European Network for Multi-locality Studies - 9th Annual Meeting
This year's conference facilitates cooperation and sharing of knowledge beyond academic circles, and therefore invites policymakers and practitioners.
The conference explores multi-locality, a phenomenon where people live and work in multiple places. It will examine how this impacts society on international, national, and regional levels. The conference seeks to promote collaboration and innovation among academics and various stakeholders to better understand the phenomenon, gather data on different multi-local trends, and identify strategies for sustainable urban and regional development. The conference invites researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss current research and the relevance of knowledge about multi-locality for the renewal of state, region, and municipality, as well as for the development of framework conditions for business and civil society.
Download complete program & abstracts (pdf)
The conference is funded by The Research Council of Norway
Contact persons
- Mina Di Marino, Department of Urban and Regional Planning (NMBU), Associate Professor
- Maryam Gorgpour, Department of Urban and Regional Planning (NMBU), PhD candidate
About multi-locality
Multi-locality refers to the phenomenon where people move and live between multiple homes, and work in various places, such as offices, cabins, cafes, libraries or shared workspaces. This phenomenon has been increasingly explored in several disciplines, such as sociology, geography, urban and regional planning, economics, and organizational studies.
For the first time, the conference will be held in a Nordic context and will support both innovation and collaboration. Cooperation among researchers, innovators, the public sector, civil society, and the business sector is relevant for exploring this phenomenon. This includes understanding various aspects of multi-locality, experimenting with new ways of collecting and analyzing data using new technology, and designing sustainable urban and regional strategies for the Norwegian society and beyond.
Multi-locality has been discussed in public forums and among politicians in the Nordic countries, and this includes interest in its effects on the attractiveness and competitiveness of cities, as well as ongoing development of urban and non-urban areas.
During and after Covid-19, there has been a growing debate in Norway and other Nordic countries about both multi-local living and working conditions. For example, several researchers have investigated the emergence of multi-locality in Norway, and the use of secondary residences (cabins and holiday homes) for recreational purposes, and the economic and environmental impacts on urban and remote regions.
Despite the clear multi-local trends, there are still few studies on the social, environmental, and economic consequences of various forms of multi-locality, both in a Norwegian and international context. Therefore, there is increasing interest in gaining more knowledge, both about people commuting between various places, and the socio-economic, environmental, and planning implications for local communities and transport.