CALL FOR PAPERS: Geocomputation 2015

On behalf of the organizing committee, I am delighted to invite you to participate in the GeoComputation 2015 conference. The conference will be held at the University of Texas at Dallas from May 20-23, 2015. The conference encourages diverse topics related to novel methodologies and technologies to enrich the future development GeoComputation.

Abstract submission for oral and poster presentations is scheduled to open on October 1, 2014. 

For detailed information, please visit the conference website (http://www.utdallas.edu/geocomputation). Any questions can be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Best regards, 
Yongwan Chun

The University of Texas at Dallas

Dear Colleagues,

We cordially invite researchers, scientists and experts to participate in the 14th Ernestas Galvanauskas’ International Scientific Conference„RETHINKING REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS“, which will be held on 27th – 28th November, 2014 in Siauliai, Lithuania.

Please find the attached invitation.

More information: http://www.su.lt/smf/galvanauskas-en

Registration deadline – October 1, 2014.  

We kindly ask you to forward this information to other colleaguesthat may be interested in the conference.

We apologize if you receive multiple copies of this mail.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference!

Best regards,

Conference Organizers 

‘Bridging the Implementation Gap of Accessibility Instruments and Planning Support Systems’– is the topic of the next conference organized by http://citta-conference.fe.up.pt/link_icon.gif); background-position: 0px 1px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">CITTA - Research Center for Territory, Transport and Environment, held at the Faculty of Engineering, Porto University on the 24th of October 2014.

This year's edition will be joined with the Final Conference of the COST Action TU1002 on ‘Accessibility Instruments for Planning Practice in Europe’, sharing the second day of this event (for more information click http://citta-conference.fe.up.pt/link_icon.gif); background-position: 0px 1px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">here).

Theme of the conference

Although the development of instruments for planning support dates back much further, the concept of Planning Support Systems (PSS) appeared in the planning literature in the mid-1980s. In the last decades, planning research and literature has witnessed a significant proliferation of PSS. Regardless of this, very few of the developed PSS are actually used in practice. Literature suggests that a fundamental dichotomy between supply and demand of information and models to support planning practice could be the main reason for this phenomenon. On the one hand, planning practitioners – the potential users of these instruments – are generally unaware of and inexperienced in the use of them. On the other hand, the authors of these instruments have, in general, little awareness of the related demand requirements in the complex planning context in which these instruments have to be applied.

This conference aims to bring together a wide range of Planning Support Systems (PSS) in an embracing debate on their implementation gap in planning practice. In addition to collecting a number of PSS, the conference aims to discuss the usefulness of PSS in planning practice from a dual perspective – author/practitioner – looking for recommendations to support the design of more useful PSS in the future. 

Being joined with the Final Conference of the COST Action on Accessibility Instruments in Planning Practice, the CITTA conference will gain from the presentation of the outcomes and findings of European and Australian wide research on usability of accessibility instruments, opening, at the same time, the debate to other (non-accessibility-based) PSS, such as those dealing with environmental, land use and transport planning issues.
 

Keynote speakers

on the 24^th of October (2^nd day of the joint event; day of the 7^th CITTA conference)

Marco te Brömmelstroet - University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Marco te Brömmelstroet holds the position of Assistant Professor in urban planning at the University of Amsterdam. His teaching and research focuses on the relation between land use and mobility. Recent research focussed on the usability of planning support systems for integrated urban strategy making processes. The role of transport models, accessibility instruments and cost benefit analyses in decision-making are central in his research interests.

Paulo Pinho - University of Porto, Portugal

Paulo Pinho is Full Professor of Spatial Planning at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, founder and Director of CITTA, the Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment, and Director of the PhD Programme in Spatial Planning, a joint initiative of the Universities of Porto and Coimbra. His recent research focuses on urban metabolism and low carbon cities, urban morphology and metropolitan dynamics, shrinking cities and new forms of urban space production.

Cecília Silva - University of Porto, Portugal

Cecília Silva is Assistant Professor at the University of Oporto. Her main research activities are focussed on Mobility Management, Accessibility Planning and Planning Support Instruments. She has developed a decision support tool for mobility management based on the concept of structural accessibility. She is the chair of a COST Action on Accessibility Instruments in Planning Practice. Her research activities have led to books, book chapters and a number of papers in international journals and conferences.

Stan Geertman - University of Utrecht, The Netherlands to be confirmed

Additional Keynote Speakers 

on the 23^rd of October (1^st day of the joint event)

Susan Handy - University of California, Davis, USA

Susan Handy is Chair of the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and the Director of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation at the University of California, Davis.  Her research interests center on the relationships between transportation and land use, particularly the impact of neighborhood design on travel behavior.  She is a member of the Committee on Women’s Issues in Transportation of the Transportation Research Board and is an associate editor of the newly launched Journal of Transport and Health.

