CALL FOR PAPERS: Ruining/demolishing and regeneration of urban space

     The overview of literature on spatial, social and cultural transformations in cities allowed us to  put forward the following hypothesis: Demolition/ruining process of cities is a regular part of their history, consists in irrevocable damage to spatial, functional and above all social structure irrespective of time, place and reasons behind it. Under specific circumstances such actions may become rational elements of urban transformations, which support revitalization, urban regeneration and sustainable development. Whether ruining/demolishing is destructive or constructive to a city depends on physical, geographical, economic, geopolitical, ideological and cultural context.  
               

     Ruining/demolition as a tool of urban regeneration allows to introduce radical improvement of the degraded areas and to restore of their social value, ie to improve the quality of spatial organization, to ensure a proper structure of functions, to improve living conditions, and to stabilize positive relationships among different user groups.

     Taking into consideration that the process of urban regeneration should eliminate inequalities and create the stability of a given area the following issues are worth discussing:

• What are the origin, course and effects of ruining and demolishing cities under various physical, geographical, economic, geopolitical, ideological and cultural circumstances?
• Which factors contribute to the ruining/demolishing of cities (in the past and at present)?
• How does ruining/demolishing progress in cities? What consequences does it bring?
• What are the relations between ruining, demolishing and urban regeneration (revitalisation) in contemporary cities in various cultural and social aspects?
• Is ruining/demolishing linked with sustainable development of cities and, if yes, how and to what extend?
• Can demolition be considered a part of the process which supports the elimination of inequalities in urban space?
• How to plan and implement urban regeneration programs to prevent the emergence of social inequality?

     The final publication is scheduled in October/November 2018, and published in GEOGRAPHIA POLONICA vol. 91, iss 4 (4/2018) or at the beginning of 2019 (vol. 92, iss 1 – 1/2019). Proposals are expected before January  15, 2018, (500 words abstract, complete with title, key words and full contact details in a doc or docx file) and final papers should be delivered in electronic format before the end of March (31), 2018 (36 000 signs max., spaces included).

     We also request the Authors to declare that any part of the proposed papers has not been previously published elsewhere. In order to guarantee high quality of contributions, they will be submitted to peer review by anonymous reviewers. A final deadline for revised papers is September 1, 2018.