Urban Geography and Planning Laboratory

Laboratory supervisor: Petropoulou Chryssanthi (Christy), Assistant Professor

              co-supervisor: TSILIMIGKAS Georgios, Assistant Professor

The laboratory pursues educational and research activities in the fields of Urban Geography and Urban Planning.

The educational activity covers the needs of the Department of Geography related to the preparation of diploma theses, master theses by the Master Program as well as PhD thesis.

The research activity concerns the undertaking of research projects and unfunded urban and regional studies.

• Production of educational material for undergraduate and graduate students
• The creation of a database to support the goals of the laboratory
• The organization of international seminars and conferences, the invitation of internationally recognized personalities and scientists, the implementation of research projects and the publication of the research results in international journals and books
• International collaborations with similar research laboratories, local authorities, and collectives
• The development of new scientists and researchers
• The constructive interaction with the society

• Laboratoire Image, Ville, Environnement - ERL7230 Section du CNU (πρώην "Image et Ville 7011 CNRS/ULP ), Strasbourg, Dir. Christiane Weber http://imaville.u-strasbg.fr
• Laboratoire Sociétés, Acteurs, Gouvernement en Europe (SAGE) UMR 7363 CNRS/UDS UDS Maison Interuniversitaire des Sciences de l'Homme-Alsace (MISHA), http://sage.unistra.fr/axes-de-recherche/axe-6/
• Laboratorio de Computacion Qualitativa y Cartografia Digital. Departamento de Sociologia. UAM-I. Mexico, Dir. Cesar Cisneros, http://investigadores.izt.uam.mx/datos_investigador.php?mail=csh@xanum.uam.mx

• INURA International Network for Urban Research and Action http://www.inura.org/

International Profiles and Partnerships / Protocols:

The Urban Geography laboratory and its members have international collaborations with the following Universities:

1. Protocol of cooperation of the University of the Aegean

• Argentina: Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche UNAJ of Buenos Aires
• Brazil: Universidad del Estado de Bahia
• Turkey: University of Aegean

2. Erasmus Partnerships:

Brazil:

• UF Rio de Janeiro, Departments of Geography and Education

• UA Estado de Bahia, Departments of Geography and Education

• UF de Porto Alegre, Department of Geography

Mexico:

• UAM-I Departments of Sociology, Psychology and Geography

• UNAM School of Philosophy, Departments of Geography and History

Spain:

• UAB Department of Geography

• UAB - ICTA

• Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

• Departamento de Geografía de la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Collaborations through joint research actions and exchanges of researchers other than Erasmus:

France

• Laboratoire Image, Ville, Environnement - ERL7230 Section du CNU (πρώην "Image et Ville 7011 CNRS/ULP), Strasbourg, Dir. Christiane Weber https://imaville.u-strasbg.fr/
• Laboratoire Sociétés, Acteurs, Gouvernement en Europe (SAGE) UMR 7363 CNRS/UDS Maison Interuniversitaire des Sciences de l'Homme-Alsace (MISHA), http://sage.unistra.fr/axes-de-recherche/axe-6/ Dir.Thierry Ramadier, Philippe Hamman

England

• Center for Urban Research on Austerity (CURA) - De Montfort University (Co-ordinator: Ioannis Chorianopoulos)

Mexico

• UNAM Department de Filosofia (Geografia, Historia)
• Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla - Posgrado
• UAM-I. Laboratorio de Computacion Qualitativa y Cartografia Digital. Departamento de Sociologia. UAM-I. Mexico, Dir. Cesar Cisneros, http://investigadores.izt.uam.mx/datos_investigador.php?mail=csh@xanum.uam.mx

Brazil

• Universidad Federal de Sao Paulo, Department of Geography

Bolivia

• Universidad Mayor 
de San Andrés 


Colombia

• Universidad de Nariño, Department of Geography

Research Networks:

International Association of Geographers - Subcategory: Urban Geography

Latin American Association of Geographers

INURA International Network for Urban Research and Action http://www.inura.org/

The laboratory uses tools like Linux, Remote Sensing, GIS, CAD and software for qualitative and quantitative social studies in different working environments (free and open source software is promoted when possible)

The laboratory is situated in the first floor of the building of Geography Department, University of the Aegean, Lesvos, Greece

The laboratory has 5 positions of work, 4 PC, 1 portable PC, 1 photo - camera, 3 libraries.

To cover its operational needs, it requires two additional permanent researchers, 5 working stations, a server for the electronic library-database, one library, multimedia and digital equipment for field studies.

The Urban Geography Group of the Geography Department, University of the Aegean is an open interdisciplinary place of research and encounters which supports the courses “Urban Geography”, "Social Geography", “Urban Studies - Analysis”, “Geography of Metropolitan Areas”, and “Cities and Regions in Latin America”, as well as the post-graduate courses “Urban Development and Policies”

"Spatial planning and Urban and Regional Social Movements", “Applications of Geo-informatics in Urban Geography”, "Socio-spatial segregations" and in the past, “Applications of Geo-informatics in Urban Geography” and part of the course “Applications of Remote Sensing”.

