International Institute for Asian Studies | call for research contributions

Researchers are invited to contribute articles and books on three Urban Knowledge Network Asia (UKNA) themes. UKNA is a collaborative research project on themes related to Asian cities of the International Institute for Asian Studies in the Netherlands.

The best articles will be selected for publication in special issues of journals and/or in edited volumes. Books will be considered for publication in the new “Asian Cities” series of the International Institute for Asian Studies, under the auspices of Amsterdam University Press. Outputs may also include documentary films, policy papers, blogs, and other projects.Selected researchers may be invited to participate in UKNA events. Past events have included Roundtable discussions, involving academics and practitioners, in the Netherlands, Taipei, Singapore and Macau on urban heritage and urban regeneration policies and case studies.

The Urban Knowledge Network Asia (UKNA) is an inclusive network that brings together concerned scholars and practitioners engaged in collaborative research on cities in Asia. The overall objective of UKNA is to produce innovative scholarship and other work that contributes to human flourishing in Asian cities. It seeks to influence policy by contributing insights that put people at the center of urban governance and development strategies. UKNA research activities revolve around three substantive themes:

The “Cities by and for the People” theme examines who are the actors and how they interact in the production, shaping, contestation and transformation of the city. It explores the relations between human flourishing and the making of urban space and form, with a particular concern for the rights of residents and users in the process.

The “Ideas of the City" research theme explores competing ideas of the contemporary city from historical perspectives to illuminate the continuities and ruptures in the process of city making.

The “Future of Cities” theme considers the challenges of urban dwellers and users in the areas of land, housing, infrastructure, services, planning and the environment, personal well being (including livelihoods and human capital), and “life spaces” (comprising culture, urban heritage, public spaces, and associational life).

Application criteria: Those interested to contribute should submit an English-language abstract of approximately 300 words describing their proposed output, plus a brief curriculum vita.

The submission deadline for abstracts is 15 January 2014.