Municipalism 2019: An International Exchange

De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester, LE1 9BH

The Centre of Urban Research on Austerity (CURA) at De Montfort University, Leicester is holding a two-day conference to discuss New Municipalism in April 2019.

In the last decade, austerity has had a significant impact on the local sphere. Budget squeezes, public services cuts and institutional restructuring came along with growing social needs, and local governments have struggled to keep providing the goods and services needed to stay afloat. However, we have also seen how the local sphere can also be an ideal lab for democratic experimentation and social innovation. Spanish and Catalan cities, with Barcelona at the forefront, have been examples of municipal experimentation over the past few years under the idea of the New Municipalism. However, what is New Municipalism? Is New Municipalism an effective answer to austerity? How is New Municipalism delivered?

The Centre of Urban Research on Austerity (CURA) at De Montfort University, Leicester, in collaboration with the University of Girona and the Betiko Foundation, is holding a two-day conference to discuss all these issues in April 2019. The conference is organised in the form of an international exchange between academics and practitioners from Spain, Catalonia and the UK. The conference builds on CURA’s  “Municipalism in the 21st century” conference held in June 2018.

Municipalism 2019: an International Exchange programme includes sessions to discuss the concept and definition of New Municipalism, and roundtables where experiences and reflections on how to deliver Municipalism are shared, creating an environment in which cities can learn from one another.

CLES CEO Neil McInroy is speaking on “Delivering New Municipalism: Towards Economic and Social Equality” on 5th April from 9:00am – 11:00am.

The conference is free of charge, and limited space are available.  Find out more information and register here