NECTAR Newsletter                                                                    March 2015

Dear NECTAR friends

This newsletter brings news on NECTAR activities and NECTAR members. But first I would like to give you an update of the preparations for the 2015 NECTAR international conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, June 14-16, 2015. It will be a true transatlantic conference: we have accepted over 100 abstracts, of which over one third are from North American researchers. The conference will have a mix of plenary and parallel sessions, and a specialized subconference on Accessibility-Based Evaluation, with invited practitioners from the USA and Europe. The different cluster will organize thematic sessions, there will be general sessions on other topics within the NECTAR field.

We are also pleased that 12 PhDs have been nominated for the first NECTAR PhD award! This is al­ready a recognition of the high quality of the research conducted by PhD students supervised by
NECTAR members. A committee with NECTAR cluster chairs has been established to assess the nominations, and Professor Peter Nijkamp as chair.

Karst Geurs, NECTAR chair, March 2015

Thematic cluster sessions at the 2015 international conference

Clusters’s animators suggested thematic sessions along the conference, related with each of the cluster’s main topic. The following thematic sessions will take place at the annual NECTAR conference:

Cluster 1: Smart transport network investments and smart outcomes?

Cluster 2: The Environmental, Planning and Policy Implications of Advanced Technologies.

Clyster 3: Smart freight transport: the way forward.

Cluster 4: The Dynamics of Migration, Housing, and Labour Markets in Land Use.

Cluster 6: Accessibility, Vulnerability and Resilience.

Cluster 7: Smart Securing of Transportation Activities.

Cluster 8: Big data and mobility: a digital framework of human communications for smarter cities.               

A new Transport Research Centre at Tel Aviv University, Israel

In April 2014, the Transportation Research Unit (TRU) at Tel Aviv University, Israel was officially opened. The unit, established and directed by Dr. Moshe Givoni, aims to better understand the social, economic and environmental implications of transport in time and space in order to advance sustainable transport policy. The unit's main objectives are first to develop international research reputation in the field of Mobility and Transport and second, the promote an informed public debate on transport planning and policy issues within Israel. The unit opened in a public event in which Prof. David Banister of the Transport Studies Unit (TSU) at Oxford University gave the keynote speech on " Transport Futures: Thinking the Unthinkable".

To contact the TRU email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Doctorate Honoris Causa : Peter Nijkamp

A few weeks ago, Peter Nijkamp received a doctorate honoris causa from the University of Poznan, Poland. This is already his 5th honorary degree. He got this high scientific distinction for his path-breaking semi­nal contributions to regional science and for his world-wide scholarly impact on new generations of regional scientists. NECTAR would like to congratulate Peter with this achievement.

For further information see the following link

Cluster 5: Kuhmo-NECTAR School

The Kuhmo-NECTAR School of ITEA (International Transport Economics Association) is organized an­nually, together with the annual ITEA conference. The School offers a high-quality program covering re­cent advances in transportation and urban economics and is targeted to PhD students, practitioners, and practicing researchers from related fields. It has been highly successful in attracting young researchers from around the world.

So far, the Kuhmo-NECTAR School has taken place in Helsinki in 2006, Urbino (Italy) 2007, Amsterdam 2008, Copenhagen 2009, Valencia 2010, Stockholm 2011, Berlin 2012, Chicago 2013, and Toulouse 2014. The next School will take place in Oslo 15-17 June 2015. Further information on the 2015 edition of the School can be found here.

Cluster 6: Book Accessibility And Spatial Interaction

The book on Acessibility and Spatial Interaction paves the way for new topics requiring novel approaches using accessibility tools. This book emphasis the complex and dynamic interaction between accessibility and the space-economy and was edited by Ana Condeço-Melhorado , Aura Reggiani , Javier Gutiérrez ,  within the NECTAR Series of Edward Elgar Publishing.

Members of NECTAR have the right to purchase this book, and other published books in the NECTAR Series, for personal use with a 50% discount off the published price, provided that payment is made with order.

Cluster 7: Joint Session of WCTR Interest Group G5 and NECTAR Cluster 7

The World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS) announces that the 14th World Confer­ence will be held from the 10-16 July 2016 in Shanghai (China) at Tongji University. A special joint session of WCTR  Interest Group G5 and NECTAR cluster 7 on Transport and Security is being organized by Yoram Shiftan, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, and Luca Zamparini, University of Salento, Italy, the SIG co-chairs. Further information can be found here.

Upcoming NECTAR Events

13 — 14 April 2015 NECTAR Cluster 2 on Climate Change Targets and Urban Transport Policy, Malta

16 — 17 April 2015 NECTAR Cluster 3 Meeting on “Sustainable freight transport – are cities willing and ready for the recent advances in transport technologies?”, Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal

7 — 8 May 2015 NECTAR Cluster 1 workshop “Enhancing the network efficiency: air transport and sustainability”, Cranfield, United Kingdom

14 — 16 June 2015 NECTAR international Conference, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States of America

25—28 August 2015 NECTAR Cluster 6 Special Session in ERSA 2015 on New data and Methods in Accessibility Analysis, Lisbon; Portugal

Call for Submissions

Inaugural Award
PRSCO Award for Best Paper by a Young Regional Scientist [PDF][MS-Word]

The Pacific Regional Science Conference Organisation (PRSCO) is proud to announce that it will, for the first time, present a Best Paper Award in 2015.

