VUB-ULB urban and sustainable transitions research day

Colourful paterned grafitti on a wall, cobblestone street
Organized by the networks for urban studies and sustainable transitions research at the ULB and VUB, the joint research day brings together researchers from across disciplines and the two universities. Present your own research, learn about research from other colleagues, and have ample time for informal networking and exchange.

The research day in Brussels aims to increase awareness among researchers from the two universities of each other’s work: what are people working on? Who is involved in which projects? The event also offers a platform for developing relevant connections between researchers that transcend their disciplinary, research group and university affiliation. The research day will showcase ongoing or finished interdisciplinary projects at VUB and ULB as learning moments and to reflect on opportunities and challenges. This partially entails an engagement with the urban environment of Brussels: what is the role of urban and sustainable transitions research for Brussels? How can we envision new, more livable futures for the city? Ultimately, the research day wants to contribute to the development of sustainable collaborations between the two universities and to propose concrete action points on how to get there.  

We are now accepting proposals to participate and present your research. Complete the form (link below) indicating your interest.

who?

Open to all faculty, PhD and postdoctoral researchers doing research on urban and/or sustainability issues! We adopt an open definition of both domains, but particularly welcome contributions that are positioned at the intersection of the urban and the environmental. Empirically, we are looking forward to receiving contributions on cases from across the world.

formats?

We aim for a research day with a diversity of formats, but explicitly foreground informal exchange and dialogue. The research day will not focus on classical paper presentation sessions, but will prioritize formats such as short research pitches on specific societal challenges, roundtable discussions, open space/world café methodologies, and collective mapping exercises. An important goal of the research day is also to strengthen connections between ULB and VUB researchers and to identify concrete strategies for the future. To facilitate this, the research day will allow for sharing experiences on previous/existing collaborative projects, for thematic networking to bring together researchers from across the two universities, and for discussing funding opportunities. During a closing plenary discussion, we will collect and discuss ideas on ‘what’s next?’ and propose concrete steps.

when and where?

Friday 16 September 2022 (full day). Royal Library of Belgium | Press Room, Brussels.

apply?

The application window is now closed. More details on the full programme will follow.

programme

9.00-9.30        Arrival and registration

9.30-9.45        Welcome

9.45-11.00       Roundtable/fishbowl 1: Materiality > Shaping a sustainable city, what do  urban transitions look like?

11.00-11.30      Coffee and cake

11.30-12.45      Roundtable/fishbowl 2: Methods > Sustainable city as a subject, does our role and methods change together with the city?

12.45-14.15      Lunch and thematic networking

14.15-14.45      Posters pitches

14.45-16.00     Roundtable/fishbowl 3: Learning > Knowledge for a sustainable city, who actually learns and benefits?

16.00-17.30     Closing session + drinks

organization

Organized by VUB’s Brussels Centre for Urban Studies (BCUS), ULB’s Network of Studies on Brussels (EBxl) and Inter-faculty Institute for Socio-Ecological Transformations (iiTSE), and the VUB-ULB’s Usquare OpenLab, the joint research day showcases urban and environmental research from across disciplines and the two universities.

Organizing committee: Bieke Abelshausen (VUB), Tom Bauler (SONYA, ULB), Els Enhus (CRiS, VUB), Waldo Galle (ARCH, VUB), Marek Hudon (SBS-EM, ULB), Lena Imeraj (BCUS, VUB), Cathy Macharis (mobilise, VUB), Linde Moriau (OpenLab), Bas van Heur (BCUS, VUB), Benjamin Wayens (EBxl, ULB).

 

 

Picture by Marijke Vermandere.