COST Action CA18126 – Writing Urban Places

New Narratives of the
European City

Latest Updates
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...
July 14, 2023
The publication is the result of a collaboration between Alina Cristea (LUCA School of Arts/KU Leuven), Mira Sanders (KU Leuven – Faculty of Architecture, campus Sint-Lucas Brussels and Ghent), and Ileana Marin (University of Bucharest/University of Washington). Photograph by by Koen Cant Through photography, text, drawing, film, and mixed media, the authors explore the mapping...
June 16, 2023
STSM Contribution by Ana Rafailovska Investigations into the process of reappropriation of public space in the Dutch New Towns was theobjective of this STSM. The key point of this research, the new towns built in the 60s of the XX century,were purposefully selected to draw meaningful insight into an occurrence relevant to my doctoralresearch interest-...
June 16, 2023
STSM Contribution by Willie Vogel The last fieldwork event of this action will take place in Tirana and Kamza, Albania. Under the theme of The Planned and Unplanned, we will explore their notions: embodied explorations, commoning practices and material unrest. To support this fieldwork event I have done a pre-research on the theme Material Unrest...

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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