(Call for Papers) Regional Studies Association Annual Conference 2016
3rd April, 2016 – 6th April, 2016 Graz, Austria
Special session
Beyond growth – regional development and planning in non-core regions
Organisers: Thilo Lang, Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (Leipzig), Anke Matuschewski (University of Bayreuth), Birgit Leick (University of Bayreuth)
This special session is dedicated to explore alternative development perspectives of non-core regions. By non-core regions, we understand contexts where conditions of rurality and peripherality, or persistent economic downturn and long-term industrial crisis dominate the prospects of regional development. Such regions can be found in Southern Europe in the aftermath of the recent global financial and economic crisis, in Eastern Europe as a result of post socialist transformations but also in demographically shrinking rural or peripheralised places across Europe. Given multiple and complex challenges attached to such conditions that adversely affect local development, it is essential to consider new and alternative conceptualizations of non-core regions. In addition, specific planning approaches are needed for these types of regions that differ from the standard approaches applied to the metropolitan or non-peripheral counterparts, where, all too often, economic growth stimulates population growth and social-cultural development. This session therefore wants to collect contributions in various fields such as planning theory and practice, heterodox concepts highlighting local and social economies, approaches of regional resilience, rurality studies, and others to enhance our knowledge in the following topical areas (and beyond):
– Theoretical perspectives that help establish counter-conceptualizations to economic growth in a spatial context or with regard to specific types of non-core regions,
– Empirical perspectives on alternative approaches to local and regional development,
– Policy approaches to development in and planning for non-core regions, and
– Critical responses to the policy practices of endogenous development and place based approaches in non-core regions.
We welcome both theoretical and empirical papers to this theme. If you are interested in participating in this special session, please send a title and abstract (between 400 and 500 words) to T_Lang@ifl-leipzig.de, anke.matuschewski@uni-bayreuth.de or birgit.leick@uni-bayreuth.de until December 7, 2015.
