City+

Research network for interdisciplinary urban studies

Announcement

City+2025@Oxford: Urban Data Analytics and the Polycrisis – Call for Abstracts

CityPlus

City+2025@Oxford: The 8th International Conference on Interdisciplinary Urban Studies

Urban Data Analytics and the Polycrisis

September 29th & 30th 2025

School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, the UK

Call for Abstracts

City+ is organising annual international conferences on interdisciplinary urban studies.The first event was City+2017 at University of Cambridge, followed by City+2018 at University College London, City+2019 at Delft University of Technology, City+2021 at Polytechnic University of Milan, City+2022 at Australian National University, City+2023 at Curtin University and City+2024 at University of Kitakyushu. To date, our conferences have already attracted more than eight hundred delegates from many leading universities and institutes across countries from all continents. It has demonstrated its potential to be a good platform for sharing research experiences and thinking, developing cooperation opportunities, and addressing urban concerns from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The forthcoming conference, City+2025@Oxford, will be held in September by the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, a prestigious university globally renowned for its excellence and strong industry-academia-research partnerships in fields of urban and environmental studies. Besides guest speeches and research presentation, the event will feature social programmes including receptions, refreshments, lunches, and the data analytics workshop. We hope that City+2025@Oxford can facilitate researchers to work closely at the forefront of interdisciplinary urban studies through disseminating their research, receiving valuable feedback, expanding academic networks, and boosting potential collaborations.

We are now calling for abstracts on related topics and sincerely invite you to participate in this conference in person or online.

1. Conference Sessions

The general theme of the City+2025@Oxford conference is “Urban Data Analytics and the Polycrisis”. We have three highlights:

The world’s cities are increasingly at the forefront of a complex and interconnected web of challenges—known as the polycrisis. Climate change, economic instability, rapid urbanisation, public health crises, and geopolitical tensions interact in ways that amplify their individual impacts, leaving urban areas particularly vulnerable.

This conference delves into the pivotal role of data analytics in addressing interconnected crises, equipping attendees with the skills to effectively manage and utilise data. By leveraging the power of big data, machine learning, and predictive modelling, we can uncover patterns, assess risks, and develop informed strategies to mitigate future challenges.

Urban centres are not only hubs of opportunities but also the epicentres of vulnerabilities. To build resilient, adaptive cities, we need more robust, actionable data. This event brings together PhD students, leading experts, policymakers, researchers, and industry practitioners to discuss cutting-edge data-driven strategies for academic research, urban resilience, innovation, and equity in the face of the polycrisis.

Keywords

Polycrisis | Urban Data Analytics | Resilience | Smart Cities | Public Policy | Climate Adaptation | Equity

City+2025@Oxford invites submission of abstracts addressing the following key themes:

Theme 1: Climate change, food, and natural resources

Theme 2: Finance, housing, and inequality

Theme 3: Spatial demography, labour dynamics, and migration

Theme 4: Transport system and spatial economy

Abstracts are encouraged to include, but are not limited to the following topics:

  • Case studies of cities and regions facing polycrisis scenarios.
  • Tools for modelling and visualising integrated urban risks.
  • Systems-thinking approaches to managing intersectional hazards.
  • Challenges of data silos and fostering cross-sector collaboration.
  • Role of AI and machine learning in urban crisis management.
  • Bridging the gap between expert-driven analytics and community needs.
  • Smart cities as a model for resilient urban development.
  • Collaborative urban resilience strategies across borders.
  • Open data initiatives and ethical data sharing.
  • Real-time monitoring and predictive analytics for risk mitigation.
  • Equity-focused urban policies in crisis response and recovery.
  • Cross-sector strategies for reducing vulnerabilities.

2. Submission Description

  • Conference format: Hybrid event (in-person attendance preferred, with online participation available upon request)
  • Presentation language: English
  • Presentation format: Oral presentation only
  • Submission requirements: Abstracts must not exceed 300 words. Please submit the completed abstract submission form (available at https://forms.gle/p4At6NhzZApqn1hP8). The committee will evaluate all submissions based on their innovative contributions and academic rigor.

3. Fees

  • Conference registration fee:
Early bird rates(before 30 June 2025)Normal rates
Student rates£90£120
Non-student rates£150£180
  • Formal dinner at University of Oxford: TBC

Registration fees at student rates are available for PhD students. Proof of enrolment, such as an official enrolment certificate, will be required to verify eligibility for the student registration fee. The registration fees cover conference costs including refreshments and lunch. Online payment channels and more details of workshops and the formal dinner will be provided at a later stage.

4. Key Dates (UK time)

Open for abstract submission and registration: 20 February 2025

Deadline for abstract submission: 30 April 2025

Notification of abstract acceptance: 15 May 2025

Deadline for travel grant application: 30 June 2025

Deadline for early bird registration: 30 June 2025

Deadline for registration: 15 August 2025

Conference dates: 29-30 September 2025

5. Keynote Speakers

  • Dr. Benjamin Büttner, School of Engineering and Design, Technical University of Munich, Germany
  • Prof. Thanasis Kizos, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Greece
  • Prof. Zhifu Mi, The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, The United Kingdom
  • Prof. Melinda Mills, Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford, The United Kingdom
  • Prof. Tim Schwanen, Transport Studies Unit, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, The United Kingdom
  • TBC

6. Grants and Awards

6.1 Certificate of Participation

  • All participants will receive a certificate of participation issued by the City+2025@Oxford.

