After WWII, large housing estates (LHEs) began to flourish on the urban fringes on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Their spatial organization, physiognomy, and form arose from the progressive ideas promoted by CIAM and especially Le Corbusier. When built, LHEs were praised for quickly and cost-effectively dealing with the housing crisis while offering relatively good dwelling conditions. In the Eastern Bloc, they have evolved into the most dominant type of urban housing, making up the lion's share of the total housing stock in the region. While sharing numerous similarities with their counterparts in Western European countries, primarily in the physical sense, these estates were at the same time characterized by certain specificities that were shaped by a combination of political, economic, and ideological factors related to socialism – just as socialist and capitalist cities differed, so did their LHEs. This paper aims to compare and contrast them. It discusses the main features and specificities of LHEs in Central and Eastern Europe based on relevant literature sources, particularly in relation to the development trajectory and characteristics of those located on the other side of the Iron Curtain, thus contributing to the body of knowledge on the urban heritage of socialism.

The15minEstates project was launched in January 2024 as part of the Driving Urban Transitions programme. The 15minESTATES project looks at the nexus of (1) urban space, (2) transport options, and (3) people’s needs and capacities as key dimensions for sustainable mobility transitions in five large European cities (i.e. Budapest, Delft, Halle, Riga, and Sofia). The project aims to co-create locally adapted and accepted spatial strategies and interventions for just and sustainable mobility, with a special emphasis on large-scale housing estates (LHEs). The sample area in Budapest is the large housing estate of Pesterzsébet Centre in Budapest’s 20th district, built between 1963 and 1983, located further away from the city centre, and is characterised by a declining and ageing population. The experts conducted empirical research (questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews with residents) to explore local mobility conditions in the residential area of 17,000 inhabitants. In this presentation, the authors describe the relationship between the built environment of the housing estate and the mobility issues of the local society and use these to outline the characteristics, achievements, and challenges of the 15-minute city concept in Pesterzsébet. At the end of the presentation, recommendations will be formulated to move the neighbourhood towards an area with a more sustainable environment and mobility.

For some years now, East-Germany's large-scale settlements from the 1970/80s have been experiencing a changed dynamic in terms of the social discourse about them, but also in their actual composition of residents. At the same time, the planning instruments for dealing with large housing estates have consolidated the way in which they are developed (Grunze 2017, Krüger 2019, Pasternack 2019, Altrock/Grunze/Kabisch 2018). The day-to-day urban development policy or the basic logic of community work on a large housing estate in 2024 may differ only to a limited extent from that of 2012 or 2018 (following the acceptance after 2000, that urban renewal processes must be social - Germany' Soziale Stadt/Social City). One consequence has been, that urban development and community work are interwoven. Intervention in East Germany, especially in the 2002-2017 funding scheme Stadtumbau Ost combined the deterioration of blocks in one part with an augrading of another part of a settlement. However, the view of large housing estates has changed massively in the last 10-15 years, mainly, but not only, due to the new residents who have been increasingly migrating to Germany (and not just since 2015). The dynamic is particularly striking in large housing estates in eastern Germany, which are changing “from a focus of urban redevelopment to an immigration quarter” (StadtumMig-Project, see e.g.: Bernt et al. 2022), but affects all parts of the country (Helbig/Jähnen 2019; Hunger et al. 2015).
Basically, this dynamic can also be understood as the normalization of a “special type” with a view to 20th century neighbourhoods in the urban periphery, because the heterogenization of a type of neighbourhood that tended to be demographically homogeneous until the end of the modern housing era (1989: reunification, abolition of municipal housing, construction of the last late-modern large housing estates in the GDR) also includes a greater diversity in the composition of the population.
However, the following focus is also possible - focusing on classism rather than ethnicity - according to which, on the contrary, it is more a matter of homogenization: because only the poorer people find space in the only remaining low-cost housing market reserve; i.e. no longer professors living next to shipyard workers (as described in Mau's Lütten Klein), but “Bio-German” poor people living next to immigrant poor people? Or is this what is meant by the normalization of a formerly public welfare-oriented housing estate under capitalism - the “poor” "always" relocate to the “margins”?
The idea is an impulse from a spectator's view: being the honorary chair of the national working group "Urban Regeneration and Prevention-Oriented Development" (1) of the German professional association of planners, SRL (Vereinigung für Stadt-, Regional- und Landesplanung) - and a researcher with a dissertation's expertise in this field (Krüger 2019). The following aspects shall be put into considerations
- The large-scale housing settlements become arrival cities? Do they suit the necessities for that role? Can an established Soziale-Stadt-Governance from after 2000 be transformed to cope that challenge? What change of governance may be needed?
- Due to planning interventions from the 1990s and 2000s the settlements are able to play a model role in terms of coping with an elderly population; many of the settlements received a scalable energetic upgrade; surely relevant for times of energy transformation? How these planning concepts from "repairing" large-scale estates after 1994 can be renewed in our times?
- The estates are a cultural heritage, the last sub-epoch of modern 20th-century housing in Germany. Along with metropolitan needs to erect mass housing along their fringes again - how do the sum of experiences of erection, renovation and regeneration between the 1970s and 2010s can be used for a new era of large-scale estates at the fringes of Germany's metropolises (and how can the existent neighbourhoods may profit from it)?

References:

Bernt, M., El-Kayed, N., Hamann, U., & Keskinkilic, L. (2022). Internal Migration Industries: Shaping the Housing Options for Refugees at the Local Level. Urban Studies, 59(11), 2217–2233.
Altrock, Uwe; Grunze, Nico; Kabisch, Sigrun (Hg.) (2018): Großwohnsiedlungen im Haltbarkeitscheck. Differenzierte Perspektiven ostdeutscher Großwohnsiedlungen. Wiesbaden: Springer.
Grunze, Nico (2017): Ostdeutsche Großwohnsiedlungen. Entwicklung und Perspektiven. Wiesbaden: Springer.
Helbig, Marcel; Jähnen, Stefanie (2019): Pfadabhängigkeiten in den ostdeutschen Städten. In: Peer Pasternack (Hg.): Das andere Bauhaus-Erbe. Leben in den Plattenbausiedlungen heute. Berlin: Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag, S. 49–68.
Hunger, Bernd; Protz, Ralf; Weidemüller, Dagmar (Hg.) (2015): Perspektiven großer Wohnsiedlungen. Berlin: Kompetenzzentrum Großsiedlungen.
Krüger, Arvid (2019): Neue Steuerungsmodelle der Stadterneuerung - und daraus folgende Anforderungen an die Städtebauförderung, die Kommunen und die gemeinnützige Wohnungswirtschaft. Weimar: Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
Mau, Steffen (2019): Lütten Klein. Leben in der ostdeutschen Transformationsgesellschaft. Berlin: Suhrkamp.
Peer Pasternack (Hg.) (2019): Das andere Bauhaus-Erbe. Leben in den Plattenbausiedlungen heute. Berlin: Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag.
(1) https://srl.de/ueber-uns/organisation/arbeitskreise/ak-stadterneuerung-und-pr%C3%A4ventive-stadtentwicklung/ansprechpartner.html [especially with regard to session 51 in Schwerin, November 2024]

