Polish Association of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists
The conference is organized in cooperation with other European universities of the UNIC alliance (European University of Cities in Post-industrial Transition – UNIC 2.0), within thematic line no. 2 (TL2: Sustainability & green cities), taking into account related issues within other thematic lines such as: Urban resilience & smart cities (TL3), Health and wellbeing (TL6) and Justice, security and institutions (TL4).
Theoretical background of the conference
Implementing sustainable development in all its dimensions is a civilizational challenge today. Given the shifting dynamics and complexity of the geopolitical landscape, there is a need to re-evaluate established theoretical foundations and their practical applications. The academic community must now address the proliferation of development concepts in the social sciences, which lack rigorous theoretical validation and analysis of the reasons for their limited practical application.
These issues become particularly evident in the context of the development of cities and urbanized areas, especially post-industrial cities, where the search for new development patterns and the building of a city brand is accompanied by the need to address challenges arising from historical conditions.
The challenge remains to effectively combine social, economic, and environmental issues tailored to local circumstances, while simultaneously addressing global problems in accordance with the principle of "think globally – act locally." Experience to date suggests that awareness of the interdependence between socioeconomic systems and the environment remains insufficient. There is an urgent need for strategies that better integrate these spheres into decision-making processes, particularly regarding issues such as demographic change and social inequality, climate change and the degradation of natural ecosystems, digitalization and digital exclusion, shifts in the balance of geopolitical power, wars, and migration. Institutional governance and the effectiveness of organizational solutions at various decision-making levels also require reflection.
In particular, this concerns:
•The reasons for the limited effectiveness of sustainable development strategies at the supra-local level (requiring global cooperation) that result from social traps and limitations inherent to human and community evolution.
•The effectiveness of decision-making mechanisms regarding the use of multi-criteria methods to optimize strategic development directions at both local and global levels.
•The conditions for supporting planning and development decisions through the use of data and advanced artificial intelligence algorithms.
•The possibilities and limitations of using advanced methods of social participation to support decision-making at various levels of territorial unit development management.
Dr. Chad Boda is an Associate Professor in environmental studies in the Unit for Built Environment and Environmental Studies at the Department of Urban Studies at Malmö University, Sweden. Chad is also research coordinator for the Green and Just Cities theme in the Institute for Urban Research at Malmö University. He received his bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University, USA in 2010, his master's from Lund University in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science, Sweden in 2012 and his PhD in Sustainability Science from Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies in 2018. He received promotion to docent in 2023.
Chad’s research lays at the intersection of sustainable development, spatial planning, natural resource management and collective action/social movements, as well as maintaining a keen interest in philosophy of science and methodology in inter/trans-disciplinary research. He work gives special attention to competing conceptualizations of sustainable development and the repercussions these have for practice, possibility and political engagement of different social actors. His current research is focused on mapping the actors and strategies within the developing social movement around environmental restoration in southern Sweden and Baltic Denmark. His previous work has focused on topics including inter alia farmer based rural social movements in the sub-Saharan African countries of Ghana, Uganda and Zimbabwe, loss and damage from climate-related extreme events in the United States and sustainable coastal resource management in international contexts.
In addition to research, Chad is a highly involved interdisciplinary educator, covering topics including mainstream and ecological economics, social theory, physical and human geography, ecology, environmental management, environmental history, landscaoe studies and spatial planning. He is also program responsibility for the bachelor's program Environmental Studies: People, Environment and Society at Malmö University, and is supervising a number of PhD dissertations in the field of Urban Studies.
Edmond Byrne is Chair Professor of Process and Chemical Engineering at University College Cork (UCC), Ireland and a Principal Investigator at UCC’s Sustainability Institute.
His academic qualification include a BE in Chemical Engineering and MSc(Agr.) Food Science from University College Dublin, a PhD in Process & Chemical Engineering and MA in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from University College Cork.
His research interests include transdisciplinary approaches around sustainability, sustainability narratives, and (engineering) education for sustainability. He Chaired the 10th Engineering Education for Sustainable Development conference (EESD2021) in Cork in 2021. As Discipline lead and Programme Director of the ME and BE(Hons) degrees in Process and Chemical Engineering at UCC, his research and teaching seeks to understand how best to put EESD learnings into practice.
He has researched and taught with colleagues from across the disciplines for over a decade and a half and has co-edited (with about a dozen academics from across the disciplines) two books: ‘Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Transitions to Sustainability’ (Routledge, 2017), and ‘Metaphor, Sustainability, Transformation: Transdisciplinary Perspectives’ (Routledge, 2021).
