The Housing and Urban Justice Project - IBF, Uppsala University

06/07/2026

📚 New publication

We're pleased to share a new publication by Sarita Pillay Gonzalez, member of the Housing & Urban Justice Project, "Consolidating homegrown property empires and transforming a local state: The multiple trajectories behind commercial cityscapes in Johannesburg after apartheid", published in Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space.

This article examines the transformation of Johannesburg's commercial landscape after apartheid, arguing that the city's urban development cannot be understood solely through the lens of global financialization or local state capture.

Instead, the research demonstrates how multiple trajectories of socio-spatial change shaped post-apartheid urban development, including the consolidation of powerful domestic real estate companies alongside the transformation of Johannesburg's municipal government. The article highlights the importance of contextual analyses for understanding the relationships between capital, the state, and the built environment.

Access: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/0308518X261456542?__cf_chl_f_tk=.3vlQY1xv92hCRS0BWfuIDdtcGnnjc_86ZfVYL7bblQ-1783345917-1.0.1.1-tWc8YT8PTP5HVKo1VFLnVm1Ft4L6KBZqtOAqJ9GuLwU

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31/03/2026

📢 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS – DEADLINE EXTENDED | The Common City Conference 2026

Good news! The deadline for abstract submissions has been extended to April 11, 2026.

Join us in Uppsala, Sweden (August 26–28, 2026) for the 2nd Common City Conference:
“Struggling for Urban Justice in a Time of Authoritarianism and Multiple Crises.”

Organized by the Housing & Urban Justice Project at Uppsala University’s Institute for Housing and Urban Research, this conference brings together scholars and activists working on:
🔹 Right to the city & housing justice
🔹 Urban commons & environmental justice
🔹 Methodologies from below
🔹 Activist–scholar collaborations

We especially invite Palestinian movements to reflect on urban destruction and urbicide, and welcome contributions that challenge dominant knowledge production in the context of deepening inequalities.

🗂 Session Formats

Regular Panels (90–120 min)
Thematic Sessions (90–120 min)
Creative Sessions (90–120 min)

📅 New Submission Deadline: April 11, 2026
📩 Notice of Acceptance: April 14, 2026
📖 Book of sessions: https://tinyurl.com/Book-of-panels

👉 To apply, send your abstract directly to the panel organiser of your chosen session.

Let’s reimagine the urban fabric through the lens of commons and justice.

09/03/2026

📢 IBF–HUJP Seminar

Join us for a seminar with María Luisa Escobar, PhD candidate at HafenCity Universität Hamburg.

Social Production of Housing and Solidarity Economy Approaches Engaging in World Bank-Sponsored Programmes in Mexico

🗓 10 March 2026
⏰ 13:15–14:45 CET (UTC+1)
📍 Hybrid format — Seminar Room, IBF, Uppsala & on Zoom

🔗 https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/62475251083

Everyone is welcome to attend.

25/02/2026

📢 OTHER PLANNED EVENTS | The Common City Conference 2026

Conversations don’t stop at the panels: Join our book talk, movie screening, and city walk!

📚 Engage with new critical scholarship
🎬 Watch and discuss urban struggles and mega-events on screen
🚶 Explore the city as a living laboratory

📅 Full program: link in bio

Urban knowledge moves beyond the conference room.

24/02/2026

📢 PANELS 10–18 | The Common City Conference 2026

The panels of the conference are out!

Discover Panels 10–18 of the 2nd Common City Conference and join the conversation on urban justice in times of authoritarianism and multiple crises.

📅 Submission Deadline: March 27, 2026
📖 Full panel descriptions here: https://tinyurl.com/ccconference-2026
👉 Send your abstract directly to the panel organiser of your chosen session.

Let’s build critical urban knowledge together.

24/02/2026

📢 PANELS 1–9 | The Common City Conference 2026

The panels of the conference are out!

We’re happy to share Panels 1–9 of the 2nd Common City Conference:
“Struggling for Urban Justice in a Time of Authoritarianism and Multiple Crises.”

These sessions explore housing justice, urban commons, environmental struggles, critical methodologies, and activist–scholar collaborations.

📅 Submission Deadline: March 27, 2026
📖 Full panel descriptions here: https://tinyurl.com/ccconference-2026
👉 Send your abstract directly to the panel organiser of your chosen session.

17/02/2026

Karl von Holdt and Carin Runciman discuss activism, apartheid and the concepts of critical engagement vs Michael Burawoy’s public sociology.

16/02/2026

📢 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS | The Common City Conference 2026
Join us in Uppsala, Sweden (August 26–28, 2026) for the 2nd Common City Conference:
“Struggling for Urban Justice in a Time of Authoritarianism and Multiple Crises.”
Organized by the Housing & Urban Justice Project at Uppsala University’s Institute for Housing and Urban Research, this conference brings together scholars and activists working on:
🔹 Right to the city & housing justice
🔹 Urban commons & environmental justice
🔹 Methodologies from below
🔹 Activist–scholar collaborations
We especially invite Palestinian movements to reflect on urban destruction and urbicide, and welcome contributions that challenge dominant knowledge production in the context of deepening inequalities.
🗂 Session Formats
* Regular Panels (90–120 min)
* Thematic Sessions (90–120 min)
* Creative Sessions (90–120 min)
📅 Submission Deadline: March 27, 2026
📩 Notice of Acceptance: April 14, 2026
📖 Book of sessions: https://tinyurl.com/Book-of-panels
👉 To apply, send your abstract directly to the panel organiser of your chosen session.
Let’s reimagine the urban fabric through the lens of commons and justice.