Tirana, the Albanian capital, started its urban transition processes after the fall of communism in a rather small-scale and mostly informal manner. Three decades later, urban development in the metropolis with its tripled population has generally formalised. The built fabric experienced a metamorphosis into a globalised urban structure. During the last years, a certain number of megaprojects (in Albanian terms) arose in the city, such as mixed-use skyscrapers, high-rise apartment buildings and big shopping malls or other commercial buildings. In this context, the contribution will address topics of urban geographic interest. One is the overwhelming scalar dimension of the projects as well as the randomness of function and design. Tirana’s skyline shows more and more elements of globalised structures, but from an organisational point of view there is no corresponding functional internationalisation. Another is the fact that some of the large urban developments are organised as public-private partnerships. In such cases, the public sector provides the property, applies for approval and then transfers the responsibility to private developers. This model fosters urban development and renewal, but at the same time, the profits will be privatised. All in all, we note in Tirana an urbanism of exception that can only be partially explained with common theoretical approaches but rather requires an appropriate consideration of the evolutionary background, thus a relational perspective. We take up the concept of the “ordinary city” and discuss the scope of socialism and post-socialism as explanatory concepts.

In southern Italy, many small villages are deeply affected by the demographic crisis and are in danger of disappearing due to population abandonment. For different reasons, this happened in 1980 to the old village of Tocco Caudio (BN). It was built on a structural terrace modelled on the Ignimbrite Campana (39,000 yrs B.P.). This pyroclastic product is considered the result of the largest volcanic explosion in Europe in the last 200,000 years. It covered a large part of the Campania region with significant thickness. This tuffaceous cover, incised by the hydrographic network, has modelled a terrace that, since its very ancient origins (probably 4th century B.C.), has constituted a strategic position and the backdrop for sieges and important battles. These events led to various reconstructions and repopulations. as evidenced by the different architectural superimpositions. These latter are still clearly visible among the ruined buildings. Natural causes, which have hit this village hard, include earthquakes. Historical documents describe the effects of numerous strong tremors since 1125, while for the more recent ones (e.g. 1962 and 1980), the media and residents tell the story in great detail. The stratigraphic and structural layout also favours erosive processes that attack the cliff formed by Ignimbrite and the surrounding areas where sandstones and clays (upper Miocene) outcrop. In the former, collapses are very frequent, also capable of affecting the settlement above, while in the latter, the deepening of the hydrographic network has triggered flows and outflows. These processes also disrupted the access road network. These conditions caused the number of inhabitants to decline rather rapidly, and thus forced them to find a better living situation. What remains of the village has a strong narrative power and could represent one of the geological sites to be protected within the neighbouring regionally protected nature area. Of course, any full reconstructive intervention would change the state of the place, making it lose its descriptive power. This force could be channelled into a ‘city’ path with illustrative panels and reconstructions in a GIS environment, in which the interference between historical events and geological and geomorphological phenomena could be narrated.

Fossil remains are a key tool for studying Earth’s past environments, allowing us to understand climate changes affecting a territory and its consequent evolution. Furthermore, people need to become aware of the uniqueness of fossil remains and how they can become a resource for a territory, being direct evidence of its history. We present multidisciplinary data from a composite section sampled near San Giuliano Lake (Matera, Southern Italy). The study site is situated between the Apulia Foreland and the Bradanic Trough domains of the Southern Apennines. The choice of the study area is motivated by an exceptional discovery, in 2006, of a relatively complete skeleton of a fossil whale, currently housed at the National Ridola Museum of Matera (Basilicata, Italy). This whale, named “Giuliana”, has been classified as the species Balaenoptera cf. musculus, estimated to be about 26 m long, according to Bianucci et al. (2019).

A multi-proxy approach that integrates geology, biostratigraphy, palynology, and paleoecology, allowed us to reconstruct the argille subappennine succession depositional system evolution. The occurrence of the calcareous nannoplankton bioevents and the presence of regionally extinct tree taxa constrain the age of the composite section to the Early Pleistocene (1.256-0.879 Ma) corresponding to the late Calabrian. The documented depositional environment is characterized by repeated events of relatively high organic matter and low oxygen contents of the bottom water masses. This indicates an environment characterized by up-welling currents and strong river input. The hypothesized stratigraphic architecture suggests that the initial phase of the succession underwent tectonic subsidence that exceeded s the sea level change, leading to the formation of a subsiding basin. This phase is followed by a coastline progradation caused by an overlapping action of sea level change and tectonic uplift, interpreted as the Apennine peripheral bulge, during the Calabrian. The upper part of the San Giuliano Lake succession exhibits a progressively increasing paleo depth, representing a slope and a ramp flexuring toward the chain, accompanied by active subsidence phenomena.

References

Bianucci, G., Marx, F.G., Collareta, A., Di Stefano, A., Landini, W., Morigi, C., Varola, A. 2019. Rise of the titans: baleen whales became giants earlier than thought. Biol. Lett. 15, 20190175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0175.

