2026 PLA PRO

16th Annual International Conference on Urban Studies, Planning & Regional Development
organized by the Urban & Regional Planning Unit of the Athens Institute
Tentative Program (Athens Local Time)

1-6 June 2026
9 Chalkokondili Street, 10677 Athens, Greece

(Note 1: the program is organized along time slots and not according to common theme)
(Note 2: at the end of each session questions and discussions will follow)


Monday 1 June 2026


08:30-09:00
Registration

09:00-09:45 Opening Speech and Welcoming Remarks
Speaker: Gregory T. Papanikos, President, Athens Institute & Professor (Adjunct), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA.

09:45-11:30 Session 1
Moderator: Jesus J. Lara, Head, Urban & Regional Planning Unit, Athens Institute & Professor, Michigan State University, USA.
  1. Andreea Nita, Professor, University of Granada, Spain.
    Title: A Network-Based Framework for Unified Transport System Indicators.
  2. Pascal Ricordel, Associate Professor, Université Le Havre Normandie, France.
    Title: Crowdsourcing and Proximity Mapping in the Evaluation of Urban Transformation Plans.
  3. Cem Kayatekin, Assistant Professor, IE University, Spain.
    Ujal Gorchu, PhD Student, Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
    Title: The Persistence of the Line: Revisions of Linear Urbanism from Soria to Saudi Arabia.
  4. Sevgiye Sonmez Ozdemir, PhD, Urban Planner, Istanbul Technical University, Türkiye.
    Title: Traces of Socio-Spatial Transformation in Istanbul from the Republican Era to the Present: A Historical and Cultural Analysis through Bakırköy Case Studies.
  5. Sofia Gabriela Fernandez Balmaceda, PhD Candidate, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
    Title: Viability of a Green-Blue Infrastructure Network for Rome: A Macro-Spatial Analysis Based on Its Urban Geography.

 

11:30-13:00 Session 2
Moderator: Andreea Nita
, Professor, University of Granada, Spain.
  1. Xin Zhang, Professor, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
    Jiancheng Luo, Professor, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
    Title: Spatialtemporal Embodied Intelligence: A New Direction of Beidou Satellite Navigation and High-Resolution Remote Sensing Fusion.
  2. Joshua Barrett, Assistant Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.
    Title: From Path Dependency to Path Renewal? The Reinvention of Local Economies in Rural Resource Communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, through Partnerships.
  3. Piotr Razniak, Assistant Professor, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow, Poland.
    Title: The Importance of Command-and-Control Functions in Cities in the World Scale.
  4. Rafal Grulke, PhD Student, University of Lodz, Poland.
    Maciej Ziułkiewicz, Associate Professor, University of Lodz, Poland.
    Title: The Role of Hyporheic Corridors in Water Exchange: Implications for Surface Water Quality.

 

13:00-14:30 Session 3 – A Microsymposium on “Rethinking Urban and Regional Futures in the Age of AI and Global Change”
Moderator: Jesus J. Lara, Head, Urban & Regional Planning Unit, Athens Institute & Professor, Michigan State University, USA.

Click here for the program

14:30-15:30 Lunch 

15:30-17:30 Session 4
Moderator: Piotr Razniak, Assistant Professor, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow, Poland.
  1. Jesus Lara, Professor, Michigan State University, USA.
    Title: Negotiating Belonging: Cultural Agency and the Reinterpretation of Urban Space.
  2. Gregorio Froio, Adjunct Professor, University of Calabria, Italy.
    Title: Hybrid Teaching and the Project: The Realm of the Sacred in the Age of Hyper-Consumption.
  3. Nicolas Rodriguez Terrazas, Teacher, Marbella Design Academy, Spain.
    Title: A Multi-Scale Framework for Circular Design across Material, Urban, and Social Systems.
  4. Emil Maj Christensen, Urban Planner, Danish Cyclists’ Federation, Denmark.
    Title: Cycling-Friendly Urban Development Beyond Big Cities: Integrating Cycling in Low-Density Areas.
  5. Carlos Balsas, Lecturer, BSABE – Ulster University, UK.
    Title: The (Biodiversity) Killings of the Academic Urban Growth Machine.

