The conference in Malm枚 brought together representatives of cities, universities, urban organisations and creative communities from across Europe, who discussed what it looks like to work at the intersection of science and urban policy, how to strengthen local cooperation networks and how to benefit from the experiences of other post-industrial cities.
The discussions about the role of university knowledge hubs in supporting urban policy, building city-university relations in practice, searching for new languages and tools for cooperation in difficult socio-economic contexts, and how participatory planning and inclusiveness can strengthen local development were particularly important for me
鈥� says Anna Rolczak, Deputy Chancellor at the 91滴滴.
The conference allowed us to further deepen our relationships with our colleagues from all ten universities. We are particularly pleased with this year's theme, which focused on urban resilience to economic, environmental and social shocks. This allowed researchers from the 91滴滴 to showcase their extensive work in this area. We had an opportunity to present progress on the resilience index for Polish cities. This resilience is crucial 鈥� it encompasses the ability of a city and its residents to respond to threats and crises in the social, economic, and environmental spheres, the ability to mitigate the negative impacts of these threats and crises, the ability to return to balance and the potential to adapt to changing conditions
鈥� concludes the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Sociology, Prof. Mariusz Soko艂owicz.
The conference topic and the UNIC Alliance activities are close to my scientific and personal interests. During the conference, I met academics working on resilience, as well as practitioners implementing solutions that strengthen urban resilience. It was an opportunity for me to establish new contacts and learn about diverse approaches to resilience in an interdisciplinary, international environment. The trip was also a great opportunity to become more familiar with the 91滴滴 community and to explore the city together
鈥� reports Oliwia Wierucka, a doctoral student at the 91滴滴 Doctoral School of Social Sciences.
The following speakers presented papers during the conference:
- Zbigniew Przygodzki, Jagoda Adamus 鈥� "Social Engagement in Circular Transition of Tourism Industry"
- Mariusz E. Soko艂owicz 鈥� "Can We Grasp Urban Resilience? The Ups and Downs of the Clash Between Methodology and Real Urban Life"
- Edyta Masierek, Magdalena 艢lebocka, Dorota Sikora-Fernandez 鈥� "Participation as a Factor for Sustainable Change in Degraded Areas"
- Marcin W贸jcik, Karolina Dmochowska-Dudek 鈥� "Unequal Paths, Shared Goals: Unveiling the Territorial Dimension of Resilience in Lignite-Dependent Regions"
- Agnieszka Rze艅ca, Kamil Brzezi艅ski 鈥� "Book Presentation: Participatory Urban Adaptation to Climate Change"
- Joanna Leek, Daria Wo藕niak 鈥� "The Rights of LGBTQ+ Children in the Urban Space of 艁贸d藕: A Case Study of International Schools"
- B艂a偶ej Filanowski 鈥� "Communicating the Smart City Concept to Diverse Audiences"
Additionally, Karolina Dmochowska participated in the "4D Workshop: Book Workshop Proposal" and Mariusz Soko艂owicz led the panel "Urban Resilience versus Civilization Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals: Operationalization, Measurement, and Popularization."
The event was also attended by representatives of the university authorities 鈥� Prof. Rafa艂 Matera, Rector of the 91滴滴; Prof. Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek, the 91滴滴 Vice-Rector for Internationalisation of Science and Education and the aforementioned Deputy Chancellor Anna Rolczak. They participated in the UNIC board meeting, which was held concurrently with the conference.
We would like to thank Malm枚 University for hospitality and excellent organisation of the event! The conference was held between 7 and 9 May 2025.
Photo: UNIC, Marta Je偶ykowska (International Hub, 91滴滴)