The study presented has been developed within the PRIN 2022 INSITE: Integrated Shared Knowledge: From Geo-Paleontological Heritage to Present Territorial Challenges, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. The project involves two teams of experts from different cultural backgrounds fully integrated in developing activities and pursuing objectives. The two teams consist of territorial experts and palaeontologists, who jointly implement all project activities to reach a development proposal by enhancing cultural assets connected within a territorial network. Conducted with a multidisciplinary approach, the study suggests that geo-heritage can drive sustainable territorial development by defining adequate strategies that can improve the knowledge of territorial resources and their use for sustainable tourism typologies (i.e., slow and cultural tourism). The INSITE project focuses on two pilot sites in the Campania region. The selected case studies are Pietraroja and Le Ciampate del diavolo, chosen because of their peculiarities of being both high-value paleontological resources inside an urban context. These paleontological resources are precious for revitalization if they are mainstreamed into a global design of compatible territorial development. The Fossil Park in Pietraroja “Le Cavere” is notable for the discovery of a small dinosaur fossil, Scypionyx samniticus, commonly called “CIRO”, found in the sediments of a tropical lagoon dating back approximately 110 million years and is renowned for its exceptional fossilization (Dal Sasso and Maganuco, 2011). The site of Ciampate del diavolo is an ichnosite that preserves evidence allowing for behavioural and structural evaluations of Middle Pleistocene hominins. The human footprints found here are likely attributable to Homo heidelbergensis or archaic Homo neanderthalensis and are among the oldest and rarest in the world (Mietto et al., 2022). Both sites rely precariously on a few enthusiasts striving to restore them for public use. In this sense, the INSITE project aims at setting adequate solutions to consider both the need to preserve and improve the fruition of these sites. On one hand, some virtual solutions are proposed, on the other hand, some collaborations among researchers and local communities are being implemented.

This study addresses the issue of using composite indicators as a support decision-making tool in the definition of policies aimed at promoting sustainable development in inner areas. Inner areas chosen as case study refer to two geopaleontological sites that, despite their value as historical evidence, are considered as “external resources” not mainstreamed into their own territorial system. Starting from a systematic scientific literature review mainly aimed at defining the concept of “territorial fruition”, this study proposes to individuate and measuring the propensity of territory in which these resources locate to act as magnets for a global design of territorial revitalization. The use of the term revitalization within this study is no coincidence, it serves to underline the peculiarities of the two territorial settings as inner areas (affected by depopulation; aging population; lack of primary services; difficulty in accessibility, etc.) and thus their need to be studied as parts of a global territorial system to be really revived as a whole. The revitalization process must stem from the consideration of existing and potential interactions between the study areas and the broader territorial context. This includes integrating and connecting cultural assets, eco-environmental features, socio-ethnic singularities, and historical, architectural, and urban values into a joint-cohesive system. According to these premises and with the primary aim of pinpointing those variables that can express the essence of the chosen territorial contexts, this study investigates the aspects adequate to define their sustainable usability mainly referred to:

- identify a threshold value for the territorial attractiveness;

- define territorial accessibility (physical reachability, services accessibility);

- find out types of tourism compatible with the need to both preserve and promote such territorial heritage.

Case studies refer to the territorial contexts: a) “Ciampate del diavolo” in which have been identified some human footprints dating back around 350.000 years ago; b) “Le Cavere” that at present lays on the mountains but approximately 110 million years ago it was a tropical lagoon.

The study assumes the systemic complex approach to territorial analysis, and it aims at defining a scalable method for the evaluation of other geo-sites while recognizing the singularity of cases. It has been developed within the PRIN 2022 INSITE funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR).

The research focus on how coal extraction and usage for energy generation can shape the evolution of urban areas and how extractive pasts influence contemporary city development. For this, the work examines the case of Coronel, a city located in the Gulf of Arauco, southern Chile. A region historically rich in coal, and Bocamina I & II, two coal-based thermoelectric, which coal domes and ash dumpster are placed near the city center. Coronel is regarded as a Chilean sacrifice zone, one of five port cities where 27 of the nation’s 28 coal-based thermoelectric are located. The work studies Coronel’s evolution and its history related to coal extraction and usage in different phases between 1840’s and 2024; A coal-rich extractive territory, fundamental to the countries development; A deteriorated monoproductive mining-city, product of extractive oligarchies and mines depletion; A bastion of thermoelectric generated electricity and consequently backwards energy transition; A sacrifice zone with high levels of industrial pollution and urban distress, and; An industrial port city, after the closing of Bocamina I & II power plants amidst the 2050 national carbon neutrality plan.

To achieve this, the research conducted on-site photographic records, satellite imagery and geo spatial information analysis based on data from Chilean governmental institutions and NGOs, studies of Bocamina I thermoelectric original plans and a review of Coronel historical maps and urban regulatory documents. Carried with an approach that consider its evolution over time, to showcase how coal extractive and usage dynamics conditioned its urban evolution and contemporary urban development.

Coronel offers new insights on how the development of urban areas is conditioned by extractive landscapes. Its study exposes how social distress and political agendas influence energy transition dynamics and how capitalist extractive processes of the past affect current urban policies. Furthermore, it displays how coal extraction and storage infrastructures, and energy generation supply chains, historically exert pressure in the development of the port city and energy transitions. Lastly, the case of Coronel serves as a compelling model for understanding global challenges for marginal territories and could provide insights in how to adress transformation scenarios of historic extractive sites.

The uneven spatial patterns of wealth creation have long been a central theme in geographic scholarship, tracing back to the discipline’s earliest days. Theories of uneven regional development (e.g., Mandel, 1969; Aglietta, 1979) emphasize that regional disparities are not merely incidental to capitalism but are intrinsic to its functioning. As Smith (2001, p. 15958) observed, “uneven development is the process by which the social relations of capitalist societies are translated into spatial forms […] the hallmark of the geography of capitalism.” These dynamic processes reshape not only the socio-economic fabric of regions but also their natural landscapes and geographic character (Smith, 2008).

European extractive regions exemplify such transformative dynamics within capitalist systems. Historically pivotal to national wealth creation, many of these areas have, since the 1970s, become emblematic of deindustrialization and structural change, facing significant economic, ecological, and social challenges. Such regions have been for long neglected both in political and academic debates (Atkinson, 2017), but are now in the centre of recent debates on ‘places that do not matter’ (Rodríguez-Pose, 2018) and ‘left-behind places’ (MacKinnon et al., 2022).

This session focuses on the transformations of the Styrian Iron Route in central Austria, a region that remains home to Europe’s largest iron ore mine, which has shaped the area’s identity for centuries. By tracing the region’s developmental trajectory, this presentation examines contemporary challenges and explores policy responses to address the region's ongoing socio-economic and environmental transitions.

