The topic for the 5th Urban Research Symposium is Cities and Climate Change: Responding to the Urgent Agenda.

At a time when climate change is a major priority for the international community, this Symposium aims at pushing forward the research agenda on climate change from a city’s perspective.

Specifically, the main questions will be structured around the impacts of city and urban growth on climate change; measuring and anticipating the consequences of climate change on urban quality of life, city assets, and local and national economies; and assessing alternatives to increase the resilience of cities and related costs and incentives required for successful implementation.

The Symposium is structured around five broad research clusters which represent the most relevant issues faced by cities and peri-urban areas on climate change.

Cluster 1: Science and Indicators of Climate Change and Related Impacts: Understanding and measuring how cities impact, and are impacted by, climate change.

Cluster 2: Infrastructure, Built Environment, and Energy Efficiency: Planning efficiently and effectively to increase the resilience of cities.

Cluster 3: Role of Institutions, Governance, and Urban Planning: Improving management, coordination, and planning of cities to meet climate change challenges.

Cluster 4: Incentive policies, economics and finance: Understanding how and why cities respond to climate change.

Cluster 5: Social aspects of climate change: Understanding and reducing vulnerability of urban populations to climate change.

Two publications are expected to be produced following the Symposium. The first publication will include the ten most relevant and cutting-edge research papers directed towards academics and researchers. The second will be a handbook aimed at decision makers of no more than 40 short papers on the practical applications of dealing with the challenge of climate change in cities. These papers will have a strong emphasis on policy implications, mitigation and adaptation strategies, and new options for financing climate change-related policies and technologies.

Latest News

• The detailed program is now available, as well as the new simplified program. The Symposium will feature 8 teams of commissioned researchers, 8 plenary sessions, 10 invited sessions, about 150 papers in 33 parallel sessions, 4 side events (on June 27 and July 1st), posters and an exhibition area.

• The program for the side event “Climate and Mediterranean Cities” and "Launch: Eco2 Cities" is now available. A separate registration is required.

• Initial data is now available on the speakers and the attendance of the Symposium.

• Registration is now available! The registration fee is 200 euros (except for speakers and partners) and 100 euros for students and those attending for only one day.

• More than 500 proposals, coming from about 80 countries, were received for the call for papers. Thank you to all the authors and co-authors. The list of the selected papers is available in the Program section.

Visit the Symposium website at: http://www.urs2009.net/