Research
Research Goals
Our research seeks to:
- understand how major social, economic, political, and environmental transformations are reshaping cities;
- analyse the relationship between urban space and socio-economic inequalities;
- examine the social and environmental consequences of economic restructuring and technological change;
- investigate the role of cities within systems of government and multilevel governance;
- explore possible urban futures through evidence-based research and analysis;
- advance urban studies through innovative theoretical, analytical, and methodological approaches.
Our Approach
We understand urban change as a complex and multidimensional process. While cities share many common challenges, they also evolve in distinct ways shaped by their histories, institutions, and national contexts.
Our research combines perspectives from across disciplines to analyse the mechanisms driving urban transformation. Through collaborative inquiry, we seek to deepen understanding of contemporary cities and the diverse futures they may face.
Research Themes
Our research is organised around four interconnected themes. These themes are not separate fields, but overlapping perspectives on urban transformation.
Inequalities, Economy and Redistribution
Cities are shaped by economic change, shifting welfare regimes and the uneven distribution of resources. This theme examines how urban economies, labour markets and social policies affect inequalities within and between cities.
Drawing on perspectives from urban sociology, political economy and social policy, we investigate socio-economic, gendered and ethnic inequalities, including issues related to housing, access to services, employment, mobility and participation. We pay attention to the ways in which technological and digital change may reproduce, deepen or challenge existing inequalities.
Keywords: labour market, housing, social inequalities, welfare regime
Exemplary projects: ReHousIn, AIVET
Environment and Sustainability
Cities are both major contributors to environmental change and important sites for ecological experimentation. This theme examines how cities are responding to climate change and the need for more sustainable forms of urban development.
We study the development of urban and social sustainability, as well as environmental policies and infrastructures. Particular attention is paid to the social and political dimensions of sustainability, such as who benefits from environmental improvements and who bears the costs, and how policies interact with existing inequalities.
Keywords: social-ecological transformation, environmental justice, social sustainability
Exemplary projects: ReHousIn
Society and Culture
Cities are spaces where people with diverse social, cultural and migratory backgrounds encounter, interact with and coexist with one another. They bring together different cultures and lifestyles while producing and reproducing social boundaries, forms of belonging, and identity.
This theme investigates how migration, diversity, social cohesion, and changing notions of belonging influence daily life in cities. The focus is on processes of inclusion and exclusion, social tensions, and well-being.
Keywords: diversity, social cohesion, belonging
Exemplary projects: WELLCOH, GetCoheSive, SOLiDi
Urban Governance, Politics and Institutions
The interaction between municipal governments, public institutions, private actors and civil society shapes cities. This theme explores how urban challenges are addressed through political decision-making, public policies and multilevel governance.
We investigate the role of cities within wider systems of government, including the relationships between local, regional, national and transnational actors. Our research also explores participation, urban movements and conflicts, as well as the capacity of cities to respond to social, economic, environmental and technological change. Particular attention is paid to policy instruments, institutional change and participation processes.
Keywords: urban social policies, multi-level governance, participation, political conflicts
Exemplary projects: MUNEX
Publications
2026
Boczy, T & Kazepov, YAK 2026, Social innovation tackling poverty in European cities: The complexity of scales and social transformations. in E Morlicchio, E Minigone & D Benassi (eds), A Modern Guide to Urban Poverty. pp. 46-67.
