Autor: adelapetrovic

Our team member Adela Petrovic will be one of the speakers at the upcoming event, „Participation of Marginalised Voices in Urban Decision-Making,“ which will be held on 29 April 2025, 5:00 – 7:00 pm (Prague). This event is a part of a 4EU+ project titled “The recognition of the fragile body in the city: An interdisciplinary perspective on European fundamental values.” This collaborative initiative unites academic and professional voices from the University of Copenhagen, Charles University in Prague, and the University of Geneva. Organized under the 4EU+ Flagship 2 framework, this project is a dynamic platform fostering interdisciplinary dialogue among anthropology, urban sociology, history, political science, and architecture. Each workshop hosted by the partnering universities provides a unique lens on the intersection of democratic culture and urban life. The session, led by Tomàš Karásek and Nikolena Nocheva from Charles University, will explore pivotal questions such as how urban actors can ensure the inclusion of fragile and marginalised voices in urban decision-making processes. The invited speakers include:

• Adela Petrovic (Charles University) on public space challenges faced by minority groups.
• Ross Beveridge (University of Glasgow) on redefining democracy in urban life.

Additionally, insights from Talide Cividino (Office de l’Urbanisme, Geneva) and Joy Bruni (La Maison du Récit, Lausanne) will offer practical approaches to promoting inclusive participation. Find more information here, and register by clicking here.    

The concluding conference of the 4EU+ course, „Urban Regulations and Political Memory: Towards Understanding Spatio-Temporal Aspects of Urban Development,“ was held in Prague at the Faculty of Science from March 26 to 28, organised by Prof. Martin Ouředníček and Adél Petrovic. The 4EU+ multidisciplinary course „Urban Regulations and Political Memory: Towards Understanding Spatio-Temporal Aspects of Urban Development“ (UNREAD) is one of the educational projects developed under Flagship 1. The topics of this course include the driving forces of urban change, the development of smart cities, and multidisciplinary methodologies in urban studies applied to cases in Czechia, Poland, Italy and beyond.

About the course

Within the 4EU+ Alliance framework, the UNREAD course was established through a collaboration of historians, lawyers, and geographers from three universities in 2021: the University of Warsaw, the University of Milan and Charles University. Since then, the course has continued uninterrupted, despite various challenges. In 2023, the team was enriched by one additional member from Sorbonne University and in 2024 by Heidelberg University, counting now five member universities from the Alliance. Each year, a conference is organized at one of the participating universities, where students can finally meet and spend a few days together, presenting the results of their teamwork.

Topics of conference presentations

At this year’s conference, students from the course presented their research project outcomes. Gentrification, urban renewal, urban green spaces, and mobility are the main topics covered by students during the three panels of the event. Participants also enjoyed a guided tour of Prague’s housing estates and suburbs. On the final day, the project’s main coordinators led a panel discussion and sought feedback from the attendees. Despite the challenges, the positive aspects emphasized that the course is multidisciplinary, interactive (even in its virtual format), and international, offering the chance to connect with colleagues from other universities and establish international contacts.

Photos from the conference here.

The project titled „Understanding intersections of neighborhood change, marginalization and racism: a comparative and collaborative research initiative„, funded by Charles University’s Strategic Partnership fund, successfully implemented key activities and workshops, fostering collaboration between Charles University and the University of Zurich. Despite challenges, such as a last-minute cancellation due to COVID-19, the workshops in Prague and Zurich proceeded with minor adjustments. The workshop was rescheduled in Prague and involved Urban Social Geography students, enriching their understanding of socio-spatial inequalities and neighborhood change. In Zurich, Adel Petrovic and Prof. Martin Ouředníček (URRlab) joined Prof. Hilbrandt and her team (SURB) to explore social exclusion and racism in urban contexts, complemented by small-group discussions, research project presentations (URRlab presented OP JAK project, while SURB Responsible City project) and neighborhood bike tours. The collaboration extended to the Swiss Geoscience Meeting in Basel, enhancing project outcomes and paving the way for sustained partnerships. The insights gained are already being applied in teaching and research at both institutions. Looking ahead, this partnership continues under the OP JAK project, supporting research on mobility and urban transformation over the next four years. Prof. Hilbrandt’s role as an external URRlab member underscores the project’s enduring impact on academic and institutional collaboration.