We invite extended abstracts that address these questions (in part or combination) from a variety of perspectives and methodologies:
What is urban communication? Where does it fit in communication research relative to other subfields? How might urban communication evolve further to shape the future of communication research and/or to allow communication research to shape neighboring fields and academia more broadly?
2. What novel/robust urban communication theories and methodologies exist to address new/persistent social, political, and economic challenges within local, transnational, and global urban contexts?
3. What are the connections between communication, smart cities, algorithms, and the datafication of urban life? How do these connections enable understanding the persistence and potential alleviation of “wicked problems” (e.g., poverty, homelessness, climate change)? How do they allow for new forms of connection and community- building among diverse populations?
4. Are cities today more or less capable of dealing with diversity and promoting social integration than cities of the past? What’s technology’s role in this? What is the role of the media as community stakeholders and as institutions? What is the role of journalists?
5. How does place impact our health and health inequities? What is the role of communication as a process (mediated or not) in this relationship? What is the role of communication technologies (from smartphones and wearables to apps that support the gig economy) more specifically?
6. How do media technologies and practices encourage new sensory experiences, artistic practices, and social interactions within urban environments? How can these technologies be used to understand embodied urban experiences, collective memory, situated knowledge, and placemaking?
7. What are the ethical and practical considerations for engaging with diverse stakeholders including marginalized groups and communities around urban communication? How are (urban and digital) policy and design implicated in these issues?
Submit your abstracts on this Google Form!
Abstracts should be approximately 1000-1500 words in length, excluding references. Participants with accepted abstracts will be expected to present their work as short presentations during the first half of the pre-conference.
DEADLINE: January 15, 2025 (AoE)