COST Action CA18126 – Writing Urban Places

New Narratives of the
European City

Latest Updates
November 15, 2023
The special issue Writing Urban Places: New Narratives on the European City, marks the culmination of an international research network that delved into the intricate interplay between communities, urban spaces and narratives. At its core, this endeavour introduced an inventive approach aimed at deepening our comprehension of urban communities, their dynamics and their rootedness, all through...
October 13, 2023
1st OPEN-AIR CITIES International Conference The conference aims to present and disseminate research results related to the Sustainable Development of cities and regions at a global level and is organized by Open-Air Cities, Harokopio University of Athens – Postgraduate Programme Sustainable Development, and Syros Institute along with the Municipality of Kallithea. Please click here for more information.
October 9, 2023
Translating the Mid-sizedEuropean City edited byMichael G. Kelly, Jorge Mejía Hernández, Sonja Novak, Giuseppe Resta The present collection of translations arises from our work within Writing Urban Places, a network of researchers interested in the different ways citizens appropriate meaningful built environments through stories, and in doing so are also better able to integrate with...
September 18, 2023
Onorina Botezat & Lorin Niculae On September 8-9, Bucharest hosted the members of the Cost Action CA18126 Core Group for a two-day gathering. The purpose of the meeting was two-fold: to evaluate the results of the project and to discuss future opportunities for expanding the Writing Urban Places community. The project evaluation sessions were held...
September 15, 2023
This volume aimed to highlight narrative identities of European cities or city neighbourhoods that have been overlooked, such as mid-sized cities. These cities are neither small towns nor metropolises, cities that are now unveiling their appeal or specificity. The present special issue thus covers a range of representations of cities. The articles investigate more systematically...
September 5, 2023
Screening of films from the Training School in Tirana and Kamza “The planned, the unplanned, and everything in between” Six captivating documentary films, crafted during and after the Training School in Tirana and Kamza, – held as a fieldwork event of the COST Action Writing Urban Places in March 2023, – were screened in the...

New Narratives of the European City

Writing Urban Places proposes an innovative investigation and implementation of a process for developing human understanding of communities, their society, and their situatedness, by narrative methods. It focuses particularly on the potential of narrative methods for urban development in European medium-sized cities.

By recognising the value of local urban narratives – stories rich in information regarding citizens socio-spatial practices, perceptions and expectations – the Action aims to articulate a set of concrete literary devices within a host of spatial disciplines; bringing together scientific research in the fields of literary studies, urban planning and architecture; and positioning this knowledge vis-à-vis progressive redevelopment policies carried out in medium-sized cities in Europe.

Working Groups

WG 1 – Science Communication

Working Group 1 is responsible for the overall communication and output of the initiative, via the dissemination of the status…

WG 2 – Theoretical Framework

Working Group 2 is concerned with how theoretical reflections can stimulate the thinking and praxis of narrating urban places of medium-sized…

WG 3 – Methodological Framework

The objectives of WG3 include the investigation and development of appropriate analytical and projective methods to understand narratives…

WG 4 – Fieldwork

The core of WG4 fieldwork’s activities is site-specific research. Each study consists of two phases, an analytical and a projective phase…

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