• Home
• Program ▼
  • Programme
  • PDF programmes
  • Themes
  • Keynote speakers - Inaugural conference ULB
  • Keynote speakers - Congress UCL
  • Synthesis of the congress
• Contributions ▼
  • By author
  • By speaker
  • By theme
  • Browse by type of document
• Registration ▼
  • Registration fee
  • Registration
• Organisers ▼
  • Organising committee
  • Scientific committee
• Authors ▼
  • Important dates
  • Instructions papers
  • Instructions posters
  • Call fo papers
  • Submission
• Partners
• Practical info ▼
  • Map - Inaugural conference ULB
  • Map - Congress UCL
  • Accomodation
  • Contact
• Media ▼
  • Press
  • Press review
  • Gallery
  • Video
• News
• 1st Symposium

A. Specific themes 

1. Global commons: energy, climate, biodiversity (particularly stock-based vs flow-based economy; energy thresholds and peak resources – fossil fuels, rare earth metals, phosphorus, forest, fisheries resources; implications of production and lifestyle patterns – consumption and transportation; prevention of and adaptation to systemic crises; management of common goods…). 

2. Food, agriculture and animal farming practices: human and environmental health; organic food; fossil fuel free farming; interdependence between living organisms; biosphere related issues; promotion of distribution channels; land access; urban agriculture, … 

3. Housing and land-use planning: transportation, renovation of existing buildings, transition towns, housing location regarding access to services, sustainable mobility, intermodality,… 

4. The social economy and the transition to sustainable development: new economic practices evaluated in the context of "niche" and widely distributed; alternative organizational models leading economic activity towards the pursuit of societal objectives related to sustainable development; governance, management, financing, distribution of social economic projects within a sustainable transition period. 

B. Cross-sectoral themes 

5. Transition models: sustainable development (SD), prosperity without growth, green capitalism or degrowth? (drawbacks and shortcomings of each of these concepts; role of indicators, currency and finance; SD and social justice; ethical issues). 

6. The role of public authorities in the transition: What kind of governance? How to induce behavioural changes? Which policies supporting current and emerging technologies? Law and public policy developments (legislative and impact assessment, integration principles, advisory councils; embedding SD into national constitutions and international treaties; SD and fundamental rights). 

7. Transition and non-governmental actors: role of the various stakeholders: citizens, consumers, businesses, workers, large institutions, social movements; scientific research, education, culture, media; participatory democracy and modes of collective intelligence. 

8. Research stream on transdisciplinary research: research findings on a specific sustainability topic based on a transdisciplinary mode of organisation or analysis of the various problems that arise from this type of approach (e.g. selection of stakeholders, learning best practices or design principles).