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English_blog Nature and culture-based strategies and solutions for cities and territories : an idea whose time has come !
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On the occasion of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, SDMed Observation, Planning & Eco-innovation presents the International Conference
"Nature & Culture-based strategies and solutions for cities and territories"
An idea whose time has come !
26, 27 & 28 November 2018
Main Venue : Panteion University, 136, Syggrou Ave., Athens
Click here to check the sponsorship opportunities
Conference Website now OPEN ! : www.echopolis.eu
The rich natural and cultural heritage is a defining element of place identity.It brings communities together and builds shared understandings of the places we live in. It is also a very useful territorial resource, key component of the territorial capital of regions that can enhance social cohesion, employment and economic growth and stimulate place-based policies. Since 2018 is the European Year of Cultural Heritage, events are planned all over Europe to encourage people to discover and engage with Europe’s cultural and natural attractions, so as to enhance our sense of a European belonging. The European Year is an occasion to reflect on the place that cultural and natural heritage occupies both in our lives and for territorial development and to often alert about the need to protect such unique values for the future generations.
It is thus evident that nature and culture as an indivisible whole is an idea whose time has come ! This means that natural and cultural heritage should be recognized, understood, planned and managed together ! This may be besides create efficeincy of place-based policies. In this context, natural and cultural attractiveness of cities and territories and the achievements of culturally and nuturally creative cities, territories and nations will be fully discussed in the international Event entitled "Nature and Culture-based strategies and solutions for cities and territories : an idea whose time has come !" organised by the international non-profit entreprise “SDMed Observation Planning and Eco-Innovation” and supported by Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences and the School of Applied Arts and Culture of the University of West Attica, on 26, 27 & 28 November 2018, in Athens.
Nature and culture-based solutions are often less costly, more resilient and more effective in the long term, they can create jobs and economic growth, they can promote frugality of cities and territories.
The event is not strictly European. All the nature and culture science, policy and business world meets here ! It brings together scientists and cities and territories from all over the world that plan or implement innovative nature and culture-based solutions, to create a world-wide forum of exchange. Scientists, academia, policy-makers, representatives of cities and regions together with entreprises, private and social ones and citizens will meet in order to discuss key themes like :
Special emphasis will be given to the Mediterranean region with its rich natural and cultural diversity, both terrestrial and marine.
Thus, the Conference will also host the MED Social & Creative community featured by TALIA (Territorial Appropriation of Leading-edge Innovation Actions), the Interreg-MED Programme's horizontal project promoting the coherence and impact of modular projects addressing the topics of Cultural and Creative Industries and Social Innovation. The community aims at connecting social and creative innovators in the Mediterranean to consolidate and share new models of development. Besides two other INTERREG-MED projects namely BLUEISLANDS and ALTER ECO endorse the Event and will actively participate by organising an special SESSION.
Furthermore, a key issue to be discussed is about soundscapes considered as part of natural and cultural heritage also as a follow-up of the ECHOPOLIS International 2013 & ECHOPOLIS National 2017 forums organised by SDMED in the past years.
The heritage and identity character of urban soundscapes and landscapes has been recognized recently. An example is the inscription of the Jemaa El Fna Square on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage that has introduced or encouraged a new heritage register based on the consideration of oral expressions as they unfold in the urban space. More generally, sounds are part of the cities and the places, part of their sensorial landscape, of their identity. They are one of the urban markers, just like the visual landscape. The relationship between soundscapes, heritage and attractiveness (including tourism) remains to be further explored.
The Conference is addressed to scientists and practitioners from all the traditional disciplines dealing with natural and cultural heritage ob earth and in the marine environment (territorial planners, architects, landscape architects, engineers, light and sound designers, geographers, historians, oceanographers…) but also to computer scientists/engineers, digital humanities researchers, creative industries-heritage professionals, museum specialists, human-computer interaction practitioners, and creative industries professionals.
