Due on 01.10.2013

Urban areas have grown at an unprecedented rate in the last decade. More of the world's population now lives in cities than in any other context. International trade, capital investment and divestment, migration, and porous economic, social and political boundaries fuel this global urbanization. Enormous governance challenges result for megacities and fast‐ growing urban centers due to in‐migration and other trends, particularly in the global south. Ethnic, racial and economic disparities across the globe create new tensions and vehicles for exclusion, while also creating interesting possibilities for cooperation and collaboration. Economic, political, and environmental crises further burden governance and demand innovative solutions to problems unique to global urbanization. All of this raises old and new civic and policy questions about boundaries and borders of global urbanization. Consequently, the 2014 conference theme is "Borders and Boundaries in an Age of Global Urbanization." The conference site, San Antonio, is a global city with a population of approximately 1.3 million, in a significant border region with boundaries that defy simple conceptualizations. It is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, and one of its most ethnically diverse, with almost 70 percent of its native and immigrant residents being of Hispanic descent. It provides a particularly apt setting to explore borders and boundaries and how they shape urban affairs in the 21st Century.

To broaden the conference discourse on the theme of global urbanization, UAA will sponsor a special track on Urban Issues in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. We welcome and will actively reach out to our research colleagues across these regions.

In keeping with the tradition of UAA Annual Meetings, we encourage proposals that focus on an array of research topics including:  

  •   Arts, Culture in Urban Contexts 
  •   Disaster Planning/Disaster Management for Urban Areas, Cities and National Security 
  •   Economic Development, Redevelopment, Tourism, Urban Economics, Urban Finance 
  •   Education, Schools, Higher Education Institutions 
  •   Environmental Issues, Sustainability, Urban Health, Technology and Society 
  •   Globalization, Multi-national Urban Issues 
  •   Governance, Intergovernmental Relations, Regionalism, Urban Management 
  •   Historic Preservation, Space and Place 
  •   Historical Perspectives on Cities, Urban Areas 
  •   Housing, Neighborhoods, Community Development 
  •   Human Services and Urban Populations, Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector in Urban Contexts 
  •   Immigration, Population and Demographic Trends 
  •   Infrastructure, Capital Projects, Networks, Transport, Urban Services 
  •   Labor, Employment, Wages, Training 
  •   Land Use, Growth Management, Urban Development, Urban Planning 
  •   Poverty, Welfare, Income Inequality 
  •   Professional Development, The Field of Urban Affairs 
  •   Public Safety in Urban Areas, Criminal Justice, Household Violence 
  •   Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Diversity 
  •   Social Capital, Democracy and Civil Society, Social Theory, Religion and the City 
  •   Urban Communication (Urban Media Roles, Urban Journalism, Social Media/Technology in Urban Life) 
  •   Urban Design, Urban Architecture 
  •   Urban Indicators, Data/Methods, Satisfaction/Quality of Life Surveys