It undertakes research studies in areas of Urban Geography with the objective to understand better the world we live in.

It focuses on the Mediterranean and European space and in Latin America.

It follows critical geography perspectives of the urban and peri-urban space, contemporary urban changes, glocal (local-global) analyses of urban phenomena (like common goods and public space, urban sprawl, urban competition or solidarity, minority spaces, urban segregations), urban and environmental studies, cultural urban approaches and comparative studies of phenomena in different cities as well as urban movements.

• Chryssanthi (Christy) Petropoulou (coord,) Charalambos Tsavdaroglou, Ilias Pistikos, Chrysa Gianopoulou, «The right of refugees to the city: state spaces of reception and common housing spaces. Case study to Athens, Salonica and Mytilene”. ESPA http://www.aegean.gr/ερευνητικά-προγράμματα

• Chryssanthi (Christy) Petropoulou (coord,), Myrto Tsilimbounidi, Nagia Tselepi, Orestis Pangalos «Commoning the "migration crisis" and the "hotspots". The case of Lesvos». ESPA http://www.aegean.gr/ερευνητικά-προγράμματα

• Housing and international mobility in the island cities. The emergence of new forms of urban inequality (ViMo- ISLANDS) COORDINADOR Juan Manuel Parreño Castellano. AGENCIA ESTATAL DE INVESTIGACIÓN - Convocatorias 2018 Proyectos de I+D de GENERACIÓN DE CONOCIMIENTO y Proyectos de I+D+i RETOS INVESTIGACIÓN. EU and Spain (Συμμετοχή της Επ. Καθ. Κρίστη Πετροπούλου)

• "European Urban Heterogeneity: Population Analysis of the Behavior of Southern European Urban Regions in Conditions of Economic Integration and Competition". Researcher - Doctoral Candidate: Tsapala Flora (Supervising Professor: Yiannis Chorianopoulos)

• Creative Resistanses and the construction of subjectivity. Research in cities of Greece, Mexico and Argentina. Doctoral Candidate Constantine Zafiris (IKY and Erasmus +) (Supervising Professor: Christy Petropoulou),

• The right of refugees in the city. Research Team: Christy Petropoulou, Charalambos Tsavdaroglou, Elias Pistikos, Chrysa Giannopoulou, Olga Lafazani (self-funded research)

• Autonomy and poetry of the struggles in Latin America. Research in the quilombos, palenques, indigenous communities, favelas - self-construccion neigborhouds, poetry collectives, street art groups. Researcher: Christy Petropoulou (self-funded research)

The Invisible Cities research team organizes weekly meetings and discussions of critical bibliographic research (undergraduate, postgraduate students and researchers are involved), has organized the "contested borders - contested borderscapes" conferencehttp://www.contested-borderscapes.net, more than 20 scientific and academic publications:

1. Petropoulou C., Vitopoulou Α. Tsavdaroglou C. (coord.), 2016. Urban and regional social movements.  Invisible Cities Research Group. e-book., 488p., ISBN 978-618-82533-0-8 : http://aoratespoleis.wordpress.com

2. Gouvias D., Petropoulou C., Tsavdaroglou C., 2019 (coord). Contested Borderscapes.Transnational Geographies vis-à-vis Fortress Europe. May 2019, Invisible Cities Research Group. Thessaloniki-Mytilene, 196 p., ISBN: 978-618-82533-1-5 http://aoratespoleis.wordpress.com

2018 - 2021: Research project “Estimating Seasonal Population via Night Time Satellite Images SEPT”. Program code 5761. Scientific Responsible: P. Baltas. Planning, Regional and Regional Development Engineer (University of Thessaly / TSFMA). Marble.

2014 - 2015: Research project "Cross-Border Cooperation for the Development of Marine Spatial Planning" of the Cross-Border Cooperation Operational Program "Greece - Cyprus 2007 - 2013" co-financed by the European Union ERDF and National Resources of Greece and Cyprus. Program Code 2562. Participation in Deliverables: (a) Selection Documentation of the MSPC Pilot Development Areas in the Aegean 2562-5.1.2. / MSP Principles for CSDP 2562-5.2.2., (D) Report on Analysis of Existing CSDP Conditions & Production of Maps 2562-5.3.3. Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, University of the Aegean. Mytilene.

2014-2017: Research project "Sustainable futures for Europe’s HERitage in CULtural landscapES: Tools for understanding, managing, and protecting landscape functions and values" (HERCULES). Grant agreement no: 603447. Scientific Responsible: Kizos Τ., Work package leader.

2013-2015: Research project “Sustainable future of European heritage through its cultural landscapes. Tools for understanding, managing and protecting landscape functions and values ”. Program code 2542-31137. Work Package Manager Th. Kizos. Department of Geography, University of the Aegean. Mytilene.

2013-2014 : Research project “Traditional settlements in Aegean sea: Factors that affect the change of character of traditional settlements in Aegean sea”, in the context of the integrated action “the Aegean University as a main actor for the economic and social development of the Aegean Sea” ESPA 2007-2013 MIS 355434 Dir. G. Tsilimingas.