[ecrea] Urban Communication Foundation White Paper Call for Proposals - Theme: Changing Cities: Migration, Communication and Culture

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      White Paper Proposal

Urban Communication is the study of communication within an urban
context. The built environment is rich with information and physical
architectures that manifest unique social situations. From traffic
patterns to sidewalks, to mobile computing and surveillance
technologies, the issues presented by the rapidly changing communication
context constructed through urban environments are vast and varied.

The Urban Communication Foundation (UCF) has been a leader in promoting
scholarship in this general area. The Foundation has funded dozens of
research projects and acknowledged dozens of scholars that have advanced
the field of study. We now seek to extend this influence by focusing in
on particular issues or areas of research. As such, will be soliciting
public research reports on issues that have a direct bearing on public
policy and/or the everyday life for people within cities.

These reports should be between 8000-10000 words in length and present
original research on the topic. The end product should aim to have some
influence on policy makers, community leaders and scholars and
contribute to basic research and practical solutions. The author(s) of
the top rated proposal will receive a stipend of $10,000. The money can
go to individuals or institutions to provide various forms of research
support.


      2015 UCF White Paper Program

*Area of Research: Changing Cities: Migration, Communication and Culture*

More than half of the world’s population currently lives in cities (UN
Habitat), largely as a result of regional and global migration. Cities
are transit and endpoints in migrant journeys, they are imagined, lived
and mediated destinations. Many urban societies have developed out of
long histories of migration, while the growing diversification of
migration flows has been changing cityscapes across all continents.
Urban communication landscapes reflect the cultural diversification of
cities but also many of the challenges presented to cities as a result
of migration and urban change. As many urban societies increasingly
become cities of difference –in terms of shifting demographics,
linguistic and cultural composition – critical questions about the
future of the urban world need to be systematically addressed. How are
participation, equity, and respect achieved in cities of difference and
how are values of equality, mutuality, and democracy communicated? How
are cities’ symbolic and material resources distributed and controlled
and what is the role of communication in these processes? How do urban
dwellers manage close proximity to difference and how do communication
technologies mediate and manage difference, migration, and intercultural
exchange?

Urban Communication Foundation (UCF) is dedicating this year’s White
Paper Program to migration and the multifaceted opportunities and
challenges it presents to understanding urban communication. UCF is
soliciting research proposals that will lead to the development of a
white paper on the theme of Changing Cities: Migration, Communication
and Culture. Interested researchers from all disciplinary backgrounds
should submit a proposal outlining the research problem they seek to
pursue and how it relates to the theme of this CFA (see guidelines
for submission below). All theoretical and methodological orientations
are acceptable and approaches that are inter/multi-disciplinary, and
rely on mixed-methods are particularly welcome. Moreover, comparative
work across urban locations is encouraged. The final report should be
8,000-10,000 words in length. The end product should aim to have some
relevance to policy-makers, community leaders and/or researchers within
one or more urban contexts and to also speak to urban action and/or
practical solutions. The author(s) of the top-rated proposal will
receive a grant of $10,000 (for details on the review process, see below).

*The following are but some examples of research questions and topics
that applicants may pursue. This list is not meant to be exhaustive:*

–In what ways do urban communication landscapes reflect a city’s
migration history and its current cultural diversity?

–Who has access and who is excluded from urban communication
infrastructures, in terms of gender, sexuality, age, ethnicity and race,
class. How do these processes of inclusion/exclusion relate to migration?

–How do architecture and urban planning enable or restrict communication
across cultural/ethnic/racial differences?

–How do local organizations engage with local media in their attempt to
reach out toresidents and record their diverse needs?

–Do local media (‘old’ and ‘new,’ mainstream and ethnic) reflect the
city’s/neighborhood’s diverse histories? Are some histories privileged
against others?

–How are different migrant cultures (e.g. food cultures; religious
practices; linguistic diversity)communicated in the city?

–How are gender roles within migrant families and communities in the
city negotiated?

–What is the role of communication technologies in supporting/changing
relations acrossdistance and with those ‘left behind’?

–In what ways can communication support social and environmental
sustainability inculturally diverse urban societies?

– In what ways do different experiences of migration – e.g. forced;
privileged – allow us tounderstand different forms of urban
communication within and across cities?

–In what ways do comparative perspectives help us understand
continuities and differencesin urban communication as this relates to
migration?

*Guidelines for Submitting Proposals/Applications*

–Proposals should not exceed 1,000 words (excluding references). Please
include a cover page with the name, position, institution, and contact
information for all authors. Please adhere to APA or AMA publication
guidelines.

–Applications should include a short itemized budget and a concise
statement providing a rationale for the expenses listed in the budget.
Funds may be expended in a variety of ways (e.g., to hire a research
assistant or for a course buy-out), provided that it is clear how
doing so will enable the researcher(s) to complete the proposed work.
Funds may not be used to purchase computer hardware. Funds awarded by
the UCF may be utilized to offset fringe costs (such as those often
involved in hiring a research assistant), but the Foundation will not
cover overhead expenses (i.e., indirect costs). In any case, the total
amount of the award will not exceed $10,000.

– Applicants should include at least one letter of recommendation. The
referee should be able to assess the significance and viability of the
project described in the proposal, as well as the qualifications of the
applicant as they pertain to the proposed work.

–Proposals should be submitted to Myria Georgiou at
(m.a.georgiou /at/ lse.ac.uk) no later than September 14, 2015. Funding
decisions will be made by November 1, 2015. White papers should be
delivered no later than May 1, 2017. White papers will be published on
the UCF website and disseminated widely. Author(s) are encouraged to
develop academic publications linked to the white paper.

*Evaluation of Proposals and Awarding Funds*

–A committee consisting of two Urban Communication Foundation members of
the Board of Directors as well as two external reviewers will evaluate
all applications submitted by the specified deadline.

–UCF will contact the author(s) of the top-rated proposal to ascertain
their commitment tothe proposed research project and will subsequently
release funds to the researcher(s).

–The UCF will announce the proposal selected on the Foundation’s
website, through press releases and via social media.

Questions? For questions about the CFA, please contact Myria Georgiou at
(m.a.georgiou /at/ lse.ac.uk)



Myria Georgiou, Associate Professor
Deputy Head of Department
Dept of Media and Communications
London School of Economics and Political Science
New book: *Media and the City*, Polity Press
http://www.polity.co.uk/book.asp?ref=9780745648552


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