Scientific Programme Committee

The Child in the City Foundation organizes seminars and conferences together with city officials and the members of the Scientific Program Committee. The Scientific Program Committee is primary responsible for the quality of the meetings and its presentations. They do so by initiating highly relevant topics and expert keynote speakers and by reviewing submitted abstracts. Abstracts that do not meet quality standards (see the criteria for submitted abstracts) are rejected. The members of the SPC are present during all seminars and conferences and easy accessible to all participants to discuss lectures, presentations and eventually new initiatives for future meetings. The Scientific Program Committee has an international board, presided by Lia Karsten (University of Amsterdam). Its members are rooted in different countries and have different disciplinary backgrounds.

The Scientific Committee Members:

Lia Karsten

Lia Karsten (PhD) is the president of the Scientific Program Committee of the Child in the City Foundation. She is associate professor in Urban Geographies at the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and visiting professor in Childhood Studies at UNIMORE University (Italy). Lia is a highly acknowledged international scholar focusing in her research on three…

Carlo Fabian

Prof. Carlo Fabian is a social and health psychologist, coach and organizational developer. He is a Senior Researcher & Lecturer with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland – School of Social Work. His research and development work focuses on neighbourhood and urban development, participation, health promotion and prevention, childhood and youth, age and…

Froukje Hajer

Froukje Hajer worked for 30 years in the field of non formal education and leisure time and the right of the child to play. Play- and youth work, extended schoolday programmes, community schools, and public space and a child-friendly environment are subjects of her interest. She realised local and national and local projects. She is…

Irene Quintáns

Irene Quintáns worked in the Barcelona City Council and in the SEHAB – Municipal Housing Secretariat in São Paulo. As a consultant she works in urban projects, highlighting her role at Bernard van Leer Foundation developing Urban95 strategy in Latin-America (2016-18). Executive Leadership Program on Early Childhood Development (Harvard University). She is the founder and director of…

Sven De Visscher

Sven De Visscher is a lecturer in social work at University College Ghent in Belgium. He is part of the urban education team in the department of social work that develops research and teaching projects about education and social work in urbanising contexts. Sven holds a PhD degree in Educational Sciences (Ghent Uni) since 2008,…