• Conceptualisation and assessment of economic transformation processes in SMSTs or small city-regions;
• Displacement and discontent due to economic transformation and (negative and positive) economic development;
• Resilience and adaptation to economic transformation strategies by local communities, economic actors such as firms, organisations, public sector, local leaders, etc.;
• Embedding and disembedding of SMSTs in the global economy through global value chains, global production networks, local anchor firms such as so-called “hidden champions”;
• Transformation of economic sectors such as manufacturing, retail, personalised services, tourism, creative industries, etc. in SMSTs;
• Industrial culture: how it evolves and transforms SMSTs;
• New innovation models and processes in response to multiple crises (COVID-19, climate crisis, economic crisis, etc.);
• Strategies of actors in SMSTs to go beyond small size and to capitalise on concepts such as “borrowing size” or “agglomeration shadows”;
• Emerging opportunities as a result of shifting housing demands, shifting work patterns (e.g. homeoffice), changing work culture, etc.;
• The role of real estate investors in small and medium-sized towns;
• New forms of urbanity and the changing role of residential economies and the foundational economy;
• Rethinking economic growth paradigms and sufficiency/post-growth policies in SMSTs;
• Planning and policy responses to respond or to foster economic transformation such as Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) or others.

Please send your abstract including 4 to 6 keywords (max. 250 words) to simon.kuenzi@giub.unibe.ch by 15 May 2023.

The MRI encourages and invites colleagues to participate with a “mountains-lens” to these key questions.

Key dates:

• Deadline for Abstracts: 15 May 2023
• Notification about acceptance: 1 June 2023
• Registration closes: 1 July 2023
• Preliminary Program: Mid July 2023
• Final Program: Beginning of August 2023
• Conference dates: 13-15 September 2023