The Transformative Cities lecture series brings together leading scholars from EPICUR partner universities to explore critical urban challenges and innovative responses shaping the future of cities. With an interdisciplinary lens, this series examines the intersections of climate change, urban planning, sustainable development, socio-ecological justice, and post-neoliberal economic models. It also addresses topics like land financialization and Energy Communities.

This lecture series aims to:

• Foster interdisciplinary dialogue across urban studies, architecture, geography, environmental science, and political economy.
• Encourage critical reflection on dominant urban development paradigms and the pursuit of inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban futures.
• Support cross-campus collaboration among EPICUR universities, enriching students’ understanding through transnational and comparative perspectives.
• The lecture series will take place in a hybrid format, with participants from partner universities able to participate online. Zoom link will be provided after registration.

Registration is possible for the complete series or for individual lectures. 

Sign up here and receive the Zoom link!

The lecture series is a cooperation between the Institute of Regional Science at KIT, the KIT Graduate School Cultures of Knowledge and the European University Alliance EPICUR (European Partnership for an Innovative Campus Unifying Regions) and is hosted by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) in cooperation with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), the University of Strasbourg (France), the University of Freiburg (Germany), and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Austria).