The transformation of European hinterlands into operational landscapes of urbanization, infrastructure, and resource extraction has followed distinct historical and spatial trajectories. This paper explores how formerly extractive or rural peripheries have been incorporated into metropolitan and regional governance frameworks, reshaping their economic, environmental, and territorial functions. To this end, Highlands and Islands of Scotland, UK have chosen to be focused on as the case study.

The Scottish Highlands and Islands have long been shaped by extractive processes—ranging from historical land enclosures and agricultural commodification to contemporary resource extraction, tourism economies, and renewable energy production. Once considered a remote periphery, the region has been increasingly integrated into urban and regional governance frameworks, creating new forms of territorial dependency. In recent years, the Highlands and Islands have been positioned as a renewable energy frontier, with large-scale investments in offshore wind and marine biotechnology. While framed as a climate solution, this transition reflects a new phase of extractivism—where energy production remains governed by external economic forces, reinforcing historical center-periphery dependencies and reshaping territorial governance.

This paper examines the governance mechanisms that have facilitated the transition of the Highlands and Islands from an extractive rural periphery to a managed operational landscape. Using the conceptual lenses of urban political ecology, historical extractivism, and planetary urbanization, it explores how tourism, renewable energy, and conservation policies operate as new forms of territorial commodification and governance-led urbanization; and how governance structures have redefined the center-periphery relationship in the Highlands and Islands. The intended outcome of the study is to reveal the socio-spatial consequences of integrating historically peripheral rural areas into broader urban networks and policy frameworks.

A qualitative research approach is employed, integrating ethnographic methods—mapping and a historical and comparative perspective within an interdisciplinary and theory-driven framework. Through a historical and comparative perspective, the paper contextualizes the Scottish case within broader European trends of rural extraction, governance centralization, and hinterland transformation. By bridging political ecology and urban studies, it contributes to understanding how governance mechanisms shape the socio-spatial trajectories of operational hinterlands in contemporary Europe.

Largely under-represented in scientific literature compared to their mediatic counterparts of metal ores (copper, iron, nickel, etc.), quarries can be considered as places of “ordinary extractivism” in Europe, enabling the massive production of building materials. Marginal both in discourse and literature on the urban environment, and in the territorial systems in which they take place, they are nonetheless essential to the making of the city, and as such should be considered as key elements of “urban metabolism” (Barles, 2017). Since the 1960s, as a result of urban sprawl, rural areas have seen an increase in the number of sand and aggregate extraction sites serving metropolitan areas. These sites maintain an ambivalent spatial relationship with the city, balancing the need for proximity motivated by various issues (transport costs, infrastructure, environmental objectives) with the need for land, nuisance and risk, which relegates them to the periphery.

Following a legal geography approach (Graham, 2011) and methodology (Santoire,& al. 2020), we question in particular the way in which legal categorizations of space and the socio-institutional transactions around them contribute to assigning an extractive vocation to certain rural territories - sometimes at the expense of other trajectories. In this proposal, we analyze the trajectories of two territories marked by the extraction of building materials in the Seine valley, in the departements of Eure (Normandie) and Yvelines (Ile de France). We are particularly interested in two aspects. The first question addresses the way in which metropolitan urban expansion and market dynamics, coupled with new environmental regulations, have modified the cultural and economic place of quarries in territorial development paths since 19th century. The second question focuses on the legal conditions and socio-spatial variables that allow this type of extraction site to multiply in certain areas, and under what conditions - and which temporality - it is possible to speak of “sacrifice zones” in this respect.

The paper aims to contribute to the literature that is invested in understanding the relationship between migrant transnationalism and integration in the host country. While the paradigm of transnationalism has been dominant in the field of migration studies and thus the coexistence of migrant integration and transnationalism is not vehemently contested anymore, the nuanced understanding of the relationship between these two social phenomena is still not entirely clear to researchers. We carried out an analysis based on an online survey which had targeted Hungarian migrants. The focus of our analysis were the sociocultural aspects of transnational connections and host country integration among Hungarian emigrants. In addition, we also investigated the plans for returning home within the matrix of transnationalism and integration. Based on Carling and Pettersen (2014) we created an integration-transnationalism matrix to study the relationship between integration and transnationalism, and within this framework we examined the intention to return home. Our general conclusion, which corroborated Carling and Pettersen’s (2014) results, was that integration and transnationalism “neutralize” each other: strong integration and strong transnationalism, as well as weak integration and weak transnationalism, show similar ratios of return migration plans. At the same time, strong integration and weak transnationalism show the lowest, while weak integration and strong transnationalism show the highest occurrence of considering returning to the home country. The applied logistic regression model indicates that transnationalism increases while integration decreases the chances of planning to return. The paper also highlights certain spatial specificities of the integration–transnationalism matrix through the comparative description of the results from the top three destination countries of Hungarian migrants: Germany, Austria, and the UK.

Digitalisation, particularly the diffusion of affordable ICT, is linked with the growth of transnational migration, understood as sustained cross-border connections between migrants and their origin communities. However, despite the contemporary digital pedigree of transnationalism, there is limited understanding of digital inclusion among transnational migrants in destinations or transnational households in origins. Our presentation and analysis (based on a project supported by the Czech Science Foundation) is one of the first to analyse the relationship between digital inclusion and transnational migration. The main research question is: What accounts for the variation in digital inclusion of transnational Moldovan and Georgian migrants? We will analyse the level of digitisation of migrants in the process of their lived transnationalisation, its conditionalities and the wider context of a sample of 100 Moldovan and 100 Georgian immigrants residing in Czechia. The analysis will also include the situation of their households in Moldova and Georgia. The data from the unique questionnaire survey will be processed, among other tools, through regression analyses and structural modeling approach. The interpretation will be based on social practice theory.

The findings add new knowledge on digitalisation, digital divide, digital inclusion, and transnational migration, and carry important implications for social inclusion, national digital strategies and, more widely, for re-framing the Migration Development Nexus in the context of digitalisation.

Within place branding research, place loyalty is studied as an expression of positive engagement behavior by the residents. Place attachment, i.e. the affective, physical and cognitive bonding with place, and its subdimension place identity are often studied as factors leading to residents’ loyalty to a place. Such studies are mainly quantitative, focusing on the attachment to the place studied, and the residents are treated as a homogenous group. Yet in a mobile world where more and more people live outside of their place of origin, many develop simultaneous attachment to multiple places. In a current research project, we investigated the differences in place attachment of locals vs. migrants, and the differences in their types of attachment to the study location. We further studied the relation between types of place attachment and the interviewees’ behavior towards different places. In this paper, we investigate how multiple place attachment influences future mobility intentions and loyalty to the current place of residence.