 

18:00-20:00 Session 5 – Visit Aristotle’s Lyceum

It requires pre-booking

20:30-22:30 Athenian Early Evening Symposium (Sequence of Events: Ongoing Academic Discussions, Dinner, Wine and Water, Music, Dance)


Tuesday 2 June 2026


 

09:00-11:00 Session 6
Moderator: Carlos Balsas
, Lecturer, BSABE – Ulster University, UK.
  1. Jadwiga Urbanik, Associate Professor, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland.
    Jerzy Ilkosz, Director, The Wrocław Museum of Architecture, Poland.
    Title: Unwanted Heritage – The Wrocław Housing Estates of the Schlesiche Heimstätte Company from the Period 1933-1940.
  2. Imge Akcakaya Waite, Associate Professor, Istanbul Technical University, Türkiye.
    Title: Many Voices, Different Pathways: Pluralist Urban Mobilities Across Theory and Practice.
  3. Iris Levin, Senior Lecturer, RMIT University, Australia.
    Title: Black Box: The Application Process for Social Housing in Australia.
  4. Edyta Naworska, PhD Student, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland.
    Title: RFG’s Concepts of Building Rationalization and the Development of Modern Housing in Wrocław during the 1920s.
  5. Havi Livne, PhD Candidate, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
    Efrat Blumenfeld-Lieberthal, Professor, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
    Michal Gruntman, Professor, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
    Title: Small Spaces, Big Potential: The Ecological and Planning Value of Shared Residential Yards.
  6. Giada Terenziani, PhD Student, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
    Title: Urban Aridities. New Adaptation Strategies for Consolidated European Cities.

 

11:00-12:30 Session 7
Moderator: Niel Teixeira, Full Professor and Researcher, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Brazil.
  1. Ayse Glass, Interim Professor, HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany.
    Jörg Müller-Lietzkow, Professor, HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany.
    Jörg Rainer Noennig, Professor, HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany.
    Zahra Rostami, Student, HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany.
    Title: Scenario-Based Development of a Hybrid Digital Twin for Smart and Sustainable Urban Train Stations: The Case of Harburg Station.
  2. Andrea Giorgi, Head, Department of Graphic Design, Marbella Design Academy, Spain.
    Title: Designing Coexistence: Speculative Design and Social Innovation within Degrowth Scenarios for 2045.
  3. Felix Merkelbach, Master’s Student, Marbella Design Academy, Spain.
    Title: Examining Social Innovation in Sim-Citizens and Augmented Stewards via Artificial Intelligence Applications.
  4. Line Nilsskog, Master’s Student, Marbella Design Academy, Spain.
    Title: Cultural Homogenisation in a Fully Standardised Society: Divergent Citizens in a Speculative Scenario Analysis.

 

12:30-14:30 Session 8
Moderator: 
Ayse Glass, Interim Professor, HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany.
  1. Paulette Hebert, Professor, Oklahoma State University, USA.
    Title: Exploratory Study of Historic Temple Pilgrims in Sri Lanka.
  2. Niel Teixeira, Full Professor and Researcher, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Brazil.
    Gil Strenzel, Full Professor and Researcher, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Brazil.
    Malena Miranda, Researcher, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Brazil.
    Title: Annual Analysis of Shoreline Variation in the Municipalities of Ilhéus, Una, and Uruçuca (Costa do Cacau), Bahia, Brazil.
  3. Isabel Maria Madaleno, Researcher (Retired), University of Lisbon, Portugal.
    Title: Cultural Landscapes and Flora in Sophia de Mello Poetry.
  4. Ulf Erlingsson, Independent Researcher, Sweden.
    Title: The First Map of Hyperborea.
  5. Mohammed Mohammed Abubakar, Professor, Irkutsk National Research Technical University, Russia.
    Title: Sequence Stratigraphy Analysis of Mars Field, Offshore Dahomey Basin, Nigeria.

14:30-15:30 Lunch

16:30-19:30 Session 9
Old and New-An Educational Urban Walk
The urban walk ticket is not included as part of your registration fee. It includes transportation costs and the cost to enter the Parthenon and the other monuments on the Acropolis Hill. The urban walk tour includes the broader area of Athens. Among other sites, it includes: Zappion, Syntagma Square, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Ancient Roman Agora and on Acropolis Hill: the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and the Parthenon. The program of the tour may be adjusted, if there is a need beyond our control. This is a private event organized by the Athens Institute exclusively for the conference participants.

20:30-22:30
An Ancient Athenian Symposium: Continuous Dialogues, Timeless Flavors (featuring authentic ancient Athenian dishes, local wine, and sweet delicacies from ancient Athens)


Wednesday 3 June 2026
An Educational Visit to Selected Islands
or Nafplio & Mycenae Visit


Thursday 4 June 2026
Visiting the Oracle of Delphi


Friday 5 June 2026
Visiting the Ancient Corinth and Cape Sounion


Saturday 6 June 2026
11:00-13:00 – The Academic Discussion continues in the downtown open agora (close to the Aristotelian Lyceum)

Refreshments are offered by the president of the Athens Institute. The purpose of this academic meeting is to engage in a comprehensive discussion regarding the future of education and research. click here for more details – (Pre-booking is required and the event will only be held if a minimum number of participants is reached)



Conference Venue: 9 Chalkokondili Street, 10677 Athens, Greece