Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society 2026 Conference Presentation and Audio

The Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society 2026 conference Programme

Some of the presenters have given their permission for their presentations, and audio recordings, from the conference to be made available however please note that presentation content should not be quoted or copied without the express permission of the authors.

DAY ONE: Thursday, 16 July 2026


Welcome and Introduction to the conference by Professor Ron Martin, University of Cambridge
Session 1: Keynote Session Chair: Professor Pete Tyler, University of Cambridge *‘The Power and Politics of Agglomerationism: what should we learn from Manchester’s pursuit of the agglomeration model in pursuit of political devolution, economic growth and densification?’* Professor Graham Haughton, University of Manchester
Session 2 – “The Agglomeration case for London” Chair: Professor Pete Tyler “Inequality and the Future of London” Graeme Atherton “A Glass Half-Full: Reflections on Agglomeration, Economic Productivity and Prosperity in London” Adam Yousef
Presentation Title	Presenter(s) & Presentation link (if permitted)	Video/Audio File
Session 3: PARALLEL SESSIONS
Session 3A: (McGrath Centre) Chair: Emil Evenhuis
Digital Territorial Innovation Models: Adapting Agglomeration-Based Concepts to the New Realities in the Platform Economy Era	Han Chu & Robert Hassink
Measuring the strength of urban agglomeration with outward intercity flows	Jianfa Shen
Urban Regeneration, Rent Gaps and the Politics of Density: A Governance Framework from Shimla, India	Amisha Thakur
Who Gains from Urban Agglomeration? Accessibility and the Unequal Distribution of Economic Opportunities	Álvaro de Juanes Rodríguez
Session 3B: (Ramsden Room) Chair: Raffaele Lagravinese
The Shadow Side of Urban Agglomeration: Growth without Inclusive Regional Development? Evidence from London, the Randstad and Chinese Metropolitan Agglomerations	Xintong Li
Distributional effects of infrastructure strategies in polycentric agglomerations	Frank van Oort
Redistributive Preferences in Latin America: A Center-Periphery Approach	Sébastien Carrère
When Economic Complexity Meets Agglomeration: Unequal Gains across Italian Provinces	Eustachio Ferrulli
LUNCH
Session 4: PARALLEL SESSIONS
Session 4A: (McGrath Centre) Chair: Harry Garretsen
Who gains from density? Rural-urban R&D gaps and distributional effects in EU regions	Tryfonas Christou
The Never Changing Narratives Of Density? Urban Identity, Inequality And Wellbeing Diseconomies In Rotterdam And London	Teodora Dogaru & Frank van Oort
Working from home and learning in big cities – implications for spatial inequality	Annekatrin Niebuhr The presentation is HERE	A recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
Session 4B: (Ramsden Room) Chair: Stefania Fiorentino
The role of economic trends, institutional changes and macroeconomic policies in agglomeration and disparities	Ugo Fratesi
Conceptualising and Evidencing the Role of Institutional Capital within the Six-Capitals Framework to Support Place-based Approaches to Development.	Kate Penney & Michael Francis
Marshall’s blind spots: how inclusive innovation reveals the limits of agglomeration	Katherine Parsons
Session 5: PARALLEL SESSIONS
Session 5A: (McGrath Centre) Chair: Judith Clifton
For whom the bell tolls: Distributional rent effects of an increase in the CBD density	Andrea Caragliu	A recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
Icing on the Cake or Charcoal in the Snow? The Uneven Role of Coworking Spaces in Urban and Rural Entrepreneurship	Fangchen (Melanie) Zhang
Urban Gravity and Platform Work	Camilla Lenzi	A recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
Session 5B: (Ramsden Room) Chair: James Wood
The Role of Big Cities in Burnham’s Economic Agenda: Evidence from Big Cities Outlook 2026	Xuanru Lin
Agglomeration and Urban Growth Shadows: Transport Infrastructure in a System-of-Cities	Nicholas Sweeney
How firm location choices shape the uneven geography of innovation: micro-foundations of innovation clustering across industry life cycles	Mihyun Seong
Conference Programme ends for the day
Conference Gala Dinner

DAY TWO: Friday, 17 July 2026

Presentation Title	Presenter(s)	Audio File
Introduction to Day two of the conference by Professor Robert Hassink, University of Kiel
Session6: Keynote Speaker Chair: Professor Robert Hassink, University of Kiel “The restructuring of the international arms industry” Emeritus Professor J Paul Dunne, University of Cape Town & UWE, Bristol A copy of the presentation is HERE and a recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
Session 7: Chair: Professor Robert Hassink
Amplifying the Right Things? Federal Place-Based Industrial Policy and Regional Industrial Development	Jingchuan Hou
Clusters and Technology Spillovers in the UK Defence Sector	Adam Brown The presentation is HERE	A recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
The character and prospects of the AUKUS national security partnership as international industrial policy	Chris Wallace The presentation is HERE	A recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
Session 8: PARALLEL SESSIONS
Session 8A: Chair: Mia Gray
The Defence Industry and its Economic Geographies: A Literature Review	Robert Hassink The presentation is HERE
The Rise of the Northern Gunbelt: Mapping Canada’s Turn to Defence	Karen Chapple The presentation is HERE	A recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
From Importer to Integrator: Financialisation and Saudi Defence Industrialisation Geographies in the Post-Oil Era	Ahmed Alqarout The presentation is HERE	A recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
Session 8B: (Ramsden Room) Chair: Betsy Donald
Socio-spatial implications of urban touristification	Angeliki Vatikioti & Petros Kosmas
Possibility, institutions, and the price of equality in urban economies	Anita De Franco The presentation is HERE	A recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
Do disadvantaged workers benefit from density externalities of urban agglomeration?	Darja Reuschke The presentation is HERE	A recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
LUNCH
Session 9: Chair: Michael Kitson
Productivity Pioneers and the Distributional Effects of Urban Agglomeration in Central and Eastern European Regions	Pawel Dobrzanski
The Participatory Paradox in a Densifying Hill City: Who Gains and Who Loses from Urban Governance in Shimla, India	Amisha Thakur
Bringing Back (Advanced) Manufacturing: Will Reshoring of Advanced Manufacturing Drive Regional Competitiveness in Australia?	Sharif Rasel The presentation is HERE	A recording of the presentation can be heard HERE
Session 10 – Conference Review Chair: Michael Kitson Panel included: Mia Gray, Robert Hassink. Ron Martin, Peter Tyler
CONFERENCE ENDED