Karst Geurs - University of Twente, the Netherlands

Karst Geurs is Full Professor of Transport Planning at the Centre for Transport Studies, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, The Netherlands. His research focuses on accessibility analysis and modelling, land-use and transport interactions, transport policy evaluation and sustainable transport.  He has over 20 journal publications and many other publications. He is the current president of NECTAR (Network of European Communications and Transport Activities Research).

Angela Hull - Heriot Watt University, United Kingdom

Angela Hull holds the Chair in Spatial Planning at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh UK. In her early career she worked as a local government town planner followed by a period in consultancy. She has worked in academia for the last 25 years teaching town planning and urban management. Her research spans across governance and organisational behaviour in sustainable urban management particularly examining the institutional triggers to changed approaches in transport, energy, and housing.

Carey Curtis - Curtin University, Australia to be confirmed

Organizing Committee

Cecília Silva (Chair), Paulo Pinho, Anabela Ribeiro, Paulo Conceição, Ana Amante, Miguel Lopes, Tiago Patatas, Ana Sousa

Scientific Committee

Álvaro Seco, António Pais Antunes, Cecília Silva, Isabel Vazquez, Luca Bertolini, Marco te Brömmelstroet, Nuno Pinto, Paulo Pinho

More info at: http://citta-conference.fe.up.pt/

Workshop: 'Transience and Permanence in Urban Development'

 University of Sheffield, January 2015

Organisers: Prof. John Henneberry and Dr. Simon Parris

Please see attached call for abstracts for a small, research intensive workshop examining transience and permanence in urban development. 

Proposals are invited for original papers to be presented at the workshop and subsequently to be considered for inclusion in a significant joint publication.

Post-industrial cities have experienced a dramatic growth in vacant/derelict land and buildings, raising questions about how such sites may be used temporarily for social, economic or environmental benefit, and about how these transient uses may affect the long-run trajectory of urban development. A burgeoning literature on temporary uses has evolved. However, this field is in need of consolidation and development. The aim of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for critical reflection on transience and permanence in urban development. 

The deadline for applications is 14 July 2014. Decisions on the workshop invitations will be made by 28 July. Full papers will be required by 31 December 2014.

Reasonable expenses of lead authors will be met. Other authors are free to attend at their own expense. 

Please see attached call for full details.

Virginia Sea Grant – NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office Postgraduate Fellowship:

Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management & Implementation

Deadline: July 19, 2014.

Overview

In partnership with the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, Virginia Sea Grant announces the availability of a two-year, postgraduate fellowship in ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM). This fellowship seeks to advance EBFM in the Chesapeake Bay by improving the understanding of linkages between fisheries, land-use changes, habitats, and the ecosystem services they provide. The fellow will leverage past EBFM work in the region, conduct literature review and extensive expert consultation, synthesize and integrate available scientific information, and develop decision support materials and conduct outreach to Chesapeake Bay coastal resource managers. While the specific EBFM project to be conducted will be determined in part by the expertise of the selected fellow, we envision a fellow working on a narrowly defined, concise project within one or more of the following thematic areas: climate change impacts on fisheries resources; ecosystem indicators for fishery management; habitat and fisheries linkages; or valuation.

Eligibility and Qualifications

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or hold an appropriate visa to work within the U.S. Minimum skills and qualifications include: (1) Recent Ph.D. (within last five years) from a relevant social, natural, or interdisciplinary science program with emphasis in areas such as marine policy, natural resource management, ecosystem service valuation, or socio-environmental systems research; (2) Interdisciplinary background that includes some combination of environmental and natural resource policy, ecology, and fisheries expertise, with experience in coupled human-natural systems; (3) Strong research and analytical skills; (4) Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including excellent command of English; and (5) Creative, motivated, and capable of working well both independently and cooperatively within an interdisciplinary group.  Preferred skills and qualifications include: (1) Demonstrated interest and experience working at the interface of science and resource management; (2) Demonstrated ability to translate scientific and technical concepts across disciplines and audiences; (3) Familiarity with large ecosystem protection and restoration programs; and (4) Strong quantitative skills for human-natural systems data meta-analysis, synthesis research, or policy studies.

Location, Salary, and Benefits

The fellow will be based at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and will be paid $42,000/year for two years, with full employee benefits through VIMS and the College of William & Mary. In addition, there are funds available for travel and supplies.

To Apply

Qualified applicants may apply via the College of William & Mary jobs website: http://jobs.wm.edu/postings/17883. Applicants will be asked to submit (via the website): (1) a cover letter, including a statement reflecting their interests and expertise in EBFM and its implementation; (2) a CV that lists all GPAs and relevant graduate coursework; (3) a short writing sample (preferably less than 5-pg) targeting an end-user audience (e.g., manager, policy maker, citizen, stakeholder) and (4) three letters of recommendation submitted by referees. Review of applications will begin July 19, 2014.