The Award will be made for the best submission to the PRSCO Best Paper competition by a young regional scientist, under the age of 33 (on July 1, 2015), who is from a PRSCO-relevant part of the world. TheAward rules can be found on the PRSCO web site.

The author of the winning paper will be expected to present their paper at the 2015 PRSCO Conference to be held at Viña del Mar, Chile from August 5th to 8th. The winning paper will be announced by June 5th, 2015. The decision of the selection committee will be final.

Eligible authors who wish to submit a paper to the PRSCO Best Paper competition should email a pdf copy of their paper to the PRSCO Executive Secretary (Hiroyuki SHIBUSAWA This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by no later than Friday, March 20, 2015.

Submissions should include a cover page with the paper’s title, the author’s full name, affiliation, and contact details. Award applicants should either: state that the paper is single-authored; or provide the name of the co-author(s), together with evidence that the applicant is the lead author and has contributed over 70 per cent of the paper’s content. The applicant should also affirm that they meet the Award’s age criterion.

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I would personally like to invite you to the XLI Conference on Regional Studies, which will be held in Reus (Spain) on the 18th, 19th and 20th of November 2015. A few days before officially opening the call for papers I would like to encourage you to take part in this event, which will take place at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili. We are aware of the constraints that researchers are currently suffering, especially those of the younger generation. As such, we are planning an attractive programme with an extensive offer of accommodation at competitive prices. Our aim during this conference is for Reus to become a city of reference with respect to Regional Science.

The organizing committee, which comprises members of the Research Group on Industry and Territory (GRIT) and Quantitative, Urban and Regional Economics (QURE) from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, is sure that you will enjoy the conference at both an academic level and in terms of personal enjoyment. In our efforts to organise a high-level conference, together with the ordinary sessions, you will be able to participate in a series of special sessions that are relevant to today’s world, and which link in with the conference slogan ‘Innovation and Geographical Spillovers: New Approaches and Evidence’.

The conference will take place in the excellent facilities of the Business and Economics Faculty (on the Bellissens Campus) of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Our faculty is located in the university complex of Reus and is very close to the town’s historical centre. Reus is a city with more than 100,000 inhabitants, and together with Tarragona, forms the second largest metropolitan area in Catalonia. Reus is well-connected to other Spanish cities by its high-speed AVE train services, as well as by major road networks. A wide range of available accommodation is also available in Reus or on the coast, in Cambrils, Salou and PortAventura-. Check the conference website to find more information about accommodation, travelling and entertainment opportunities available in this area.

We hope to see you in Reus!

Warm regards,

Agustí Segarra

President of the Organising Committee for the XLI Conference on Regional Studies

Dear Madam/Sir,

Following the first announcement on the 3rd International Conference on Urban and Regional Economics we highly encourage you to register for the event hosted by University of Economics in Katowice, Poland in cooperation with European Regional Science Association – Polish Section.

Submissions should focus on:

•functional urban areas and relevant policies (conference focus theme) •innovation in cities •regional specialization •interactions in regional development •land use policy for cities and regions •EU regional policy and its impact on cities and regions •urban and metropolitan governance •economic resilience of metropolitan regions and agglomerations •urban and regional regeneration •urban and regional competitiveness and entrepreneurship •urban and regional public services and infrastructure

The conference will be held in Katowice on June 11-12, 2015 and will host keynote speaker - PROF. JULIE LeGALLO from UNIVERSITÉ DE FRANCHE-COMTÉ CRESE.

Should you know young and talented Ph.D. students, do let them know about the ERSA young researcher prize. Two best papers are to be awarded with fee waiver and travel / accommodation refund up to 200 EUR.

For further details see the attached call for papers and submit the registration form to the local organising committee.

Do not hesitate to contact us for any further assistance and feel free to distribute the information within your professional and scientific networks.

We look forward to welcoming you to Katowice in June 2015.

Yours sincerely

Local Organizing Committee

Adam Polko, Department of Spatial Economics | University of Economics in Katowice Artur Ochojski, Department of Strategic and Regional Studies | University of Economics in Katowice

Are you ready to relaunching sustainability?

THERE ARE ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT TO SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT TO

URBE - URban freight and BEhavior change.

Conference to be held in Rome, Italy, October 1 st -2nd, 2015.

A selected number of papers presented will be published in an Special Issue edited by:

JOSE HOLGUIN-VERAS / EDOARDO MARCUCCI / CARA WANG

TO BE HOSTED BY TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART A

Submission

We are now inviting submissions for conference presentations. Extended abstracts should contain all relevant information to allow the peer review process, giving an overview of: (1) main objectives and motivations, (2) topics covered and methodology, (3) results obtained/expected and conclusions (max. 2 pages, please follow the instructions on the website).

The deadline for abstract submission is April 1^st, 2015.  Abstracts should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and will be assessed by the scientific committee within a double-blind-review.

Please circulate this to anyone who you think may be interested!

We look forward to receiving your submissions and seeing you on October 1-2, 2015 in Rome, Italy

Sincerely,

Local Organizing Committee

 28th ERSA & ERES Summer School

 44th Annual Conference of RSAI -   

8th Annual Summer Conference -  

In attached is the call to a professor at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies on Development at the Andes University in Colombia. 

Conference information in English / Course information/ Combined course + conference package

Dear Ms,

Dear Sir,