To open a wide public discussion on these issues and reveal best practices, the International Meeting is calling for contributions, that is papers on research/technological development and concrete case-studies in the following areas :
Thematic areas
The event will be developed in 3 full conference days 26, 27 & 28 November 2018 with the following 8 thematic areas :
v 1st Thematic area : Natural and tangible and intangible Cultural Heritage as Strategic Territorial Development Resources
v 2nd Thematic area : Linking natural and cultural heritage
v 3rd Thematic area : Natural and cultural heritage : legal frameworks, planning, management, governance, marketing, funding
v 4th Thematic area : Marine natural and cultural heritage - Maritime spatial planning and cultural values
v 5th Thematic area : Cultural heritage, archaeological sites, monuments and sensory landscapes
v 6th Thematic area : Soundscapes, Lightscapes, Nightscapes as elements of the culture of the places
7th Thematic area : Shaping places with nature and culture
8th Thematic area : New mapping and surveying technologies for natural and cultural heritage – Geographic Information Systems
Please submit your abstract in the format specified below through the e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to the attention of Mr Nikiforos Zampetakis. The submission of the abstracts is now open. Deadline of submission [Extended] : July 14, 2018
For the Abstract Submission Guidelines, the Selection criteria, the full papers and other details please visit the ECHOPOLIS website : www.echopolis.eu
Publish your full paper !
Due to time constraints, it will be possible for the full papers to be submitted after the completion of the conference in order to be included in the electronic and/or printed version of the Conference Proceedings that will be issued on January 2019. Other possibilities of publication of the presented arcticles were agreed as follows :
1. Policy-oriented papers will be selected and published in European Quarterly of Political Attitudes and Mentalities in the EQPAM Special Issue of January 2019. EQPAM is a peer-reviewed open access research journal, which ensures archiving and indexing of published papers and online visibility. More information is available on EQPAM’s website.
2. Tourism-related papers will be selected and submitted to the International Journal of Tourism Studies, EMERALD. A Thematic Issue of IJTC will be published in 2019.
3. Territorial and regional development oriented papers will be selected and submitted to the Regional Science Inquiry Journal.
Please download below :
Call for papers 
Press release
General Information
The official conference languages are English and Greek. Presentations in French are also accepted but there will be no simultaneous translation.Authors will be notified regarding the acceptance of their abstract for an oral or a poster presentation by June 30, 2018. By submitting a full paper, the authors agree that the paper can be included in the conference proceedings either on hard-copy or in electronic form (e-book) or in the International Journal “European Quarterly of Political Attitudes and mentalities” ( Special Issue, January 2019)
Registration fees
Registration fee for full attendance of the 3-day conference has been set to 300 € for all participants, professors, researchers and other presenters, up to 30 October 2017
Early registration fee : 200 € up to 30 July 2017 This fee gives access to all Conference sessions, to some cultural events ( to be announced soon), to the Conference material and to the “coffee/tea cards” for all three days of the Conference, as well as to the “welcome cocktail”. It gives also access to the publications mentioned above.
Registration fee for accompanying persons and the public : 50 € People in this category will have access to all Conference sessions, some cultural events (programme will follow) and to the Conference material, as well as to the welcome cocktail.
There will be no fee for graduate students to attend the conference. People in this category will have access only to the conference programme.
A Certificate of attendance will be delivered to all participants.
Useful dates
| Deadline for submission of abstracts |
14 July 2018 ( Extended ) |
| Notification of acceptance | 30 July 2018 |
| Submission of full papers | 30 October 2018 (Extended ) |
| Registration and payment of early bird fee |
up to 30 August 2018 (Extended) |
| Registration and payment of full registration fee | up to 30 October 2017 |
For all enquiries, please contact the managers of the Meeting on the phones +30 210 9236206, +30 210 9221066, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Contact person: Mr Nikiforos Zampetakis. The submission of the abstracts is now open. You are welcome to submit your abstract through the e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to the attention of Mr Nikiforos Zampetakis.
Honorary Scientific Committee (alphabetical order)
Scientific and Reviewing Committee (alphabetical order)
Scientific Responsible Kyvelou Stella, Ass.Professor, Deputy Head of the Dpt of Economics and Regional development, Panteion University, ex.ESPON2013 Contact Point
Organisational/Scientific Secretariat
Nikiforos Zampetakis, Panteion University, SDMED // Eva Sygletou, Panteion University
ORGANISING INSTITUTION
SDMed Observation, Planning & Eco-Innovation
SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS
Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences of Athens, Dpt of Economic and Regional development
University of West Attica, School of Applied Arts and Culture,
ENDORSERS
Would you like to SUPPORT US or be ENDORSER of the Event ? please address to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
USEFUL LINKS AND DOCUMENTS
