The scientific group of Ural Federal University “Open City: from theoretical issues towards innovative projecting” kindly invites you to participate at the scientific conference:

“OPEN CITY”: APPROACHES, CRITERIA, PRACTICE which is to be held on October 23, 2015 at Ural Federal University.

The conference consists of a one-day international meeting with specialized presentations and debates by invited senior scholars. The aim is to offer a platform to scholars to present their research on the topic and exchange their ideas on research findings. Such a meeting may open up new multidisciplinary horizons to think about the topic. Besides empirical research, also conceptual or methodological contributions from various disciplines are welcomed for submission.

Researchers, doctoral students and other experts are welcome to submit their application until 10 October 2015.

Sincerely yours,

Tatiana Bystrova
Ekaterinburg, Russia

Call for papers

The dynamics of development of contemporary cities is provided by presence of the updated set of axiological views for creating/transformation of sociocultural milieu. This process is inextricably linked with the concept “open city” as a focal point that sets the impulses of development in many cities all over the world.  The systematization and rethinking of gained experience provide new ways for the endorsement of cultural, tourist, design, museum, development business projects in Yekaterinburg.

Challenges, confronting urban culture under current conditions, actualize the need in specialists capable of solving the humanitarian issues currently facing society: from human health maintenance and environmental ecology to self-organization of the urban communities. The concept “Open City” allows us to tell about paradigm shift as well as serves to strengthen the position of the participants of urban processes. At the same time the idea of open city, as well as theory of cultural participation, ecology, energy-servings, resource-economy, manifests itself in principally new forms and structures of objective reality. It is considered to be one of the most effective ways to acquaint the wider public with the latest urban trends and practices.

The sub-themes include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Historical, sociocultural and theoretical foundations of the idea “Open City”. Optimal methods of investigation of the open city: spheres of interdisciplinary cooperation.
2. Criteria and modes of openness: objective-spatial milieu, safety and ecology, communications and values, symbolic expression.
3.  Projecting and research tools in the achievement of openness: modelling, participatory projecting, working with patterns, cultural practices.
4. Yekaterinburg: the dynamics of openness and closeness, history and modernity. University as an intensification factor of urban openness.

All submissions will be reviewed and volume will be published as part of the project “Open City”. There is no registration fee. Participants themselves will cover their own round-trip travel expenses and accommodation (excluding for key-note speakers).

If you are interested in participating in the international academic conference, please submit your application by 10th of September, 2015 via email to Tatiana Bystrova ([email protected]) and Alyona Shutova [email protected].

The application should include the following information:

• the title of the proposed paper,
• an  extended  abstract consists of 3000 characters,
• personal contact details (full name, job title, institutional affiliation, current position, postal address, contact phone, fax, and e-mail address).

Further information below...