Urban Morphology in South-Eastern Mediterranean Cities: challenges and opportunities

CyNUM - 1st Regional Conference
Organised by the Cyprus Network of Urban Morphology

The Cyprus Network of Urban Morphology will host its first regional conference in Nicosia, Cyprus. The conference aims to address current issues related to urban form from an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspective, while engaging a variety of actors and stakeholders. The purpose of this conference, organized in parallel to the AESOP Thematic Group for Public Spaces and Urban Cultures (AESOP TG PSUC) meeting, is to unfold themes related to South-Eastern Mediterranean cities within the local context of Nicosia.

Theme. Over the past few decades, South-Eastern Mediterranean cities have become radically altered in the sense of scale, scope and complexity as a result of globalization, increased mobility at all levels, massive internal movements of labour, climate change, technological developments, economic fluctuations, unemployment and urban conflicts. Migration flows as well as internal displacements and the movement of refugees, demographic, spatial and socio-cultural changes have had profound consequences on city life and have created an increasingly diverse and continuously transformed urban population. Contemporary everyday life is, in these parts of the world, characterized by diverse manifestations of instability which continuously challenge and redefine everyday patterns of living and cities' infrastructures and urban form.

Nicosia, the last divided capital of Europe, with a prolonged history of conflict, internal refugees' displacements, migration and tourists' flows, economic fluctuations and rapid, often abrupt urban transformations serves as an ideal laboratory to explore, unravel, and question urban form development in contexts of uncertainty and contestation. It is a city of contrasts in terms of its spatial, social, cultural and economic composition. The location of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean offers a unique venue at the confluence of three continents and a multitude of cultures that face unique urban challenges. In a region of intense conflict, Cyprus offers a common ground for bringing people together in a neutral venue and it has acted thus numerous times in its past. The island is currently dealing with urban issues related to the movement of refugees and other transient populations in the region and to the influx of foreign investors, seeking luxury housing in its coastal cities. While increasing populations from Europe and beyond continue to settle in the island, Cyprus is also now facing a renewed need to provide housing for local people facing challenges due to the recent economic crisis. Cities' urban development and sustainability have thus been central in the local and national agendas, providing a unique opportunity for urban morphology research and scientific knowledge to contribute towards this end.

CyNUM's 1st regional conference aims at establishing a common platform to promote and develop the subject of urban form in Cyprus and within the Mediterranean region. Through different perspectives, the CyNUM conference aims to address the role of urban form in relation to the sudden and sometimes recurring dynamics that affect everyday urban life. Learning from cities in the South-Eastern Mediterranean region can provide a significant input to the fields of urban planning, architecture and design. To this end, the conference will develop links with other organizations (universities, NGOs, research centres and planning authorities) concerned with the built environment and with other regional ISUF networks and the central body of ISUF.

Conference topics

- Urban Form and Social Uses of Space
- Urban Conflicts
- Historical Development Process
- Methodologies and Tools for Analysis in Urban Morphology
- Urban Morphology, Planning and Urban Design
- Cultural Morphology
- Urban Fringe Belts
- Urban Morphology and Townscape Conservation

Abstract submission dealine: November 19th 2017

Organising Committee
Nadia Charalambous, Ass. Professor, Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus
Nevter Zafer Cömert, Ass. Professor, Department of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University
Alessandro Camiz, Assoc, Professor, Department of Architecture, Girne American University
Ilaria Geddes, Researcher, Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus
Sebnem Önal Hoskara, Professor, Department of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University
Marko Kiessel, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture, Cyprus International University
Constantinos Kypris, Architect/PhD Student, Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus
Elena Konstantinidou, Ass. Professor, National Technical University of Athens

Scientific Committee
Michael Barke, Northumbria University, UK
Kai Gu, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Nilly Harag, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Israel
Aykut Karaman, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Turkey
Ayse Sema Kubat, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
Peter Larkham, Birmingham City University, UK
Teresa Marat-Mendes, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal
Nicola Marzot, TU Delft, Netherlands
Kostas Moraitis, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
Vítor Oliveira, University of Porto, Portugal
Giuseppe Strappa, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Tolga Ünlü, University of Mersin, Turkey