6.2 Travel Grants

The City+2025@Oxford conference is pleased to offer up to 5 travel grants for student participants. Each grant is valued at £100 for participants travelling from within the EU or £150 for those travelling from outside the EU. To apply, please complete and submit the travel grant application form (available at https://forms.gle/yNpQwMyauFHSVUiUA). Your application should include the following:

  • The name of the applicant’s institution and department.
  • Where the applicant will be travelling from.
  • Proof of enrolment.
  • Reasons for application.
  • A brief CV highlighting applicant’s academic performance.

Travel grants will be awarded mainly based on the following criteria:

  • Applicant’s academic achievements to date (e.g., publications).
  • The originality and relevance of the proposed presentation to the conference theme.
  • The diversity of regions represented by applicants.
  • The urgency and necessity of financial support for the applicant.

6.3 Awards

The City+2025@Oxford will recognise outstanding presentations with the best  oral presentation and best student oral presentation awards. The awards will be selected mainly based on the following criteria:

  • Content of the presentation.
  • Clarity and flow of the presentation.
  • Novelty and contribution to the field.
  • Timing.

7. Organisers (mainly in alphabetical order)

7.1 Scientific Committee

  • Manos Chaniotakis, Associate Professor, The Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources, University College London, The United Kingdom
  • Harry Charrington, Professor, School of Architecture and Cities, University of Westminster, The United Kingdom
  • D’Maris Coffman, Professor, The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, The United Kingdom
  • Ashraf Dewan, Associate Professor, School of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Australia
  • Weijun Gao, Professor, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, University of Kitakyushu, Japan
  • Haoying Han, Professor, Faculty of Innovation and Design, City University of Macau, Macau SAR
  • Abolfazl Karimpour, Assistant Professor, College of Engineering, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, The United States
  • Ying Long, Professor, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, China
  • Liang Ma, Research Professor, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, China
  • Xiaobo Ma, Data Scientist, Pima Association of Governments, The United States
  • Nasser Najibi, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, The United States
  • Yongze Song, Senior Lecturer, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University, Australia
  • Li Wan, Associate Professor, Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, The United Kingdom
  • Jiayu Wu, Professor, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, China
  • Motti Zohar, Senior Lecturer, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel

7.2 Local Committee

  • Tim Schwanen (Honorary chair), University of Oxford, The United Kingdom
  • Xiang Ao (Chair), University of Oxford, The United Kingdom
  • Nicholas Chow, University of Oxford, The United Kingdom
  • Dasom Hong, University of Oxford, The United Kingdom
  • Min Ruan, University of Oxford, The United Kingdom
  • Qianwen Li, KU Leuven, Belgium

7.3 City+ Committee

  • Yongping Zhang (Chair), Zhejiang University, China
  • Mengqiu Cao (Co-chair), University College London, The United Kingdom
  • Zhifu Mi (Co-chair), University College London, The United Kingdom
  • Tianren Yang (Co-chair), University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
  • Lorenzo Ceccon, Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy
  • Frank Chuang, Chengchi University, Chinese Taipei
  • Mingjie Dai, City University of Macau, Macau, China
  • Yiru Jia, Beijing Forestry University, China
  • Yang Liang, Guilin University Of Electronic Technology, China
  • Zhicheng Liu, University College London, The United Kingdom
  • Annalisa Rollandi, Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy
  • Fred C. Sanders, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • Yang Song, King’s College London, The United Kingdom
  • Yongze Song, Curtin University, Australia
  • Haiyun Xu, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, China
  • Juan Yan, Tongji University, China
  • Huajie Yang, City University of Macau, Macau, China
  • Peiheng Yu, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
  • Pengcheng Zeng, Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy
  • Qinfeng Zhao, Architectural Design and Research Institute of Zhejiang University, China
  • Tuyu Zhou, SGS Economic & Planning, Australia

7.4 Organising Institutes

  • City+
  • School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford
  • Transport Studies Unit, University of Oxford

7.5 Supporting Institutes

  • Association for European Transport
  • Inclusive Smart Governance and Urban-rural Integration Lab, Zhejiang University
  • Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford
  • Mobility and Urban Systems Analytics Lab, University College London
  • ZJU-CMZJ Joint Lab on Data Intelligence and Urban Future, Zhejiang University

7.6 Supporting Journals

  • City and Built Environment (Springer Nature)
  • Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning (Springer Nature)
  • Journal of Urban Mobility (Elsevier)
  • Structural Change and Economic Dynamics (Elsevier)
  • Transactions in Urban Data, Science, and Technology (Sage)

8. Contact Information

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cityplus2016-network

X (formerly known as Twitter): City+ (@CityPlusNetwork)

Website: https://www.city-plus.org/

WeChat public account: CityPlus2016

RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu): 5049418472

For more information or inquiries, please feel free to contact us via cityplus.oxford@gmail.com

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