The EURA 2025 Conference, hosted by the Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments at the University of the West of England (UWE), took place at the iconic Bristol City Hall in June 2025. The overall theme of the conference was Creating Healthy and Sustainable Cities and included nine thematic tracks, alongside mobile workshops and study tours that offered participants the chance to engage with local activists and explore innovative urban developments in Bristol and surrounding areas.
In Track 2, Regenerating the City, Pegah Aftabi presented her paper titled “Heritage-led Urban Regeneration through Community Narratives of Everyday Places,” developed as part of her PhD research at Loughborough University under the supervision of Dr Robert Harland, Dr Taimaz Larimian, and Dr Aline Fernandes Barata.
Pegah was also invited as a panelist in the pre-organised panel “Urban Conservation for Social and Environmental Justice,” alongside academics from Birmingham City University, UWE Bristol, and the University of Birmingham, representing Loughborough University and the TOWN Observatory platforms. The panel explored three critical questions, including: How can urban conservation advance justice by amplifying local experiences? What methodologies can capture plural perspectives in managing our shared past? How might conservation serve as a catalyst for social reflection rather than reinforcing cultural hierarchies? The discussion underscored the importance of inclusive and participatory approaches to urban conservation and highlighted the role of community narratives in shaping more equitable and reflective planning decisions.