Ahn, B & Kazepov, YAK 2026, 'Rethinking policy learning in urban policy mobility', Urban Studies. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980261456062
2025
Ahn, B & Kazepov, YAK 2025, 'New Municipalism and the Challenges of Design: Context, Instruments and Implementation', Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, vol. 116, no. 4, pp. 409-423. https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12659
Boczy, T, Franz, Y & Kazepov, YAK 2025, 'From crisis to contradiction: explaining selective solidarity and asylum governance in Austria after 2015', Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 447-468. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2025.2565914
Lechner, C, Völkl, Y, Dorner, J, Boczy, T, Part, F, Müller, S, Wilker, S & Partheymüller, J 2025 'The Employment Situation of the Mittelbau at Austrian Universities'. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/ju8sr
2024
Kazepov, YAK & Cefalo, R 2024, 'Toward a modular understanding of school-to-work transitions: Comparing Italy and Austria', International Journal of Comparative Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1177/00207152241295985
Ahn, B 2024, 'The politics of living-with-difference: Local perception of diversity and coexistence around participatory place-making in a multiethnic neighbourhood', Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 458-475. https://doi.org/10.1177/23996544231207731
Kazepov, YAK, Ahn, B & Cucca, R 2024, 'The ‘European City’ at the Crossroads: Four Analytical Elements for Understanding Convergence and Differentiation', Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, vol. 115, no. 2, pp. 267-280. https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12605
Kazepov, YAK 2024, Cities and citizenship: The multilevel governance of social policy. in M Garcia Cabeza & T Faist (eds), Encyclopedia of Citizenship Studies. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, Elgar Encyclopedias in the Social Sciences series, pp. 300-306. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800880467.ch52
Colomb, C & Kazepov, YAK 2024, Comparative Urban Studies in Europe. in P Le Galès & J Robinson (eds), The Routledge Handbook of Comparative Global Urban Studies. 1st Edition edn, Routledge, London, pp. 87-103. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429287961-7
Mocca, E & Kazepov, YAK 2024, Local policy development. in B Greve, A Moreira & M van Gerven (eds), Handbook on the Political Economy of Social Policy. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, pp. 233-243.
Cefalo, R, Scandurra, R & Kazepov, YAK 2024, 'Territorial Configurations of School‐to‐Work Outcomes in Europe', Politics and Governance, vol. 12, no. 7441, 7441. https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.7441
Ahn, B 2024, 'What changes over time? Planning history and institutional change from a policy design perspective', European Planning Studies, vol. 32, no. 12, pp. 2535-2554. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2024.2377796
2023
Kazepov, YAK, Cucca, R & Villa, M 2023, 'Towards a Sustainable Welfare System? The Challenges and Scenarios of Eco-social Transitions', Politiche Sociali, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 3-26. https://doi.org/10.7389/107136
Campomori, F, Casula, M & Kazepov, YAK 2023, 'Understanding Social Innovation in Refugee Integration: Actors, Practices, Politics in Europe', Innovation - The European Journal of Social Science Research, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 158-170. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2023.2211893
Kazepov, YAK, Cuzzocrea, V, Scandurra, R & Cefalo, R (eds) 2023, Special issue of International Journal of Social Welfare: Integrating young people in the labour market, integrating methodologies. International Journal of Social Welfare, no. 1, vol. 32.
Berthelot, B, Trell, N, Kazepov, YAK & Franz, Y 2023 'Austrian country report. Governance and policy changes during times of high influxes of protection seekers, 2015-June 2023.' pp. 1-43. <https://oda.oslomet.no/oda-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/3112660/2023-112%20Austria.pdf?sequence=6&isAllowed=y>
Cucca, R, Kazepov, YAK & Friesenecker, M 2023, Greening the Social Housing Sector: Challenges and Opportunities. in S Güntner, J Hauser, J Lehner & C Reinprecht (eds), The Social Dimension of Social Housing. 1st Edition edn, Spector Books, Leipzig, pp. 340-354.
Ahn, B, Friesenecker, M, Kazepov, YAK & Brandl, J 2023, 'How Context Matters: Challenges of Localizing Participatory Budgeting for Climate Change Adaptation in Vienna', Urban planning, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 399-413. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i1.6067
Mocca, E, Paisan, P & Ahn, B 2023, 'Labour and social inclusion paths for refugees: A comparison between Bologna and Vienna', Innovation - The European Journal of Social Science Research, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 210-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2022.2113042