SUDEA Workshop in Lublin

The SUDEA-colleagues Dr habil. Michał Łuszczuk and Dr habil. Katarzyna Radzik-Maruszak from the Maria-Curie-Skłodowska-University (UMCS) warmly welcomed IDOS experts Jacqueline Götze and Dr Dorothea Wehrmann as well as Arne Riedel (Ecologic Institute) in Lublin.

Due to the pandemic-related travel restrictions and the war in Ukraine (the distance from Lublin to the Ukrainian border is only 100 kilometres), it was for the first time that all researchers engaged in the international and interdisciplinary research project “Sustainable Urban Development in the European Arctic” (SUDEA) met from 25 to 26 September 2023 in Poland.

During the two-day workshop, the team reflected together on the project’s objectives and future research avenues but focused particularly on the writing of the monograph that will summarise the project’s main findings (planned publication: Spring 2025). The book delves into the intricate dynamics of development of remote urban areas. The authors explore the question why the global goals agreed upon are pursued differently at different places in the European Arctic and thereby follow the aim to better understand why the local advancement of the global goals is limited. Through a thorough examination of seven cities located in the European Arctic, the authors reveal and explain multifaceted challenges and prospects that these municipalities are grappling with in regard to their future development while carrying the dual burdens of geographical remoteness and the pressing imperatives of climate change policies.