Assoc. Prof. Milan Husár and Sila Ceren Varis Husar, PhD recently participated in the Regional Studies Association Central and Eastern Europe Conference 2024, themed “Central and Eastern Europe: Dynamically Changing Regions in an Ever-Changing World.”
Sila Ceren presented her collaborative research, titled “Transforming Regional Economies through Spatial Planning and Innovation: Critical Role of Public Sector,” which she co-authored with Prof. Maroš Finka and Assoc. Prof. Vladimír Ondrejička. Her presentation explored the fundamental role of the public sector in reshaping regional economies through innovative spatial planning approaches, which is related to her postdoctoral research project REGINNO.
In addition to her presentation, Sila Ceren chaired three sessions at the conference: “Spaces of Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” “SS09: Regional Dynamics in CEE: Mobility, Planning, and Urban Strategies 2,” and “Spatial Planning in the Context of Urban and Regional Policies.” As one of the hosts of the special session SS09, “Shaping Regional Economic Transformation: Public Sector, Spatial Planning and Cooperation in CEE,” she facilitated key discussions on regional economic transformations. The contributions from this special session are set to be published in a special issue, reflecting the depth and impact of the research presented during the RSA CEE conference 2024.
Milan Husár presented a joint contribution titled ‘The Influence of Participative Planning Culture in Central Europe: Pros and Cons for Regional Competitiveness’ building on research on planning cultures and discussing its potential for improving regional competitiveness in Central Europe. The presentation is linked to a soon to be published research paper ‘Central European Planning Culture and its Competitive Advantages and Disadvantages in Enhancing Regional Competitiveness’ jointly authored by Matej Jaššo, Milan Husár, Maroš Finka and Sila Ceren Varis Husar.
Both contributions were prepared within research projects SASPRO2, APVV EMINUK and STIBALEF that are being implemented at Spectra CE EU at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava.
The presentations were a part of a Special Session 09: ‘Public Sector for Regional Development and Redevelopment’ proposed by Spectra CE EU. The contributions will be published as a special issue of European Journal of Spatial Development edited by Spectra CE EU team in 2025.
