Call for Abstracts – Special Issue of DOCOMOMO Journal with the working title “MCMH EU – Definitions, Cases and Policies”

DOCOMOMO International is pleased to announce the Call for Abstracts for a special issue of the Docomomo Journal dedicated to the investigation and comparison of Middle Class Mass Housing in Europe (MCMH-EU) since the 1950s. MCMH has been generally underestimated in urban and architectural studies and there is still a lack of comparative analysis and global perspectives. This special issue is linked to the EU-COST-Action on the same topic (https://mcmh.eu) aims to develop new scientific approaches by discussing, testing and assessing diverse case studies, their social and cultural context, interventions and public policies.

Most housing research still focusses on social and affordable housing and while the definition and identification of MCMH is still under construction (definitions). It is evident that MCMH has different forms of urban and architectural representation and various models of governance. The editors like to invite contributions from Europe and from other parts of the world that document, discuss and compare typologies (cases) of this modern heritage as a key resource for a sustainable urban and social development. Articles should display concepts and actions at social, cultural and political levels that will contribute to the formulation of new planning and intervention strategies (policies) for existing MCMH.

The call seeks to highlight research and best practices that contribute to a theoretical, scientific and methodological framework based on comparative analyses across countries and critical assessment of best practices. We are in particular interested in interdisciplinary research and projects that involve different stakeholders and levels of implementation.

Aspects to be discussed are, among others:

  • the cosmological; through the sense of identity, community, place attachment, maintenance and taking care, ownership and appropriation,
  • the physical; expressed in construction, deterioration and conservation (technical, functional, social), and
  • the environmental; considering the quality, and sustainability of spaces, the resource efficiency and also conditions of comfort and satisfaction.

This is an open call for academics and practitioners with interest in the subject to contribute to this special issue of the Docomomo Journal with:

  • articles (documentation, technical and conservation issues and case studies) and also,
  • essays and interviews,
  • heritage in danger,
  • tributes and book reviews.

This Docomomo Journal is guest edited by the Action Chairs and WG Leaders of the COST-Action MCMH: Ana Vaz Milheiro, Dalit Shach-Pinsly, Els de Vos, Gaia Caramellino, Inês Lima Rodrigues, Kostas Tsiambaos, Müge Akkar Ercan, Yankel Fijalkow.

After double-blind peer review the contributions for this special issue will be selected by the guest editors in cooperation with the editorial team of the Docomomo Journal. The Docomomo Journal is Open Access and indexed by Scopus and DOAJ – Directory of Open Access Journals among others (www.docomomojournal.com) among others.

Please upload 300 words Abstract and 100 words CV to the OJS system: https://www.docomomojournal.com/index.php/journal/about/submissions by the 30st November 2022.  The launch of this special issue of Docomomo Journal is scheduled for April 2023.

This publication is based upon work from COST Action Middle Class Mass Housing – EU CA18133 supported by COST (Cooperation in Science and Technology): www.cost.eu.