We base our theoretical approach on typologies of place attachment, theories of place identity, and place behavior, specifically loyalty. For place attachment different typologies are used, i.e. Lewicka (2011)’s traditional/inherited place attachment, active attachment, alienation, place relativity, and placelessness, Gieling et al. (2017)’s traditionally attached, socially attached, footloose, and reluctantly attached types, and Di Masso et al. (2019)’s fixity and flow scale. We further analyze the subdimension of place identity, and the participants’ loyalty and mobility intention statements according to their place identity and attachments.

The data for the study were collected through in-depth interviews with diverse residents of Girona (Catalonia, Spain). The interviewees included residents born in Girona, residents who came from other parts of Catalonia and the rest of Spain, and residents who moved to Girona from abroad. The interviewees had diverse educational, employment, age, and travel experience and mobility backgrounds, although those who came from abroad were all voluntary migrants. The findings show a preference for long-term settlement and onwards migration, rather than return migration.

According to official statistics, Hungarians constitute one of the largest foreign-born groups in Austria, with approximately 100,000 individuals. Many fit the definition of transnational migrants, with family members dispersed across multiple countries, dual households maintained over extended periods, extensive cross-border networks, high spatial mobility, and active engagement with both their country of origin and destination. In addition, the number of Hungarian cross-border commuters in Austria also exceeds 60,000. Both groups share similar migration motivations, often driven by the prospect of better wages and a higher standard of living, frequently accepting jobs for which they are overqualified.

This analysis is unique as it combines primary data from two previous research projects, including narrative and cognitive interviews as well as two harmonized quantitative surveys (N = 714 in total). The paper will focus on the spatial mobility patterns and labour market characteristics of Hungarian transnational migrants and cross-border commuters. Particular attention will be given to overqualification and its effects on their life satisfaction, happiness, and eudaimonia, as well as its influence on their intentions to stay in or leave Austria.

Preliminary results indicate that while the material well-being of the target population improved after migration, they are less satisfied with their social relationships. Overqualification applies to approximately one-third of respondents in both samples, and those who are overqualified report significantly lower overall life satisfaction compared to those working in jobs that match their qualification levels. To explore the causal relationships, explanatory models will be employed, incorporating various objective and spatial factors.

In line with Grabher’s (1993a; 1993b) seminal work on path dependencies and “Verhinderungsallianzen,” this study explores how deeply ingrained sociocultural dynamics shape the Ruhr Area’s transition from an industrial monoculture to a nascent entrepreneurial economy. By drawing on theoretical building blocks on path development and change (Hassink 2010; Geels 2019), we frame Stam’s (2015) conceptualization of entrepreneurial ecosystems as contexts for entrepreneurial activity. The contribution focalizes on the cognitive, emotional, and social-institutional lock-ins that persist despite growing efforts to foster entrepreneurship.

Semi-structured interviews (n=30) with regional (knowlesge-intensive) entrepreneurs, intermediaries, and policymakers expose long-standing mindsets and cultural proclivities that favor job security over risk-taking, rooted in the Ruhr’s history of heavy industry and powerful legacy firms. We find, cultural attitudes hamper the emergence of a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) by dampening the attraction of talent, inhibiting new venture creation, and perpetuating skepticism toward entrepreneurial careers. At the same time, our data demonstrates incremental but meaningful changes: local success stories, intercommunal collaboration, and renewed leadership in governance signal an evolving recognition of entrepreneurship as a viable path for regional development.

These findings reinforce the importance of social and cultural processes in either slowing or accelerating the formation of an EE (Stam 2015; Mack & Mayer 206; Roundy & Fayard 2018). As Grabher (1993a; 1993b) underscores, lock-in effects can be deeply embedded in regional identities, yet they can gradually be dismantled through intentional interventions and the collective reimagining of what the Ruhr stands for. By examining the complex interplay of resource endowments, cultural narratives, and institutional frameworks, the study illuminates how sociocultural factors can sustain or reshape regional trajectories. Ultimately, the research highlights the critical role of dismantling cognitive and affective barriers to realize the Ruhr Area’s entrepreneurial potential, thereby paving the way for a more adaptable and knowledge-driven future.

Europe is, and has always been changing. This is evident, for example, in the cross-border twin city of Gorizia (Italy) and Nova Gorica (Slovenia). The area was characterised by changing national affiliations. For a long time, it was considered ‘one’ city, but with the Peace of Paris in 1947 and the newly defined state border between Italy and Yugoslavia, it was divided into western and eastern parts. From then on, the Iron Curtain shielded the border for decades. After Slovenia joined the EU in 2004 and the Schengen area three years later, fences and border controls gave way to a renewed, deeper exchange and the neighbourhoods started to move closer together again. At the same time, the decades of separation – for example in the area of infrastructure – remain visible until today.

In 2025, both cities hold the title of European Capital of Culture following a joint candidature, making them the first ‘European Capital of Borderless Culture’. The cities wish to share their past, their stories and their people to showcase creativity and solidarity across borders. With events like a ‘Smuggling Tour’, a ‘Cross-Border Cultural Hub’, an Art Exhibition that explores what lies beyond borders, or their ‘Borderless Map’ for visitors to plan their stay, borders become the main theme of the programme.

With their past in mind and with current initiatives to foster cross-border links, the question arises as to what extent the appointment as European Capital of Culture 2025 will provide additional impetus to bring the two cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica and their inhabitants closer together. In what way do cultural offerings and developments contribute to cross-border cohesion and regional development? In our paper, we provide insights into the programme and projects of this European Capital of Culture 2025 and reflect upon how the border theme is transported to visitors. From a theoretical perspective, we classify the opportunities that cultural innovations can unfold for cross-border relations, regional development, and European integration at a small scale.

George Orwell’s observation that “All animals are equal, but some are more equal” highlights the inequalities surrounding cultural access. Despite culture’s significance in our lives, barriers persist, particularly for individuals in smaller towns and rural areas facing geographical, financial, health, and linguistic challenges. The European Capital of Culture (ECoC) programme aims to enhance cultural access by promoting shared values of European culture while supporting local creative industries and improving tourism.