Additional Information

Please see attached job announcement for additional information.  Candidates may contact Susan Park (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 804-684-7436) with any questions. 

Dear all,

 The new RSAI Newsletter May 201 can now be found under

http://regionalscience.org/images/PDF/Newsletter_2014_May_2.pdf

Call for Papers – NARSC 2014 - Abstract Submission Deadline July 1

Join us in the Washington, D.C region for the 61st North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) sponsored by the North American Regional Science Council (NARSC). The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland, November 12th – 15th, 2014.  You can learn more about the conference, submit an abstract, and register for the conference and workshops at the NARSC Website at http://www.narsc.org/.

Click on the link to the conference section for general information on the conference.  To register for the conference or submit an abstract/session online you must first login to the User Area. If you attended a NARSC conference over the past couple of years or are a member of a North American regional science organization, when you reach the login page of the User Area, you will be asked to enter your provided username and password.  Otherwise, when you reach the login page of the User Area, you will be asked to click on a link and enter your e-mail address so we can check if you are already in our database. If you are in our database, your username and password will be e-mailed to you so you can login. If you are not in our database, you will need to register for a free NARSC user account and then you will be able to register for the conference and submit an abstract.

Once logged, you can change your password, update your profile, submit an abstract/session, register for the conference, and check the status of your registration.  You will be to access your account in the User Area subsequently using your valid username and password.  In case you forget your password, just contact technical support at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your e-mail address and your password will be e-mailed to you so you can login.

Please note that there is a surcharge for individuals who are not members of RSAI. Before you register please confirm your RSAI membership status. You can do so at http://www.rsai.uac.pt/. If you are an RSAI member you should register at the RSAI membership rate. If, on checking your status, your name does not appear as an RSAI member you must register at the non-members rate. If you have a question regarding your RSAI membership please contact Elisabete Martins at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

When you register make sure that you register for NARSC 2014. The NARSC shopping cart is also used by other regional science organizations and in the past people has inadvertently registered for the wrong conference.

Individual papers, posters, and sessions must be submitted online in the abstract submission section of the website between now and JULY 1, 2014. The conference registration section is open and allows secure electronic financial transactions. We will continue to host poster sessions, and pre-conference workshops, which will be held on November 12th. More information about the workshops can be found at http://www.narsc.org/newsite/?page_id=2547.

Conference organizers welcome individual papers and organized sessions relating to a wide variety of topics inclusive within the diverse realm of regional science.  We are an international scholarly organization that focuses on regional analysis, ranging from urban and spatial theory to applied problems in regional development, sustainability, environmental management, and rural land use.  We are an interdisciplinary association, with members representing fields as diverse as economics, agricultural economics, public policy, urban planning, civil engineering, geography, finance, and demography.  The annual North American RSAI conference is the premier regional science meeting in North America and attracts scholars and practitioners from around the world. 

A block of rooms have been reserved at the Hyatt Regency at the rate of $199/night for a single or a double (plus applicable taxes of 13%).

If you have questions, here is contact information:

Local arrangements:

Meagan Cahill (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

John Carruthers (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Program Chair:

Rachel Franklin (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Overall Arrangements

Neil Reid, (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

We look forward to seeing you in November.

Three-year fully-funded studentship: ‘Understanding career pathways and their outcomes’

Potential PhD students are encouraged to apply for this prestigious three year studentship funded by the ESRC's Scottish Graduate School of Social Science and co-funded by Skills Development Scotland. The student will examine connections between different career pathways and their outcomes at a later life stage in the UK with a special focus being on Scotland. This is a timely and highly relevant topic as employment careers in Scotland and elsewhere are becoming more varied and complex whereas robust evidence on the outcomes of career pathways is missing.

This research will use longitudinal data. Knowledge of longitudinal data analysis is not a pre-condition for this application but candidates must have strong quantitative backgrounds. It is expected that applicants have obtained at least a 2.1 honours degree and will have completed a Masters level qualification in a relevant social science discipline (for example, Human Geography, Sociology, Social Statistics).

This PhD research will be undertaken in the Department of Geography and Sustainable Development at the renowned University of St Andrews. The student will be jointly supervised by Dr Darja Reuschke and Dr Zhiqiang Feng. The studentship will cover UK/EU tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend at Research Council rates (approximately £13,000). Funding will be for 3 years of full-time study, starting date in October 2014.

All interested candidates should send a full CV and a proposal of a maximum of three pages outlining why they find this topic of interest and why their skills are a good match for the project.

Please send applications to Mrs Helen Olaez (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by Monday, 14 July 2014. A short-list of candidates will be interviewed prior to the award being made: interviews are expected to take place in late July 2014. The selected candidate will also need to be approved by the Scottish Graduate School-Doctoral Training Centre (http://www.socsciscotland.ac.uk/).

Please contact Dr Darja Reuschke (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Dr Zhiqiang Feng (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) to discuss any issues in relation to the studentship.