Philosophy of the City Conference 2021 (POTC2021)

The Philosophy of the City (POTC) Research  Group takes the city as an object of study, focusing on its political, social, epistemological, metaphysical, ethical, and environmental dimensions. 

From an interdisciplinary perspective, it incorporates disciplines such as urban planning, environmental science and studies, ecology, architecture, geography, and the arts. Research questions often deal with applied philosophy and ethics, and utilize established knowledge from other areas of study. All philosophical traditions are welcome.

The group holds a conference annually, along with sessions at the American Philosophical Association’s meetings. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the philosophical dimensions of the city.

• Shane Epting, Codirector
• Ronald R. Sundstrom, Codirector
• Michael Nagenborg, Codirector
• Jules Simon, Codirector
• Sanna Lehtinen, Codirector
• Judith Green, Executive Committee Member
• David Woods, Executive Committee Member

The Philosophy of the City Research Group hosted its first international event in New York in 2013. Ever since, the annual conferences and summer colloquia have been the central activities of a growing community of scholars sharing their passion for philosophy and the city.

Conferences hosted by the Philosophy of The City Research Group include:

• Philosophy of the City 2020, Warsaw, Poland
• Philosophy of The City 2019, Detroit, Michigan
• Philosophy of The City 2018, Bogota, Columbia
• Philosophy of The City 2017, Porto, Portugal
• Philosophy of The City 2016, San Francisco
• Philosophy of The City 2015, Hong Kong, Portland and Mexico City
• Philosophy of The City 2014, Mexico City
• Philosophy of The City 2013, New York

Philosophy of the City Annual Conference 2022: 20.–22.10.2022 Turin, Italy

In collaboration with LABONT – Center for Ontology of the University of Turin is inviting proposals for presentations at our annual conference.

We are in the process of setting up a dedicated conference website. Submit your abstract via Easychair before June 15, 2022.

All times are given as UTC +0. Please make sure that you convert the time to your own local time zone.

We will use Zoom as the main platform. Conference attendance is free, but registration is required. Registration will remain open till the end of the conference.

We will use breakout rooms for the smart city workshop. In other words, you will need no additional login. Just log in to the conference and choose a breakout room.

Given the duration of the event, we will be strict on time management. By default, we will not make any programme changes due to cancellations and no-shows. Example: If the talk at 14:00 is cancelled, the next talk will start at 14:30 as planned.

Main stage

Special track on Smart Cities

We will use breakout rooms for the smart city workshop. In other words, you will need no additional login. Just log in to the conference and choose a breakout room.

Call for local hosts: Help us in setting up a suitable infrastructure

We are also looking for local hosts, who take care of the event in their local time-zone.

Local hosts will:

• Act as moderators while the event is in their time-zone,
• Reach out to scholars in their region,
• Participate in the review process 
• Local hosts should be willing to chair and facilitate the meeting for 4-8 hours in their own time zone and run a Zoom meeting (as a backup for the global stream).
• If you are interested in serving as a local host or have questions about how to approach being a local host, you can also send us questions. We will support you in this endeavour.
• Interested? Contact for local hosts: m.h.nagenborg@utwente.nl 

Organization Committee:

• Michael Nagenborg, University of Twente
• Sanna Lehtinen, Aalto University
• Alexandria K. Poole, University of Twente

Confirmed Local hosts:

• Jules Simon, University of Texas at El Paso
• Shane Epting, Missouri University of Science and Technology
• Ronald R. Sundstrom, University of San Francisco
• Remmon Barbaza, Ateneo de Manila University

• Michael Nagenborg, University of Twente
• Sanna Lehtinen, Aalto University
• Alexandria K. Poole, University of Twente

• Jules Simon, University of Texas at El Paso
• Shane Epting, Missouri University of Science and Technology
• Ronald R. Sundstrom, University of San Francisco
• Remmon Barbaza, Ateneo de Manila University

We especially invite scholars to reflect on the role of the city in the current pandemic and how our relationships with cities may change in a Post-COVID situation. This may include but is certainly not limited to topics such as "Architecture, urban planning and public health" or "Sustainable development in a time of crisis." Non-Covid related presentations are also welcome. For your inspiration, here are some potential topics:

• Architecture, urban planning and public health
• Sustainable development in a time of crisis
• Issues in Housing, Transportation, Smart Cities, Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Food
• Urban Affairs & Social Identities: Race, Class, Gender, Sexuality and Citizenship
• Urban Aesthetics
• Technology and the City
• Urban Resilience
• Covid, Health Equity and the City
• Sound, Light and Sensory Landscapes in the City

Presentations should be approx. 20 minutes long. Q&A will be enabled via chat function or according to the moderator’s instructions. By default, all presentations should be in English, but we are open to variations. We particularly encourage submissions from graduate students and early-career researchers.

Submit via EASY CHAIR the following:

• Anonymized abstract
• 300-word-max abstract (docx, otd, or pdf format) 
• Include 5 keywords
• Add your preferred time zone of presentation at the beginning of the abstract

We provide you with:

• An opportunity to meet Philosophers of the City around the globe 
• A platform to present your recent research 
• Discuss and communicate ideas relating to the Covid-19 pandemic in an online setting
• Those that self-identify as junior researchers will be provided with more extensive feedback on your submission

• 22 March 2021:     Deadline for abstracts (extended)
• 01 April 2021:        Decisions
• 15 April 2021:        Confirmation of participation
• 30 April 2021:        Release of the schedule
• 17 May 2021:         24 hours of philosophy around the world

Local hosts will help guide our viewers through 24 hours of philosophy. As a local host, you act as a moderator and help ensure a fluid experience while the conference is live for your time zone/region. If you are interested in serving as a local host or have questions about how to approach being a local host, you can also send us questions. We will support you in this endeavour.

Local hosts will:

• Act as moderators while the event is in their time-zone,
• Reach out to scholars in their region,
• Participate in the review process 
• Local hosts should be willing to chair and facilitate the meeting for 4-8 hours in their own time zone and run a Zoom meeting (as a backup for the global stream).
• If you are interested in serving as a local host or have questions about how to approach being a local host, you can also send us questions. We will support you in this endeavour.

Interested? Contact for local hosts: m.h.nagenborg@utwente.nl