Carr invited to CITY Institute, York University

On October 8, 12:30, at the CITY Institute/York University, Carr will talk on "Research directions and dilemmas in data center (sub)urban development" as part of the City Institute Research Seminar Series.

Abstract - The data centre industry is evolving rapidly, with new concepts such as hyperscales, megascales, exoscales, AI Growth Zones and AI Factories reshaping the geography and governance of digital infrastructure. Carr will provide an overview of key strands in the emerging literature on data centre development, examining how these trends intersect with wider debates in urban and regional planning, local governance, and the growing influence of Big Tech in shaping territorial development. Drawing on a range of current research projects and activities, the presentation will explore the social, economic and spatial implications of large-scale digital infrastructure. Following the overview, the session will open into a roundtable discussion, inviting attendees to share their own perspectives, experiences and research interests related to the development of data centres and their impacts across different scales and contexts.

Land and Housing: Kick-off meeting

The kick-off meeting of Land and Housing took place just after semester begin. An initial discussion took place which each member outlined their research interests and how they intersect with the Research Domain’s themes. The group discussed potential events that could be organised, primarily to provide a platform for researchers at DGEO and to raise the profile of the Research Domain. Next steps are to collect and categorise member profiles and publications relating to the Research Domain. 

Save the date for our next meeting scheduled for November 25, 2026, at 14:00.

All are welcome!

Questions?  Contact Constance Carr or Florian Hertweck.

Madron successfully defends her doctoral thesis

DGEO is proud to announce that Karinne Madron (supervisor, Constance Carr) successfully defended her dissertation Monday September 7. Her dissertation entitled, "Global Clouds and Local Storms: A critical analysis of data centre development dispositifs,” addresses a timely and highly relevant topic in geography. Data centres invoke complex ecological, social, economic and political challenges, while spatial research on their development and governance remains limited. A significant contribution of her work is the development and application of Foucault's concept of the ‘dispositif’ to study the local politics of global technological development showing how actors, discourses and practices work together to shape data centre development. The dispositif shows that data centre development is shaped by power relations relying on processes of depoliticisation, practices of secrecy and opacity, and carefully crafted discourses and discursive alignments, highlighting the challenges posed to spatial planning in particular by the dominant positions of global digital corporations. Her thesis therefore addressed an existing research gap and made an original contribution to current debates in geography, urban planning and practice.

Chaired by Professor Caruso, her work generated interest and a lively discussion across the examining committee that included Professors Markus Hesse, Andrew Karvonen, Antje Matern, and her supervisor Dr. Constance Carr.

Congratulations Dr. Madron!

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>