We are very happy to announce that the Call for Paper for the IX conference of the Young Academics network is out. The conference will be in Palermo, Italy, on the days of March 23-26, 2015.

The conference, Differences and Connections: Beyond Universal Theories in Planning, Urban Studies, and Heritage Studies will be hosted by the University of Palermo, Polytechnic School.

We are very happy of the stunning list of keynote speakers:

Patsy Healey (Newcastle University).
Jean Hillier (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology).
Cornelius Holtorf (Linnaeus University, Kalmar).
Laura Saija (University of Catania).
Leonie Sandercock (University of British Columbia).

The conference will also host the presentation of the Festschrift for Patsy Healey edited by Jean Hillier and Jonathan Metzger.

The conference invites inter-/multi-disciplinary contributions that present empirical research and/or theoretical discussions and building that explore the ways universal theories in Planning, Urban and Heritage Studies have shaped planning approaches worldwide as well as advance discussions on how to go beyond such universality by exploring dimensions of differences and connections in-between different (geographic, theoretical, institutional, mental) contexts in the European and global arena of cities.

The conference will offer four thematic areas:

Breaking disciplinary borders. Dialogues between planning theory and research, critical urban theories, human and cultural geography, critical heritage studies, and beyond.
Overcoming divides. Comparative studies, de-parochialising theories.
Beyond Western-centrism? Heritage and the politics of local-global divide
The EU crisis and beyond. Local effects and answers, making sense of European differences and connections.
Deadline for abstract submission is November 1, 2014.

Please check the website for the full CfP and details.