IPHS Call for Papers on "Colonial and Postcolonial Urban Planning In Africa"

The International Planning History Society (IPHS) and the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Lisbon, Portugal are now accepting papers for a conference on urban plannig in Africa to be held in Lisbon on September 5-6, 2013.

The Conference – Colonial and Postcolonial Urban Planning in Africa – aims to re-examine the history of colonial urban planning in Africa and its legacies in the post-independence period, to learn from contemporary African scholarship, and to discuss how postcolonial urban planning cultures can actually address these urban challenges and contribute effectively for the development of resilient and sustainable cities in Africa.

The Conference will explore two key themes in the history of urban planning in Africa:

Theme I - 19th and 20th Century Colonial Urban Planning in Africa

Theme II - Postcolonial Urban Planning in Africa

In both themes, the IPHS and the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning welcome country and cross-country approaches, studies of individual cities, and the comparison of African cities with one another. Researchers, planners and postgraduate students are invited to present critical analyses of the multifaceted urban planning experience in Africa.

All submissions will be peer-reviewed for content and appropriateness to this conference.

One of the expected outcomes of the conference is the publication of a selection of papers in an edited book and in peer-reviewed academic journals. Plans have been made for possible publication in the IPHS section of the journal “Planning Perspectives - An International Journal of History, Planning and the Environment”. Plans have also been made for the submission of a selection of papers to the “Journal of Contemporary African Studies”. The selected manuscripts will undergo the standard peer-review process of these journals.

We hope the conference will also provide the opportunity for the development of an inter-disciplinary and inter-generational research network which might help to advance critical thinking about urban planning in Africa.

Important to Note: Abstracts are due before January 15, 2013. Notices of acceptance will be sent by e-mail on February 15, 2013. Abstracts should be sent to:

Carlos Nunes Silva

Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning

University of Lisbon, Portugal

E-mail: urbanplanningafrica@gmail.com