Author: adelapetrovic

4EU+ Course

Urban Regulations and Political Memory:

Towards Understanding Spatio-Temporal Aspects of Urban Development (UNREAD)

  Course description: „Urban Regulations and Political Memory: Towards Understanding Spatio-Temporal Aspects of Urban Development” is an international, interdisciplinary course organised by five 4EU+ member universities: University of Warsaw, University of Milan, Charles University, Sorbonne University, Heidelberg University as part of the 4EU+ joint educational offer during the academic year 2025/2026. Key topics of the course are the driving forces of urban changes, development of smart cities and interdisciplinary methodologies of urban studies. The course is developed as part of an educational project which addresses changes in the conditions of the urban development of smart cities in Poland, Italy, Czechia and Germany, according to three dimensions: past (history), present (law) and future (geography). Emphasis is put on integrated and interdisciplinary approach in order to help students understand the complexity of new urban centres in which real estate development must coexist with the protection of the environment and with the history and heritage of the local community. The course will be conducted by an interdisciplinary team of historians, lawyers, geographers and educational sciences specialists.   Course dates: virtual part – Wednesdays afternoons, starting from 8 October 2025 (13:15-14:45 / 13:15-15:45 / 13:15-16:30); on-site part 23-27 February 2026   Language of instruction: English.   Number of online didactic hours: 47 (lectures and workshops): 27 virtual hours (October – December 2025), 20 on-site hours (23-27 February 2026)   Assessment methods and conditions for obtaining credit: Group work: producing an essay and delivering a presentation (each student group has to comprise participants from different universities). Essays will be presented at a face-to-face conference (2 days) held at the University of Warsaw in February 2026 during 5 days on-site period of the course.   ECTS: 6.

How to apply?

• The students will be selected based on their CV and motivation letter.
• The deadline for sending the documents is 23 September 2025.
• The CV and the motivation letter should be sent as a single PDF document to unread@wpia.uw.edu.pl
• The file’s name should contain the applicant’s name (surname_name.pdf), and the subject of the email should be “UNREAD recruitment”.
• The motivation letter should indicate the students’ objectives and motivations for taking the course.
• The motivation letter should not exceed 1,000 characters.

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 neighbourhood change, marginalisation 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 neighbourhood 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 neighbourhood 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.

Call for applications! Students from geography, history, law, and other related fields of study from all levels are welcome to join.

Course description:

“Urban Regulations and Political Memory: Towards Understanding Spatio-Temporal Aspects of Urban Development” is an international, interdisciplinary course organised by five 4EU+ member universities: University of Warsaw, University of Milan, Charles University, Sorbonne University, Heidelberg University as part of the 4EU+ joint educational offer during the academic year 2024/2025. Key topics of the course are the driving forces of urban changes, development of smart cities and interdisciplinary methodologies of urban studies. The course is developed as part of an educational project which addresses changes in the conditions of the urban development of smart cities in Poland, Italy, Czechia and Germany, according to three dimensions: past (history), present (law) and future (geography). Emphasis is put on integrated and interdisciplinary approach in order to help students understand the complexity of new urban centres in which real estate development must coexist with the protection of the environment and with the history and heritage of the local community. The course will be conducted by an interdisciplinary team of historians, lawyers, geographers and educational sciences specialists.

• Course dates: Wednesdays afternoons, starting from 2 October 2024 (13:15-14:45 / 13:15-15:45 / 13:15-16:30).
• Language of instruction: English.
• Number of online didactic hours: around 30 (lectures and workshops).

Assessment methods and conditions for obtaining credit:

Group work: producing an essay and delivering a presentation (each student group has to comprise participants from different universities). Essays will be presented at a face-to-face conference (2 days) held at the Charles University in Prague in March 2025. The best student essays could be published on the course communication platform / website or in co-authorship with the tutor in journals.

• ECTS credits at Charles University: Faculty of Law 4, Faculty of Science 5. / ECTS credits at the University of Milan: 3. (University of Milan: history –only MA students).
• ECTS credits at the University of Warsaw: Faculty of Law 8, Faculty of History 4, Faculty of Geography 8 / ECTS credits at Heidelberg University: Faculty of Geography 8.

Application and selection:

The students will be selected based on their CVs and motivation letters. The deadline for sending the documents is 16 September 2024. The CV and the motivation letter should be sent as a single PDF document to unread@wpia.uw.edu.pl. The file’s name should contain the applicant’s name (surname_name.pdf), and the subject of the email should be “UNREAD+ recruitment”. The motivation letter should indicate the students’ objectives and motivations for taking the course. The motivation letter should not exceed 1,000 characters. Check out our last year’s edition!