Professor Byrne leads an Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded project Deep Societal Innovation for Sustainability and Human Flourishing (DSIS) [https://www.ucc.ie/en/dsis/]. This transdisciplinary project seeks to develop a new methodology for conceptualising deep whole-of-society transformation for a trajectory towards authentic sustainability and human flourishing, in response to the current 'polycrisis'/'metacrisis', which manifest at once at local, supra-local and national/international levels. In considering the above, DSIS considers a number of six inter-connected institutional pillars: politics, economics, technology, gender, education and religion. A forthcoming book, ‘Restoring the Sacred Ordinary in Everyday Life: Secular and Spiritual Responses to Contemporary Crises’ (Bloomsbury, 2027), emanated from a recent DSIS workshop in Cork.
He also is involved in a transdisciplinary project alongside anthropologists, geographers and artists, investigating the power of story, narrative, myth and art in transformative systemic change, in particular in the context of local, rural and isolated communities.
First day 10th September 2026
Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz; 3/5 Polskiej Organizacji Wojskowej Street, 90-255 Lodz, POLAND
Second day 11th September 2026
Faculty of Management, University of Lodz, 22/26 Jana Matejki Street, 90-237 Lodz, POLAND
15 June 2026 - the deadline for online registration for participation in the Conference.
15 June 2026 - the deadline for submitting the abstracts.
30 June 2026 - the deadline for the Scientific Committee to evaluate abstracts.
15 July 2026 - final deadline for payments.
10-11 September 2026 - the Conference
Standard - 250 EUR
Reduced (applies to students and doctoral candidates) - 150 EUR
The conference fee must be paid by 15 July 2026 to the following account:
University of Łódź, Bank Pekao S.A., II o/Łódź
account number: 14 1240 3028 1978 0011 6527 2246
BIC (Swift) PKOPPLPW
transfer title: "SD 26 and participant's first and last name".
Conference participants from UNIC member universities are exempt from the conference fee. They are responsible for their travel, accommodation, and publication costs.
Conference participants have several publication options. Texts must meet the editorial requirements of individual publishers and will be subject to standard publishing procedures. The conference fee does not cover publication costs.
This book explores the latest advancements in applied informatics, environmental informatics, and environmental economics, along with relevant sustainability practices. It focuses particularly on the topic of 'Sustainable development and other paradigms and concepts in the context of contemporary civilisation trends — global and local dimensions'. Chapters should concern the key elements needed to shape a greener future, while also emphasising the transformative potential of digital tools and data-driven strategies for tackling environmental issues that transcend geopolitical boundaries. The book examines how digital inclusion can empower communities, enhance decision-making, and promote sustainable development on a global scale, addressing issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and pollution. It also explores the economic and societal aspects of environmental research, including environmental economics and informatics. As an essential resource for researchers, professionals, and policymakers interested in using ICT to address urgent environmental issues and achieve sustainable development, the book offers valuable insights, thought-provoking discussions, and innovative approaches to building a sustainable, eco-friendly digital society aligned with the global Sustainable Development Goals.
Accepted full papers will be published in the Springer book series “Progress in IS, Advances in Environmental Informatics”. The Scope of Full Paper contributions is 15 plus/minus 2 pages. These papers will be peer reviewed on the basis of your submitted paper.
Accepted short or work-in-progress papers will be published in “Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI), Proceedings - Series of the Gesellschaft fur Informatik (GI)”. The Scope of this paper's contribution is 8 pages plus/minus 2 pages. These papers will be peer reviewed on the basis of your submitted paper.
Office
Jolanta Hrdina-Rzeźniczak
E-mail address: conferencesd@uni.lodz.pl
Department of Development Economics
Rewolucji 1905 r. 41/43
90-214 Łódź
Tel. +48 42 635 51 61
As part of the conference programme, we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to take part in a walking tour. There are two options to choose from:
Łódź is a city of contrasts which intrigues almost at every step. It is full of factories and, at the same time, it is very green; eclectic but also avant-garde. Łódź dazzles with the lavishness of factory owners’ palaces and astonishes with artistic installations.
https://lodz.travel/en/tourism/why-lodz/
Zdjęcie: Magazyn Travelist
Fuzja is a new meeting place created in the heart of Łódź by Echo Investment and Archicom. It combines historical, industrial fabric with modern architecture. It is a “destination place” full of people and greenery, offering space for meetings, work, and unique experiences.
Zdjęcie: Fuzja Echo
One of the most renowned streets in the country and also the longest Polish promenade is a symbol of the city.
https://lodz.travel/en/tourism/what-to-see/piotrkowska-street/
Zdjęcie: Adobe Stock
Zdjęcie: Stare Kino
