Call for Abstracts

Deliver sAfe and Social Housing
International Conference

28–29 October 2026
Submission deadline: 15 August 2026
Belgrade, Serbia

Housing is central to people’s well-being and life opportunities. Housing policies may promote inclusive, affordable and sustainable housing and contribute to a more resilient society, promoting equality and shared prosperity. However, in recent decades, housing systems, especially social housing, have come under growing pressure from rising inequality, demographic change, shifting lifestyles, welfare retrenchment and increasing real estate prices, leading to severe housing pressures in many European cities (Alves et al., 2026).

Deliver sAfe and Social Housing (DASH – https://www.dashousing.eu) is a four-year project funded by the European Union’s Horizon research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Staff Exchange. The DASH project aims to generate new ideas on how to promote safer social housing, and how to translate these new ideas into concrete housing products, processes and services using innovative methodological tools.

Through collaborative research and peer learning, DASH fosters the exchange of knowledge across disciplines, sectors and countries. DASH places particular emphasis on interdisciplinary learning and the co-production of knowledge to develop innovative housing models capable of providing safe and socially responsive housing for all.

As the project approaches its conclusion, the DASH consortium, in cooperation with the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and the Institute for Recent History of Serbia, is organising the DASH Final Conference on 28 and 29 October 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. The conference aims to create a space for exchange and dialogue among researchers, practitioners, policymakers and other stakeholders from both within and beyond the project.

Conference  themes

Possible contributions may address, among other issues, historical trajectories of social housing, planning regimes, housing provision and management practices, models of financing, links between policy and implementation, affordability and inclusion, cooperative and community-led approaches, visual and documentary narratives of housing, and questions of quality, adaptability and design.

We welcome contributions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  1. Learning from the Past: Historical Perspectives on Social Housing and Rental Market Regulation
  2. Planning for Social Housing
  3. Provision and Management of Social Housing
  4. Financing of Social Housing
  5. Linking Housing Policy and Practice
  6. Housing Affordability, Access and Inclusion
  7. Cooperatives and Community-Based Housing Alternatives
  8. Changing the Narrative: Documenting Social Housing
  9. Social Housing Quality and Adaptability: Old and New Design/Construction Models
Submission guidelines

Please use the template.

Abstracts should include:

  • title
  • name(s) of author(s)
  • institutional affiliation(s)
  • ORCIDs of author(s) (if available)
  • email address of the corresponding author
  • preferred conference theme
  • abstract of up to 300 words
  • up to 5 keywords

Please submit your abstract in English.

Please send your abstract to: dashconference2026@gmail.com

A digital Book of Abstracts containing all accepted abstracts will be published prior to the conference.

Conference Cost

There is no conference fee.

Please note, however, that the organisers are not able to provide funding for travel or accommodation. 

Important dates
  • Abstract submission deadline: 15 August 2026
  • Notification of acceptance: 4 September 2026
  • Deadline for registration: 15 September 2026
  • Full programme available: 1 October 2026
  • Conference dates: 28–29 October 2026
Conference venue

Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Kneza Mihaila Street 35, Belgrade, Serbia

The conference will take place exclusively on site. Participants are kindly informed that no hybrid or online participation options will be provided, and all presentations are expected to be delivered in person.

Who should apply

We welcome submissions from:

  • members of housing associations, cooperatives and civil society organisations
  • researchers and academics
  • doctoral and early-career researchers
  • housing practitioners and professionals
  • local and regional policymakers
Scientific committee

Zlata Vuksanović-Macura, Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” of SASA, Serbia, President
Alda Botelho Azevedo, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Aleksandar R. Miletić, Institute for Recent History of Serbia, Serbia
Astrid Ley, University of Stuttgart, Germany
Branislav Antonić, Serbian Association of Urban Planners, University of Belgrade—Faculty of Architecture, Serbia
Dejan Doljak, Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” of SASA, Serbia
Els Keunen, University of Stuttgart, Germany
Konstantin A. Kholodilin, German Institute for Economic Research, Germany
Lene Wiell Norberg, Aalborg University, Denmark
Manuel Heckel, University of Stuttgart, Germany
Rikke Skovgaard Nielsen, Aalborg University, Denmark
Sara Neves, Domus Social, Portugal
Sónia Alves, Aalborg University, Denmark
Suzana Lović Obradović, Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” of SASA, Serbia

Organising committee

Zlata Vuksanović-Macura, Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” of SASA
Alda Botelho Azevedo, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade de Lisboa
Els Keunen, University of Stuttgart
Sara Neves, Domus Social

Contact

For questions regarding the conference or the submission process, please contact: dashconference2026@gmail.com

Accommodation

Participants are kindly requested to make their own accommodation arrangements.

Belgrade offers a wide range of accommodation options to suit different preferences and budgets. Several hotels are located within walking distance of the conference venue, including: 1) the Moskva Hotel , 2) Hotel Indigo Belgrade by IHG, 3) Lumière Hotel Pool & SPA, 4) Maison Royale, 5) the Palas Hotel, etc. Accommodation can also be arranged through online booking platforms such as Booking.com, Airbnb, etc.

© Grad Beograd

Source: beograd.rs

We look forward to welcoming you to Belgrade.


Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.