial centres. 

 

(Dublin, Ireland, Waterfront 2015)

On the one hand, Brexit acts as a centripetal force, attracting large numbers of firms and employees to Luxembourg, Frankfurt, and Dublin (among other cities). To date, 7,600 financial sector jobs and €1.5 trillion in assets have relocated from London (Jones, 2021). According to the Financial Times, Luxembourg “has emerged as one of the biggest winners from the shift out of the United Kingdom: 72 companies, nearly all of them in financial services announced plans to relocate their EU operations from London” (Stafford, 2020). Similar figures support the migration of firms and their employees to the Dutch and German financial hubs. 

On the other hand, COVID-19 acts as a centrifugal force, with strong evidence suggesting that the cumulative impacts of telecommuting, firm restructuring, long-distance commuting, and firm decentralisation are likely to cause de-agglomeration. Within Europe, a recent EU report found that while only 15% of employees had teleworked before the pandemic, 25% of jobs were ‘teleworkable’ (Fana et al., 2020). Of the EU member states, Luxembourg has the highest proportion of jobs fit for telework (Fana et al., 2020). Similar patterns have emerged in the United States, where cities such as Austin, Texas, and Boise, Idaho, have absorbed a large number of Silicon Valley firms and workers, many of whom may never re-turn to the office. In Europe, further decentralisation is possible if banks’ back-office staff are permanently dislocated from central offices.

Our research programme

To explore the socio-spatial impacts of the current state of affairs, this project first builds an updated profile of each financial centre by investigating how the corporate geography of banks and financial services firms has changed over the past five years. Firm-level data will be compiled from various proprietary databases with a view to understand how Brexit and COVID-19 have reoriented the character and composition of advanced producer services within each city. Second, the reorientation of each city’s services agglomeration will be related to its spatial impact through a detailed investigation of local property markets as key indicators.

The nature of commercial property has changed considerably with a pivot to teleworking, larger floorplates (allowing for distancing) and the requirements of global firms whose foot-print extends far beyond the walls of their offices. Residential property has also been brought into sharper relief, with a greater preference for working from home, meaning that proximity to urban centres is potentially less important than space. This may affect small-but-global financial centres more significantly than global metropolises. 

Based on a combination of empirical data, extensive stake-holder interviews and focus group meetings, we interrogate which changes may play out in each market’s property sector, and how these relate to both global and industry trends. Finally, given the importance of regulation, the project concludes by investigating how policymakers and urban planners have responded to these multiple crises and their significance for urban policies and planning.

Job-opportunities

FINCITY seeks to hire a post-doc in global urban studies (contract with UL; duration 3 yrs) and a PhD-student in urban studies or economic geography (contract with LISER, duration 3+1 yrs). Pls consult the recruiting portals of the two institutions, see the links above. Applications are accepted online only. Both institutes offer a highly inspiring international work environment.

More information:

PIs: Prof Dr Markus Hesse, UL, Dr Sabine Dörry, LISER. Partners: Assoc. Prof Dr Thomas Sigler, University of Queensland, Australia/UL, Prof Dr Susanne Heeg, Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, Germany, Prof Dr Martin Sokol, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Duration: 1 June 2022 – 31 May 2025. Funding provided by Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR), Luxembourg/CORE.

Contact: markus.hesse@uni.lu

New Publication in Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space

The growth and consequences of data centres is not known and largely not public. Great to see our map of data centres in the Washington Metropolitan Area and their impact published in Environment and Planning A.

Four reasons why data centers matter, five implications of their social spatial distribution, one graphic to visualize them

by Desmond Bast, Constance Carr, Karinne Madron, Ahmad Mafaz Syrus

Abstract Data centers constitute a new kind of telecommunications infrastructure that demands attention for four reasons. Data centers are under-examined in the social sciences literature, urban studies, in particular. Data centers present an under explored geography of cyberworlds. Large digital corporations such as Amazon or Google are expanding their role in urban infrastructural development (such as data centers), and it is necessary to research and explain this phenomenon. Data centers present challenges of urban governance. The graphic provided here visualizes the social spatial distribution of data centers in the Washington Metropolitan Area. There are five implications of their social spatial distribution. Data centers are concentrated in metropolitan areas. Data centers have a high demand for energy and water, competing with local residents for these resources. The data center industry is a state-led niche economy. The uneven distribution of data centers can invoke inter-county competition for tax revenue, in addition to access to the water, power, and land resources that data centers require. The scale of the problem is unknown because the input needs of many data centers are not publicly available.

You can read the full text and download the map here (Open Access):

https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X211069139

This is the first publication resulting from Carr's FNR funded project entitled, “Digital urban development - How large digital corporations shape the field of urban governance, (DIGI-GOV),” (C20/SC/14691212/DIGI-GOV).

PhD-Student wanted: Ghent University, Belgium, Dept. of Geography

Overview of the position

Colleagues @UGhent are looking for a PhD student who will join the Social and Economic Geography (SEG) research group at the Geography Department of Ghent University, Belgium. The appointed PhD student will work on the project titled “The effect of teleworking on travel and well-being”, funded by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and supervised by prof. Frank Witlox (Ghent University) and assoc. prof. Jonas De Vos (University College London). They are seeking a candidate for a 4-year term. At Ghent University the PhD student will work at one of the leading universities in Western Europe. The SEG research group has conducted high-quality research on travel behaviour over the past years, collaborating intensively with experts in the field from universities abroad. 

Project summary

The current COVID-19 pandemic is likely to trigger more teleworking for a substantial share of employees in the coming years. However, existing studies have not yet come to a consensus on whether or not teleworking results in less overall travel, since fewer commute trips may be compensated for by more or longer trips for other purposes or even by workers relocating farther away from their work. Additionally, no studies have yet analysed the nature or extent of how people may change their daily time use and how not commuting may influence their subjective well-being. 

The proposed study has four core objectives: 1. To determine the relationship of teleworking with commuting patterns and the residential location; 2. To analyse the nature and extent of the effect of teleworking on workers’ activity-travel behaviour; 3. To evaluate the impacts of teleworking on the subjective well-being of workers; 4. To create a new comprehensive framework for the relationships between teleworking, and (changing) travel patterns, activity participation and well-being.

Required qualifications

- MSc degree in Geography (and broader social sciences), Spatial planning, Transport planning/engineering, or related field - Excellent written and oral communication in English - Knowledge of Dutch is an asset - Knowledge of statistical analyses (e.g., SPSS, AMOS), and GIS applications and techniques are an asset - Familiarity with travel behaviour literature is an asset Conditions of employment We offer a full-time position (38 hours/week) for a period of four years (2 + 2 years). The minimum net monthly salary is € 2.116,90 (depending on experience) + benefits. Employees of Ghent University have 39 days of (paid) leave per year. The PhD student will have office space at Ghent University’s campus “Sterre”. Ghent University is an equal employer institute.

Application instructions 

All individuals interested in this position must submit a short motivation letter, CV, and MSc academic transcript (in one PDF file, named “Last name_First name_FWO”) to prof. Frank Witlox (frank.witlox@ugent.be) and assoc. prof. Jonas De Vos (jonas.devos@ucl.ac.uk) by February 4th, 2022. The appointed PhD student is expected to start around April-May 2022.