How are urban rivers and waterways being transformed in the Anthropocene? How do environmental change, infrastructures, cultural practices and different ways of knowing and living with water shape the present and future of urban waterscapes?

The conference will provide an opportunity for researchers from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, together with policy makers, practitioners and community and environmental activists, to explore key questions concerning urban rivers and waterways, including lagoon and wetland environments connected to urban and peri-urban areas, in the Anthropocene.

Bringing together perspectives from across the humanities, social sciences and environmental studies, the conference will encourage dialogue on the changing relationships between water, urban environments and the communities that inhabit them.

The conference will take place in Bergamo Alta, the historic upper town of Bergamo, offering an opportunity to explore a distinctive urban setting and reflect on the historical and contemporary relationships between cities and water.

Keynote Speakers

Prof. Kuei-Hsien Liao – National Taipei University, Taiwan

Prof. Philip Hayward – University of British Columbia, Canada

Scientific Committee

Federica Burini (University of Bergamo); Philip Hayward (University of British Columbia); Maarja Kaaristo (Tallinn University and Manchester Metropolitan University); Rita Vianello (University of Bergamo); Francesco Visentin (University of Udine).

Organised by the University of Bergamo in collaboration with the River Cities Network (RCN)

For abstract submissions and conference enquiries: urbanwaterways@unibg.it