Call for contributions

Requirement and guidance for submitting papers

Help Enrich the Program

Share Your Expertise and Innovative Projects!

The 12th Metropolis World Congress is seeking contributions for enhancing the programming and facilitating discussion among participants: mayors and political leaders, professionals, civil society and private sector organizations, and citizens.

Under the theme “Global Challenges: Major Cities in Action”, the Metropolis World Congress in Montréal hopes to get a hold on major cities’ new challenges and opportunities in a changing world where global and local issues overlap and where major cities are being called upon to play a greater role on the world stage. In the wake of the recent adoption of the New Urban Agenda, it is valuable more than ever to pool knowledge, expertise, experiences and resources in order to develop innovative approaches that are up to handling the local and global challenges that are calling on major cities’ leaders and populations

The contributions must help promote major cities to be presented and serve as inspiration or a model for new initiatives in major cities. First and foremost, the communications selected – in addition to respecting the cross-cutting themes – will be based on the innovation to be presented and the interest for Congress attendees.

Ultimately, the contributions must advance knowledge and provide inspiration for the congress attendees.

Submissions for contributions can be:

INSTRUCTIONS AND DEADLINES FOR SUBMITTING ABSTRACTS

To submit an abstract, please visit the Abstract Submission Centre for the 12th Metropolis World Congress in Montreal.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is February 15, 2017 February 26, 2017.
  • Presentations of municipal projects by mayors, elected officials or urban development professionals;;
  • Presentations of innovative initiatives by various types of organizations working in major cities (associations, groups, NPOs, etc.);
  • Benchmarking analyses of best practices;
  • Individual presentations of research projects on the topics addressed by the Congress, with strong potential for transfer in favour of attendees;
  • Presentation of innovative, inspiring ideas.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

Smart cities: Smart initiatives by major cities, impacts, technological and social innovations

Major cities and sustainable development: The impact that major cities have on the environment, actions for reducing the environmental footprint, challenges and circular metropolitan economies

Inclusion and living together: Learning to live together, diverse populations, cultural differences, equality of men and women, access to employment and housing

Mobility and urban planning: New technologies, active mobility, public transportation, architecture, urban design and social acceptability

Economic development, collaborative economy and circular economy: Economic development issues and strategies, innovation districts, tourism and design

Metropolitan leadership and governance: Major cities in international relationships, the different levels of governance, citizen involvement in decision-making processes, social acceptability and urban diplomacy

TYPES OF CONTRIBUTIONS

Submissions may take the form of oral presentations or posters or complete sessions (general sessions, facilitated discussions or training workshops). The following types of presentations will be accepted:

Presentations of metropolitan projects

(20-minute oral presentations)

Elected officials and city managers are invited to submit a 20-minute presentation on a significant project or achievement in an area related to the Congress topics. The sessions will be created by combining submissions on similar topics. Time will be available at the end of each session to interact with participants.

Presentations of municipal projects

(posters)

Posters provide an opportunity to present significant projects or achievements in an area related to the Congress topics. Poster sessions will group municipal projects based on the topics addressed and will be presented both on posters and in electronic format.

Individual presentations of innovative and inspiring initiatives, benchmarking analyses and research with a strong potential for transfer

(20-minute oral presentation)

Professionals (from municipal or metropolitan governments, community organizations or even private companies) and academics are invited to submit an individual 20-minute presentation on one or more of the Congress topics. Sessions will be created by combining submissions on similar topics. Time will be available at the end of each session to interact with participants.

Individual presentations of research projects

(posters)

Posters provide an opportunity to introduce innovative approaches related to the Congress topics. Poster sessions will be available to all delegates and will be presented both on posters and in electronic format.

General session – complete submissions

(90 minutes)
Full 90-minute sessions can be proposed to address one or more of the Congress topics.

The submission must include:
• Title of the session
• Topics discussed
• General description
• Plan for the session
• Names of facilitators, speakers and panelists

The organization presenting a session will be responsible for the content of the session, the confirmation of the speakers and identification of a chair of the session.

Facilitated discussions

(90 minutes)

Sessions in the form of facilitated discussions may be proposed to address one or more of the Congress topics. The purpose of such a session is to maximize the participation of Congress attendees by exploring and developing knowledge and expertise among participants who have come to share ideas, challenges and opportunities. The submitting party will be responsible for leading the discussion with a brief introduction, facilitating and moderating discussions to maximize participation and summarizing the key points at the end of the session.

The submission must include:
• Title of the session
• Topics discussed
• General description
• Key questions to guide the discussion
• Name of moderator

Training workshops

(half or full day, first day of the Congress)

Half or full day workshops provide the opportunity to develop knowledge on one or more of the Congress topics. Workshops generally include presentations, practical exercises and case studies. They are very interactive and provide resources and other tools for participants to use after the Congress.

Submissions must include:
• Title of the workshop
• Topics discussed
• General description
• Plan for the workshop
• Case studies and other resources to be presented
• Names of trainers and other presenters

The submitting party will be responsible for the content of the workshop and for confirming trainers and presenters.

INSTRUCTIONS AND DEADLINES FOR SUBMITTING ABSTRACTS

To submit an abstract, please visit the Abstract Submission Centre for the 12th Metropolis World Congress in Montreal.

The NEW deadline for submitting abstracts is February 26, 2017.

Please note that you can begin the process of submitting an abstract once you have created your account and keep the file open to modify it until the deadline or until you are sure that you have no other changes to make. All of the information you enter in the system will be saved each time you access your file so that you can always pick up where you left off.

Please note that all presenters absolutely must be registered for the Congress for their abstract to be published and for them to be authorized to present.

CREATING AN ACCOUNT

Access the Abstract Submission Centre.

ADD INFORMATION

Modify your file until the deadline.

SEND ABSTRACT

When complete, submit your abstract.