The conference in Malmö 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
– says Anna Rolczak, Deputy Chancellor at the University of Lodz.
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 University of Lodz 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 – 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
– concludes the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Sociology, Prof. Mariusz Sokołowicz.
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 University of Lodz community and to explore the city together
– reports Oliwia Wierucka, a doctoral student at the University of Lodz Doctoral School of Social Sciences.
The following speakers presented papers during the conference:
- Zbigniew Przygodzki, Jagoda Adamus – "Social Engagement in Circular Transition of Tourism Industry"
- Mariusz E. Sokołowicz – "Can We Grasp Urban Resilience? The Ups and Downs of the Clash Between Methodology and Real Urban Life"
- Edyta Masierek, Magdalena Ślebocka, Dorota Sikora-Fernandez – "Participation as a Factor for Sustainable Change in Degraded Areas"
- Marcin Wójcik, Karolina Dmochowska-Dudek – "Unequal Paths, Shared Goals: Unveiling the Territorial Dimension of Resilience in Lignite-Dependent Regions"
- Agnieszka Rzeńca, Kamil Brzeziński – "Book Presentation: Participatory Urban Adaptation to Climate Change"
- Joanna Leek, Daria Woźniak – "The Rights of LGBTQ+ Children in the Urban Space of Łódź: A Case Study of International Schools"
- Błażej Filanowski – "Communicating the Smart City Concept to Diverse Audiences"
Additionally, Karolina Dmochowska participated in the "4D Workshop: Book Workshop Proposal" and Mariusz Sokołowicz 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 – Prof. Rafał Matera, Rector of the University of Lodz; Prof. Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek, the University of Lodz 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 Malmö University for hospitality and excellent organisation of the event! The conference was held between 7 and 9 May 2025.
Photo: UNIC, Marta Jeżykowska (International Hub, University of Lodz)