The Urban Commission of the International Geographical Union (IGU-UGI) in collaboration with the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Stellenbosch University, South Africa is pleased to invite you to the 2025 Annual IGU-Urban Conference.
IGU Conference | GEOGRAPHY & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES | Stellenbosch University
We are a group of geographers from almost all continents of the world who share a common interest in the study of cities, urban regions and urbanisation processes. The Urban Commission represents the Urban Geography community within the International Geographical Union, an international, non-governmental, professional organisation devoted to the development of the broad discipline of Geography.
Our primary aim is to provide an open forum for the exchange of ideas on geographical and urban issues, with particular emphasis on bringing together geographers of very different origins, interests and levels of qualification. A key activity of the Urban Commission is the organisation of an annual conference, and this call is the first step towards the next conference that will be held in Stellenbosch University, South Africa, between Monday 11th to Friday the 15th of August 2025.
Our members include individuals working in geography and planning departments, those working in non-university research institutes or in practice worldwide. While we are committed to promoting current geographical research and raising public awareness of geography as a scientific discipline, we also place particular emphasis on supporting early-career researchers. We encourage young researchers to become part of our network and to attend our annual conferences. Outstanding conference papers submitted by early career researchers have the opportunity to be selected through a competitive process to receive the Early Career Researchers Award.
We call upon both established and early-career researchers working in geography and related interdisciplinary contexts to send in their abstracts.
These are invited to relate to the five key study domains as defined by the IGU-Urban Commission below, but do not necessarily have to be confined to these:
1. Cities as drivers of, and driven by, transformational change
2. Cities, urban systems and nation-states
3. Urban areas under pressure of transformation
4. Climate change, resilience, urban health and well-being
5. Governance, institutions, urban policy
IMPORTANT DATES
Conference date: the 11th to 15th of August 2025
Deadline for abstracts: the 15th of March 2025
Acceptance of abstracts/notification of authors: the 15th of April 2025 at the latest.
Opening of Registration & Payment: the 15th of March 2025
Deadline for early registration: the 31st of April 2025
Deadline for late registration: the 31st of June 2025
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
Extended abstracts must be written according to the attached template (at the end of this call).
Deadline for abstract submission: the 15th of March 2025
Please use the attached abstract template of download the abstract template on the Stellenbosch University webpage HERE: IGU Conference | GEOGRAPHY & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES | Stellenbosch University
All abstracts should be sent to:
Herman Geyer: hsgeyerjr@sun.ac.za
Dani Broitman: danib@technion.ac.il ;
Natacha Aveline: natacha.aveline@cnrs.fr
REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT
Early registration fees: USD $250.00 (from the 15th of March until the 31st of April 2025).
Late registration fees: USD $300.00 (from the 1st of May until the 31st of June 2025).
South African registration fees: R4000.00 (Until the 31st of June 2025).
Additional fees for accompanying persons: USD $100.00/R1800.00
These amounts include daily lunches, coffee breaks, opening welcome reception, final gala event and excursions.
Payment options:
1. Online registration will be available on the 15th of March
2. EFT/Swift transfer (An official Stellenbosch University
Invoice can be requested from the conference organisers) please get in touch with Herman Geyer: hsgeyerjr@sun.ac.za
EARLY CAREER RESEARCH AWARD
As part of its 2025 Annual Conference the IGU Urban Commission once again offers a paper competition for Early Career Researchers in Urban Geography. The best paper (or papers) will win this year’s EARLY CAREER RESEARCHER AWARD to be presented during the Annual Conference in Stellenbosch.
Participation in the paper competition is open to all early career researchers (up to 5 years after completion of a PhD) who present their paper during the Annual Conference of the IGU Urban Commission. Only one paper per participant may be entered for the paper competition. To enter the paper competition, we do not expect a fully written paper, but a more extensive (6 pages long) abstract, following the general abstract guidelines and submitted through the normal abstract submission process for the conference. The deadline for submission of abstracts is also the 15th of March 2025.
PROPOSED SCHEDULE
(To be confirmed once the abstracts are selected)
Monday the 11th of August 20205 to Friday the 15th of August 2025
ABOUT STELLENBOSCH
Stellenbosch is renowned as one of South Africa’s oldest and most prestigious cities. It is located approximately 50 km (32 mi) from Cape Town CBD and 37 km (23 mi) from Cape Town International Airport. Stellenbosch is characterised by oak tree-lined streets, picturesque historical Cape Dutch architecture and expansive vineyards of the Golden Triangle winegrowing region. Stellenbosch is known as a premier tourist destination, due to its quality lifestyle and cultural and culinary diversity. It is also home to Stellenbosch University, a globally ranked research university.
Stellenbosch is situated in a green belt area with strong heritage preservation policies enacted over large sections of the historic urban centre. This preserved the architectural character of the town, with most new developments conforming to the existing Cape Vernacular and Victorian architecture of the region. Similarly, to protect the aesthetic characteristics of the area, various landscapes and scenic routes with historic vineyards, rolling hills and dramatic mountain backdrops are protected through targeted measures such as protective zoning, building line setbacks, and height and coverage restrictions. Stellenbosch was one of the first municipalities to implement an urban edge policy in 2000.
