Urban Studies Conference

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The theme of 2025 is
City of Narratives.

Cities are built on narratives, which are be based on their past or the present. The narrations also probe the future of cities. Narratives have become increasingly important tools in the global urban competition. Cities strive to differentiate themselves by branding themselves and by creating an appealing image based on either their history or future with simple slogans thus building environments for international consumption. While new cities and places are finding and creating their narratives, many historical cities and places all over the world are characterized by narratives so strong that they often struggle with hyper tourism.

The narrative turn raises many critical questions. First of all, it is necessary to ask who is the narrator? How is the narration or story of the city created? The narratives and narrators change, however, which allows us to analyse the historical layers of cities and to explore the impact of different stories on cities.

Urban planning is a strong narrative tool, which conveys chosen views concerning the future of the city. What are the stories on which urban planners (often architects) tell us? Who has created these narratives and why?  We need to acknowledge that many narratives appeal to emotions; hence, it is appropriate to ask whether they occasionally mislead city dwellers as well as decision-makers?

Various academic disciplines also construct stories about cities based on their specific views on urban life. In addition, the city dwellers produce stories about their own city, district or even their own house. What kind of role does the knowledge of the local inhabitants play in creating urban narratives? How are these stories represented in the mainstream narrative of the city?

The narratives created and often altered by different actors shape the reality of the city. Simultaneously, they shape its past, present and future as well. But where and how do these different stories meet and how do they develop as the results of these encounters?

We invite researchers, planners and all other interested to critically scrutinise the City of Narratives and to participate in the Urban Studies Conference in 15th and 16th May 2025 at the House of Sciences (Tieteiden talo) in Helsinki.