Since 1985, over 60 municipalities have been designated ECoC, including Pécs in 2010 and Veszprém and the Bakony-Balaton region in 2023 from Hungary. The ECoC title places a city in the European spotlight, fostering cultural projects that celebrate its unique cultural identity. These initiatives encourage local participation, helping communities engage through shared history and cultural practices.

This study, based on interviews with stakeholders and experts, along with a panel discussion, addresses three key questions:

- What proposals can be made post-VEB2023 ECoC programme to enhance cultural access?

- What is the long-term legacy regarding cultural access from the ECoC cities?

- How should the ECoC programme's proposals and criteria be refined from the EU perspective?

The findings indicate that the VEB2023 ECoC programme significantly enriched the local cultural landscape, featuring over 3,600 events across 24 genres, thus invigorating the lives of residents and visitors alike. This initiative not only facilitated community development through cultural activities but also fostered collaboration among 117 local authorities to craft and realize a shared vision. Projects like the GyárKert community space, ActiCity Dance Centre, and the Pajta programme exemplify efforts to enhance access to culture in the region.

At the EU-supported "Access is Success - Opportunities and Challenges of Accessing Culture in Contemporary Europe" conference in 2024, participants and experts highlighted the positive impact of the ECoC programme on both the cultural sector and public life in the host city and its surrounding municipalities. They highlighted the significance of volunteering, the principles and practical aspects of long-term sustainability, the need for cultural access, and the importance of intersectoral collaboration.

The interplay between culture and tourism plays a significant role in shaping destination development and attractiveness. Our research aims to explore the role of culture in the travel decisions of the Hungarian population, with a particular focus on generational differences. Additionally, we investigate how familiar Hungarian people are with domestic and international destinations, and which cultural products and attractions they associate with specific destinations. Furthermore, the study extends to examining both consumers’ and destinations’ sustainability perspectives. From the consumer side, we focus on the extent to which environmental protection, support for local communities, and sustainable resource use are considered in cultural tourism decisions. On the destination side, we analyze strategies that contribute to long-term sustainability and the preservation of cultural values.

The research employs an online quantitative survey methodology, featuring predominantly closed-ended questions. The survey utilizes nominal, ordinal, and scale questions to uncover detailed insights into cultural preferences, attitudes, and sustainability considerations. Special attention is given to World Heritage Sites and national heritage locations, as well as the comparison of highly frequented and less-known destinations. Key outcomes of the research include the identification of cultural products and categories, alongside an analysis of sustainability factors, offering a deeper understanding of the role of cultural attractions in travel decisions and regional development.

The collected data is analyzed using statistical methods, yielding variables and indicators that reveal further correlations. Our findings are particularly valuable for destination developers, offering insights to support the creation of complex and sustainable tourism products. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the connections between cultural tourism, sustainability, and regional development, facilitating the design of long-term viable and innovative tourism strategies.

The refraction of digitalisation through the lens of rural space recasts the meaning ascribed to rural digitalisation to extend beyond broadband and high-speed connectivity. This paper explores the challenges and potential of digitalisation in rural areas, particularly in the post-analogue era, where the digital divide is starkly evident and the global push for digitalisation has highlighted the tensions inherent in rural decline and degrowth. The paper aims to understand how rural communities perceive and adopt digitalisation by interviewing experts and practitioners in rural development and digital data. In such exploration, Halfacree’s (2006) threefold framework of rural space is applied, considering digitalisation through rural localities, formal representations and everyday lives. The case study is the Irish context which exemplifies the state of the rural in terms of decline on the one hand and the emerging focus on and incorporation of the digital as the way forward on the other. The research finds that while digitalisation offers transformative potential, its success depends on community needs, capacity, and a co-produced approach. The research also underscores the importance of local involvement and tailoring digital solutions to specific rural contexts.

Telemedicine is seen as having particular potential in rural regions. Where daily journeys are long for doctors and patients, it seems close at hand to overcome spatial distances using digital information and communication technologies. However, this is not the only reason why it is worth looking at telemedicine in the light of specific rural conditions. In line with other studies, my exploratory expert interviews conducted in 2022-2024 (Mettenberger 2024) showed socio-spatial divides between urban and rural regions when it comes to the hurdles and limits of telemedicine. Those divides are not only result of diverging infrastructural pre-conditions (e.g., regarding broadband or mobile coverage), but may also be constituted through the agency of doctors and other health professionals, using or not using telemedical opportunities. Especially rural general practitioners are often said to be comparatively sceptic of digital technologies, having a strong preference for face-to-face interactions. Hence, the professional self-image of being a rural doctor can be at odds with the digitalisation of everyday communication.

This is where my current empirical analysis comes in. I am interested in doctors practising in rural areas, who came into contact with video consultations or teleconsultations several years ago through initial projects or pilot schemes, having continued to use or having discarded these solutions in the subsequent period. Taking a retrospective view, I question, how these doctors assess the added value and limitations of telemedical solutions in view of the specific contextual conditions of rural surroundings. Therefore, I currently realize regional case studies in rural Germany, doing qualitative Interviews, which will be the empirical base of my conference presentation.

Based on my empirical findings, I want to argue, how the attitudes and everyday experiences of doctors at place contribute to the spread or stagnation of rural telemedicine. Thereby I relate to the theoretical backgrounds of technology acceptance research and constructivist rurality approaches on a micro level as well as work on digital divides, spatial justice and symbolic peripheralization on a macro level.

Mettenberger, Tobias (2024): Telemedizin in der ländlichen Gesundheitsversorgung - Potenziale und Hürden aus Expert:innensicht. Z'GuG 47(2):180-198, DOI:10.5771/2701-4193-2024-2-180

“What is smart development supposed to mean anyway?” was a central question phrased by participants of our interview study conducted among decision-makers and community-developers in four Estonian rural and small-town municipalities. As part of an ongoing digital transformation, the smartification debate has exponentially expanded in recent decades – with an imperative evolving around „smart development”, which is dominated by rather technology-, market- and urban-based understandings of smartness. This is particularly relevant in the context of Estonia’s rapid e-country development which strives towards the establishment of a post-digital nation. Situated at the boundaries of peripheralization, digital social innovation and smart rurality research, the results of the interview study discuss (1) how relevant and meaningful the concept of smart development is locally, (2) the alternative meanings attached to it, and (3) the needs to tailor it to the rural and small town context. As a result, we will outline alternative „edgy” discourses in rural localities that question hegemonic meanings of smart development and have hitherto remained rather invisible under the digital nation umbrella known as “e-Estonia”. This has implications not only for the ways ‘digital’ peripheries are imagined and governed in smart development processes, but also for the way we imagine smart development itself.

