N-AERUS Conference 2026

The Role of Partnerships in Development: Knowledge, Power, and Urban Futures

Development thinking and practice are currently under considerable pressure. Across many regions, universities face shrinking budgets, overseas development assistance is declining, and governments are increasingly focused inward. At the same time, global challenges demand collective responses that transcend borders, scales, and sectors.

In this context, partnerships—between universities, governments, civil society, communities, and the private sector—have become central to how knowledge is produced, shared, and mobilised in urban development. Yet partnerships are not neutral. They are shaped by unequal power relations, institutional hierarchies, funding regimes, and competing epistemologies.

The 23rd N-AERUS Conference invites scholars and practitioners to critically examine:
• How partnerships shape development agendas and urban futures
• Whose knowledge counts, circulates, and becomes institutionalised
• How North–South collaborations can move beyond extractive or symbolic cooperation toward more just, equitable, reciprocal, and transformative forms of engagement

Building on N-AERUS’ long-standing concern with inclusive urban development, the conference explores partnerships as both vehicles of opportunity and sites of contestation.

Call for Papers Now Open | 23rd N-AERUS Conference 2026

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Call for Papers for the 23rd N-AERUS Conference, taking place 27–29 October 2026 in an innovative hybrid, multi-locational format across the Global North and South.

The Role of Partnerships in Development: Knowledge, Power, and Urban Futures

At a time of increasing global uncertainty, shifting development agendas, and growing urban challenges, this year’s conference invites researchers and practitioners to critically reflect on how partnerships shape urban development, knowledge production, and power relations across contexts.

We welcome contributions on topics including:

• Urban transformations and South–South partnerships
• Housing, resilience, and inclusive urban development
• Governance, humanitarianism, and migration
• Spatial knowledge, data, and technology in urban partnerships
• Education, training, and capacity-building collaborations

Abstract submission deadline: 15 July 2026

Submission details: Abstracts (max. 300 words) should be submitted in English and may include individual papers or panel proposals

Submission Form: https://lnkd.in/eFeQPqmh

In line with N-AERUS tradition, no conference fees will be charged, and participation is possible both in-person and online. Whether you are working on critical urban research, policy, or practice, we warmly encourage you to contribute to this global dialogue on more just, equitable, and transformative partnerships in urban development.

Hosted by: USP - Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. IHS, Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands. International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands. Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of the University of Twente), Netherlands.