As a university town and a business and innovation capital, Stellenbosch is one of the most dynamic and highly regarded local economies in Africa. Despite its status as a mid-sized town, Stellenbosch holds the rank of South Africa’s 13th largest economy, hosting an innovative entrepreneurial economy with a large financial sector, advanced research facilities, a dynamic ICT sector, advanced business services, the command-and-control functions of major JSE-listed companies. It has one of the highest densities of innovative start-ups and billionaires per capita in South Africa. It is also renowned for its cultural activities.
Stellenbosch has a vibrant social life with regular cultural events and festivals, world-class sports facilities and active nightlife. It is also a very socially diverse town with a range of languages and cultures represented in the town. Due to the small urban footprint of the Municipality, almost any nature lover is within five minutes of a hiking or mountain biking trail. The spectacular natural beauty of the mountains and vineyards, coupled with the temperate Mediterranean climate characterised by hot summers and mild winters, creates a superb quality of life surpassing that of Cape Town, ranked as the second-best city to live in globally.
The Drakenstein, Wemmershoek, Hottentots Holland and Limietberg mountains and the fertile agricultural valleys and orchards contains some of the country's highest-yielding agricultural land in terms of income and employment generation. Coupled with a well-established viticulture economy, comparatively high rainfall and a favourable Mediterranean climate, Stellenbosch boasts some of the best living conditions and scenic vistas in South Africa. Stellenbosch’s unique Boland Mountain Fynbos, Riparian forests and Sand Plain Fynbos is part one of the smallest and richest floral kingdoms in the world. Significant portions (38%) of the Municipality contain globally critical ecological habitats. These are protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve and private nature reserves, ensuring the continued maintenance of property values and lifestyle quality in the region.
VENUE
The conference venue will be hosted at the Adam Small Theatre complex, c/o Victoria and van Ryneveldt streets, Stellenbosch on the Stellenbosch University Campus. This venue is centrally located close to the city centre and diagonally across the road from the main university campus entrance.
The Welcome Reception and Gala Event will be held at the Department of Geography/Geology, Chamber of Mines building, c/o Merriman and van Ryneveldt streets, next to the main university campus entrance.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Prof Ivan Turok
Vita: Prof Ivan Turok holds the Research Chair in City-Region Economies in the Department of Economics and Finance and the Centre for Development Support at the University of the Free State. He has authored more than 160 peer-reviewed publications and 11 books/monographs and is one of the most highly cited social scientists in South Africa. He is ranked in the top 1% of global scientists by Stanford University and Clarivate Web of Science and ranked 42 out of 9701 top global scientists within the specific field of urban and regional planning. He holds an NRF B1 rating and is the former Editor-in-Chief of the top international journal, Regional Studies. He is also a Distinguished Research Specialist at the Human Sciences Research Council and was the Chairman of the Durban City Planning Commission.
Ivan Turok was formerly Professor of Urban Economic Development and Director of Research at the University of Glasgow, a Mellon Fellow at the University of Cape Town and Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Strathclyde. He is an occasional adviser to the United Nations, OECD, African Development Bank, UNECA, and several national governments. His recent books include Transitions in Regional Economic Development (2018, Routledge), Value Chains in Sub-Saharan Africa (2019, Springer), and Restoring the Core: Central City Decline and Transformation in the South (2020, Elsevier). He was a finalist for the NSTF Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
Prof Brij Maharaj
Vita: Prof Brij Maharaj is a Senior Professor of Geography at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. He has received widespread recognition for his research on urban politics, mega-events, segregation, local economic development, xenophobia and human rights, migration and diasporas, religion, philanthropy and development. He has published over 150 scholarly papers in renowned journals, as well as published five co-edited book collections. He is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He is a former president of the Society of South African Geographers and was co-editor of the South African Geographical Journal (Routledge).
Brij Maharaj is a B-rated NRF researcher and was a Consulting Editor of the Journal of Immigration and Refugee Studies. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Urban Affairs, Geoforum, Antipode, Indian Ocean Survey, African Geographical Review, Migration and Development, and South Asian Diaspora.
Brij Maharaj was a prominent anti-apartheid activist and is presently a civic advocate who actively promotes a revived civil society in democratic South Africa. He is a regular media commentator on topical issues as part of his commitment to public intellectualism.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
Most countries do not require a visa for South Africa. Please enquire at the following websites regarding visa requirements: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_South_Africa
http://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/immigration-services/exempt-countries
If you require an official invitation from Stellenbosch University for your visa, please contact Herman Geyer: hsgeyerjr@sun.ac.za
ORGANISERS AND CONTACTS
For more information:
Herman Geyer: hsgeyerjr@sun.ac.za – IGU Urban Commission Coordinator in South Africa.
Dani Broitman: danib@technion.ac.il Chair – IGU Urban Commission.
Natacha Aveline: natacha.aveline@cnrs.fr Secretary – IGU Urban Commission.
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
C20.42 - Urban Commission of the International Geographical Union (IGU-UGI): Cities in Transition: Transformations, Resilience, and Policy
Dani Broitman, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
Natacha Aveline-Dubach, Research director CNRS-Paris, France
Ludger Basten, Technical University of Dortmund, Germany
Hermanus Geyer Jr., University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Markus Hesse, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Zaiga Krisjane, University of Latvia, Latvia
Hanane Llouh, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Julio Pedrassoli, University Federal Salvador de Bahia, Brazil
Ivan Townshend, University of Lethbridge, Canada
Jun Tsutsumi, University of Tsukuba, Japan
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