This article considers smart rurality within wider European debates and policies addressing innovation in peripheries, exploring the meaning of ‘smart’ through a critical reading of the smart villages concept in official communications including webpages and linked documents. In doing so, we ask how smart village is defined and differentiated amongst EU sources. The content and structure of key EU websites on smart villages are analysed, followed by a framing of the EU discourse on smart villages that seeks to characterize the problem(s) that smart rural development aims to address, its causes, effects and prescribed solutions. Partly due to the early-stage formation of the concept, a lack of richness in the discourse is found. The sources indicate a range of problem definitions and limited treatment solutions, while the causal interpretation and moral evaluation behind smart villages are both lacking. To gain a better understanding of the potentials for smartness, implementation challenges and recommendations for smart villages are discussed, drawing lessons from experiences with similar innovation and smart specialization initiatives. Finally, an outlook for conceptual development is proposed – considering distinctions between smartness as a system characteristic and as a community value – which can be used as a framework to stimulate wider thinking around the meaning of smartness. To underpin notions of weak or strong smartness in smart village strategies and projects, we point again to aspects of the framing analysis that warrant further development to better legitimize smart villages as a policy concept.

Smart(er) rural areas – Framing ‘smart villages’ for improved conceptual development and policy in the EU

Urban proximity has recently regained prominence in urban and transport planning. While the environmental and health benefits of increased proximity are well documented, its social implications, particularly in relation to social cohesion, remain under-researched. This is important because social cohesion is often associated with increased community resilience and societal stability. While previous research has examined how features of the built environment affect social cohesion, few studies have isolated the impact of proximity to daily destinations. We address this gap by integrating objective and subjective measures of proximity to daily destinations and assessing their impact on neighbourhood social cohesion. Using survey data on social cohesion and perceived proximity, together with georeferenced data on destination distances in five Spanish cities, we apply an SEM approach to analyse the relationship. The results indicate a negative relationship between distance to destinations and social cohesion, mediated by perceptions of proximity. This means that the impact of distances to destinations over social cohesion is stronger when destinations are perceived to be closer or further than they actually are. Urban planners and policymakers should consider objective and subjective measures of proximity and focus on equitable access to essential services to promote community cohesion.

The 15-minutes city is shaped by various temporalities. This paper examines the relationship between trajectories of responsibility and the urban landscape, exploring how temporality work and how future scenarios (Anderson 2010) related to micromobility are integrated into the planning of 15-minutes cities in Italy.

Micromobility refers to human-powered and motor-assisted lightweight vehicles (up to 350 kg), operating at low speeds (up to 45 km/h), with either fixed or free-floating parking, designed for short-distance travel. These are individualised but often shared services that use geolocation and on-demand travel through smartphone apps (Behrendt et al., 2023). Devices are increasingly becoming cultural and high-tech objects that support municipalities' sustainable mobility plans (Boréus et al. 2024).

Bikes, cargo bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters are key for the 15-minutes city, connecting peri-urban areas and enabling intermodal transport. However, while offering mobility services, they impose limits based on infrastructure, design, and factors such as gender, age, and occupation. Micromobility combines advanced technology, service providers, and (non)users, influencing moral dimensions of the urban mobility, namely who is responsible for the city liveability. Indeed, devices’ mediatisation is tied to the mobilisation of future scenarios of urban evolution, extending trajectories of responsibility over time through the discursive formation of urban landscapes. How is the future present in and through the urban landscape of Italian 15-minutes cities?

I will discuss the outcomes of a thematic and discursive analysis of Italian newspaper articles on this subject from the TIPS database (Giardullo & Lorenzet 2016), which is part of my PhD project at the University of Padua.

References

Anderson, B. (2010). Preemption, precaution, preparedness: Anticipatory action and future geographies. Progress in Human Geography, 34(6), 777–798.

Behrendt, F., Heinen, E., Brand, C., Cairns, S., Anable, J., Azzouz, L., & Glachant, C. (2023). Conceptualizing Micromobility: The Multi-Dimensional and Socio-Technical Perspective [Online]. Preprints.org. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202209.0386.v2 [last consultation 02.01.2025].

Boréus, K., Bradley, K., & Tornhill, S. (2024). Breaking through banal consumerism? Representations of postconsumerist perspectives in mainstream press media. Journal of Consumer Culture, 24(1), 155-174.

Giardullo, P., & Lorenzet, A. (2016). Techno-Scientific Issues in the Public Sphere (TIPS). EASST Review, 35(4), 14–17.

The spatial arrangement of railway stations in metropolitan suburbs and peripheral rural areas—often shaped over 150 years—frequently means that journeys to or from the metropolitan core start or end at a station located near a small-town center. These areas typically feature a "Bahnhofstraße" linking the station and the old town, but such streets often bear signs of economic disruption, particularly in East Germany, characterized by vacancies and dereliction. This phenomenon is not exclusive to East Germany. The visual impact of mobility infrastructure is significant. Public perception often lags behind operational changes, as exemplified by the lingering association of railway stations with outdated or inefficient imagery. This highlights the need to align mobility infrastructure design with societal expectations and urban development goals, moving beyond technical or quantitative metrics. While digital advancements like integrated ticketing apps have enhanced the user experience, a truly successful transition from car dependence requires more: accessible, appealing station areas and well-designed connections to other urban infrastructure (Krüger 2024b). Railway stations often function as transitional spaces between metropolitan ideals (e.g., walkable cities) and suburban or rural realities (e.g., car dependence). Successful examples showcase how integrating social infrastructure into station areas can transform them into vibrant, multi-functional spaces. Just one example: In Melsungen, a small-town near Kassel, a former goods shed was repurposed into community facilities, demonstrating the potential of small-scale interventions to improve the urban fabric. However, such comprehensive approaches remain rare, as station areas frequently fall outside designated urban renewal zones. The role of stations in urban and regional development is pivotal. They exemplify the coexistence of car-oriented suburban life with car-free metropolitan ideals, providing a space for seamless transitions between these modes of living. When designed effectively, station districts encourage sustainable mobility and enhance urban life by integrating essential services and fostering a sense of place.
An interesting comparative study can be put into the discussion of the panel. In 2023, the author received a research scholarship by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and conducted a study on small- and medium-sized-towns along Shinkansen lines: Does it play a role that ICEs and Shinkansen also stop in small-towns, providing for them quickly connections to metropolitan cores? As it is possible as well to get from Berlin to Wittenberge in an hour without changing trains on the ICE, you can do the same on the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Karuizawa (20,000 inhabitants each) [or from Cologne to Limburg or Vienna to Tullnerfeld). These are not isolated cases (Weidner et al. 2024). Why do trains traveling at least 200 km/h slow down here? Will a 15' rural city be created around these stations, connected to the inner areas of a metropolis in 1-2 hours travel time? Based on a comparative systematization of the station environments, these considerations are linked here with the discourses on the 15' city, whether these also radiate into the countryside - or do not.
This peculiar comparative study can be embedded into other research to elaborate possible means of transformation and transferability in research. The other reserch derives from:
• A transfer research project on small-town governance and sustainable strategies (www.kommunen-innovativ.de/isdn), including station zoning challenges (Krüger 2023, 2024b)
• The DFG-Research Group New Suburbanisms (www.suburbanitaet.de) examining infrastructure and urban planning interactions (Krüger 2024a)
• The ARL Working Group on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) as urban maintenance.

