International Conference
'At the frontiers of Urban Space'
CALL FOR PAPERS CLOSED

Avignon, France
DEADLINE | 11.10.2013
Université d'Avignon et des Pays du Vaucluse 
e-Geopolis
 UMR ESPACE | Etudes des structures, des Processessus d'Adaptation et des Changements de l'Espace
CNRS : Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 
 

From 22nd to 24th January 2014 will be held the International conference "At the Frontiers of  Urban Space. Small towns of the world: emergence, growth, economic and social role, territorial integration, governance" at the University of Avignon. Organized by François Moriconi, Catherine Chatel et Julien Bordagi (UMR 7300 ESPACE - Avignon), the conference aims to expose various issues concerning the bottom of the urban hierarchy and how these can enrich the urban concept.

 

CALL FOR PAPERS 
When we speak of cities, the attention of researchers, the media, and institutions is traditionally focused on large metropoles. Yet in reality, half the urban population of the world lives in hundreds of small and medium-sized cities (Moriconi-Ebrard, 1994). These agglomerations play a key role in urban growth. They have heterogeneous dynamics and profiles that diverge from what is observed in metro cities. Therefore, studies of the base of the urban hierarchy enrich and deepen the urban concept as a whole. 
Defining these agglomerations also requires the testing of categories of space which go beyond a simple, and increasingly problematic, urban-rural dichotomy. In the context of fieldwork, researchers’ observations are faced with the arbitrary official definition of urban areas, which differ from one country to the next. This contributes to the fuzziness of objective boundaries between “small towns” and villages. The change of the status of small agglomerations can lead to modifications in fiscal, environmental and urban rules. 
In a global marketplace, where agglomeration economies are prioritized, metro cities seem to be the only competitive spaces. In reality however, small towns are often spaces of innovation capable of taking their own place in wider global networks (Bairoch, 1984). What are the major assets of such towns compared with larger metro cities? How do they face the major spatial issues of a society: mobility, land access and competition, exploitation of local resources, procurement, and environmental protection? These issues are dependent on forms of spatial organisation, which are themselves the result of intense processes of concentration and dispersion. Do clusters, urban corridors and dispersed settlements represent specific organisational types of such intermediary, “in-between” spaces?

CONFERENCE THEMES
• Comparative approach: India, Europe, Africa, Latin America…
• Small towns, networks and mobility
• Small town and land issues
• Urban systems and hierarchies
• Emerging towns: genesis and history
• Role of politics, role of spontaneous urbanisation
• Small town economy
• Small towns and sustainable development

ORGANISING COMMITTEE
Julien Bordagi | Ph. D. candidate UMR 7300 ESPACE and French Institute of Pontecherry
Nathalie Brachet | Technician PAO UMR 7300 ESPACE
Cathy Chatel | ATER Université d'Avignon et de Pays de Vaucluse, UMR 7300 ESPACE
Loïc Grasland | Profesor Université d'Avignon et de Pays de Vaucluse, Co-directeur de l'UMR 7300 ESPACE
Michel Guerin | Secretary-Manager, UMR 7300 ESPACE
François Moriconi | Research Director CNRS, UMR 7300 ESPACE
Mounir Redjimi | Associate Professor Université d'Avignon et de Pays de Vaucluse, UMR 7300 ESPACE

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE 
Cathy Chatel | ATER University of Avignon
Eric Denis | Researcher CNRS, UMR Géographie-cités
Michel Dimou | Professor in Spatial Economy, University of Toulon
Marie-Eve Fererol | PhD. in Urban Geography, University of Clermont Ferrand
Hervé Gazel | Associate professor in Geography, University Lyon III
Frédéric Girault | Professor in Geography, University of Genève
Dominique Harre-Rogers | Consultant. Doctor of socio-economic
Philipp Heinrigs | Economist, OECD
Jean-Paul Hubert | Research director, Geography, INRETS
Jacques Imbernon | Researcher in agronomy, CIRAD
Kamala Marius | Associate professor HDR in Geography, University of Bordeaux III
Jordi Marti-Henneberg | Professor in Geography, University of Lleida
François Moriconi | Research director CNRS, UMR 7300 ESPACE
Thierry Rebour | Associate professor in Geography, University of Amiens
Mounir Redjimi | Associate professor, Geography, University of Avignon
Alexandra Schaffar | Associate professor in Economy, University of Toulon

IMPORTANT DATES
11.10.2013 | Final date for abstract submission
05.12.2013 | Paper confirmation
20.12.2013 | Final date for sending full paper

REGISTRATION FEES
including participation to the workshops, conferences, round-tables, documentation, and lunch...
Fees from 12/05/2013
• Professors / Researchers / Professionals | 200 euros
• Students | 100 euros
• Students / Professors / Researchers at the University of Avignon | free

INFO & CONTACTS
Conference website
EMAIL | fronturb2013@sciencesconf.org