REGISTRATION
International Scientific Conference
City in Motion – Movement in the City
20th – 22th April / on-line
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
BOOK OF ABSTRACTS
We are pleased to invite you to participate in the International Scientific Conference City in Motion – Motion in the City, which will be held online on the MS Teams platform on April 20-22, 2026.
ANNOUNCEMENT II
Thank you for your interest in our conference. In announcement no. II, we would like to inform you about a change in important dates for the upcoming conference. The deadline for submitting conference applications and paying fees has changed. We are also pleased to inform a you about a planned panel discussion organized by the Cracow Branch of the Society of Polish Town Planners, to which we cordially invite you.
The aim of the conference is to foster a discussion on the form of the contemporary city and the broad concept of mobility. We hope that the interdisciplinary and multifaceted exchange of experiences concerning the transformation of urban structures, their flexibility, and the dynamics of development processes will contribute to a deeper reflection on the contemporary challenges and issues facing cities.
This is the 12th conference in the series The Idea of the City – Time, Place, Form.
Rapid urban development, together with contemporary civilizational, economic, and climatic shifts, makes movement a key factor in analyzing and designing urban spaces. Physical and social mobility now shape the rhythm, accessibility, sustainability, and identity of cities. In this context, the “City in Motion” describes both the urban environment and the ongoing processes that define its vitality. Meanwhile, “Movement in the City” refers to the specific phenomena, mechanisms, and policies that shape mobility—such as transportation strategies, infrastructure, and socio-spatial models of accessibility aimed at balancing user needs with sustainable development principles.
Against this backdrop, we propose to formulate two thematic axes of the conference:
- City in Motion – the dynamics of urban transformations.
From this perspective, the city is understood as a process and a system of relations in which movement becomes a constitutive factor of urban form. Mobility—understood not only as physical movement but also as the variability of structures, functions, and spatial narratives—serves as a defining feature of contemporary urbanization.
The discussion on the “City in Motion” focuses around the following questions:
- How do contemporary urban theories—such as the concepts of sharing cities and circular cities—redefine urban space as an open and adaptive system?
- How can the relationship between “space” and “place” be interpreted in the context of new forms of mobility and changing perceptions of the city?
- In what ways does movement—understood as social, economic, and ecological energy—influence
the formation of new urban models that integrate infrastructure, nature, and community?
“City in Motion” thus denotes a city of transformation—one that continually redefines its boundaries, meanings, and rhythms of life, responding both to the evolving needs of its users and to environmental pressures.
II. Movement in the City – Mobility as a Planning Tool.
The second perspective focuses on the practical dimension of movement—as a tool for shaping urban space and planning policy. Movement in the city encompasses not only the flow of people and goods but also the infrastructure that organizes these flows and determines the quality of urban life.
From this perspective, the following key questions arise:
- How does the TOD (transit-oriented development) approach, understood as a principle urban form generation, influence the shaping of accessibility nodes and flow spaces?
- How can transportation systems be designed to simultaneously reduce the carbon footprint and strengthen local urban identity?
- In what ways does the reduction of excessive parking spaces and the reallocation of streets
to pedestrians and cyclists influence the rebuilding of social ties and local economies? - How can infrastructural and zoning planning be integrated with the principles of sustainable development and inclusivity?
- Can modern forms of public participation serve as a catalyst for movement understood not only
as mobility but also as social agency and co-creation of urban space?
“Movement in the City” thus emerges as a strategic dimension of planning, where mobility becomes both an objective and a means—a tool for creating cities that are more open, sustainable, and resilient to crises.
Both perspectives—City in Motion and Movement in the City—converge in Rahul Mehrotra’s concept of the kinetic city, whose form and functioning emerge from a dynamic balance between infrastructure, community, and the environment. Discussion of movement thus becomes a point of departure for reflecting on a new planning philosophy, in which mobility signifies not only physical relocation but also the city’s capacity for adaptation, flexibility, and regeneration.
The conference topics are aimed at a wide audience, including researchers, specialists, local government officials, students, and individuals interested in spatial, urban, and architectural planning, as well as the transformation of urban structures.
We invite interested participants to submit papers that address the objectives of the conference. Students and PhD candidates are invited to prepare posters or short presentations within the thematic scope of the conference, following the attached poster template, with a file size not exceeding 5 MB.
SCHEDULE:
Submission Deadline: 15th March 2026;
Payment Deadline: 22th March 2026;
Deadline for Submission of Abstracts (Posters – applicable to the Student Session): 6th April 2026;
Conference Dates: 20th – 22nd April 2026;
Venue: MS Teams (Cracow, Cracow University of Technology).
CONFERENCE LANGUAGES: Polish, English
CONFERENCE FEE:
350 PLN – Participation in the Conference – Attendee or Presenter;
180 PLN – Conference Participation for PhD Students – Attendee or Presenter of an Abstract
(poster, presentation);
0 PLN – Conference Scientific Committee and Undergraduate and Master’s Students.
Account number: 09 2490 0005 0000 4600 1012 1826.
Payment Reference: Konferencja Miasto 2026 – Name and Surname.
Participation is conditional upon registration on the website and making a payment to the above-mentioned account.
WEBSITE/CURRENT INFORMATIONS: https://a5.pk.edu.pl/miasto2026/city2026/
CONTACT: konferencjaA5@pk.edu.pl
FILES TO DOWNLOAD:
ANNOUNCEMENT
ANNOUNCEMENT 2
STUDENT POSTER TEMPLATE