References:

Krüger, A. (2024a): Infrastruktur für den Siedlungsbau im Wandel – Der Versuch einer Allokationstypologie im Siedlungsneubau der 2020-er Jahre. in: Altrock, Bertram, Krüger (Hg.): Stadterweiterung in Zeiten der Suburbanisierung – Neue Suburbanität; Bielefeld: transcript, S. 339-361.
Krüger, A. (2024b): Bahnhofsviertel als Gebietskulisse der Klimaanpassung. Der Fall Gößnitz (Thüringen). In: Raumplanung H. 226, 2-2024, S. 60–64.
Krüger, A. (Hg.) 2023: Thüringen-Reader (Band II) Energie Wohnen Mobilität. Kassel: Universität.
Weidner, S.; Haubold, T.; Krüger, A.; (2024): Kleinstadtbahnhöfe – Anbindung, Umfeld, Funktion. Cottbus: BTU/Hochschul-Campus Kleinstadtforschung

This paper explores how local, women-led organisations in three gang-present communities of the Cape Flats, Cape Town, create spaces of resistance to different forms of urban violence through maternal solidarity and political visibility. Centering on self-organised, feminine circles, it investigates how mothers—key actors in reproducing the community’s social fabric—navigate violence. By focusing on mothers’ embodied experiences, this research interrogates the spatial and political dimensions of their everyday lives, situating these within feminist and decolonial frameworks.

Grounded in feminist geopolitics and everyday geography, the study seeks to answer: How do women-led organisations in gang-present communities construct spaces of expression and resistance for mothers victims of violence(s)? Using qualitative methodologies, the research draws on 62 semi-structured interviews conducted between May and September 2024 with mothers in three gang-present neighbourhoods on the Cape Flats. These interviews were complemented by observations, participatory visual methods (e.g., drawings and photographs), and 24 informal conversations with community leaders, policymakers, and academics.

Findings reveal that women-led spaces serve multiple functions: they foster solidarity among mothers through shared grief and healing processes; they provide crucial resources such as legal advice and psychosocial support; and they enable mothers to reclaim visibility and political power through organised actions like marches, workshops, and food kitchens. Moreover, community events often incorporate music, singing, and dancing, which serve as powerful tools for building emotional solidarities between mothers around gangsterism. These maternal spaces embody resistance to the spatial and emotional violence inflicted by gangsterism, the consequences of apartheid, and systemic violence. The paper also highlights how these maternal spaces act as sites of counter-mapping, challenging dominant narratives about gang violence by emotionally reconfiguring the community’s gendered geographies.

This paper contributes to feminist and decolonial studies of violence by demonstrating how maternal figures challenge the emotional and spatial dimensions of violence through embodied practices of care, solidarity, and resistance. By situating these acts within the broader context of urban violence, it highlights the role of maternal spaces as critical new sites of local power dynamics.

For over two decades, Global North countries have waged a silent yet persistent war against racialized bodies at their borders. This war—manifested through militarized language, apparatuses, and tactics—targets migrants, particularly those from the Global South, and is deeply rooted in colonial fantasies of a world divided between wealthy, "developed" white nations and impoverished, "underdeveloped" black ones. These colonial legacies continue to shape contemporary border regimes that seek to control, deter, and kill a humanity deemed excessive.

The violence of this war extends from the Euro-African borders in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, to Australia’s borders, and the Mexico-U.S. border, creating spaces of oppression that are both gendered and racialized. In response to the creation of violent and deadly borders, everyday spaces of resistance have emerged—spaces where bodies and emotions are mobilized to challenge the dehumanization of black and brown people on the move. The violent outcomes of the war on migrants are deeply felt at the level of racialized and gendered bodies, and these same bodies are at the forefront of resistance efforts.

Drawing on geographical literature—particularly border studies—and through spatial feminist ethnography in Senegal, this paper explores how migrant activists and women’s collectives create spaces of dissent in response to border violence. These spaces, rooted in embodied and emotional practices, actively challenge the logic of inferiorization and annihilation that underpins the war on migrants. By focusing on the intersection of emotions, embodiment, and space, I argue that these forms of resistance not only contest the violence of borders but also foster translocal solidarities that refuse the colonial logics of exclusion.

This essay examines the urban atmospheres of terror in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from the perspective of women residents. Drawing on two ethnographic projects conducted in various favelas in 2016 and 2019, I argue that terror, as an urban atmosphere, is deeply rooted in a long history of racialized and gendered violence, and that its persistence in the contemporary urban landscape is a consequence of the coloniality of power. The analysis begins by exploring the layers, textures, and complexities of urban atmospheres of terror, providing a deeper understanding of their racialized and gendered nature. It further examines the transformative power of the body in reshaping these urban atmospheres, focusing on how favela women cultivate alternative affective atmospheres within their communities. Drawing on Afrodiasporic and decolonial feminist thinking, I show how Afrodescendant women in the favelas resist and transform these atmospheres, creating spaces that challenge the coloniality of power and its spatial manifestations, such as urban borders. I conclude that a key aspect of favela women’s urban politics and resistance to coloniality is rooted in the body and the affective dimensions of urban life.