From 29 June to 3 July 2026, the international EU-URGE team from Klagenfurt, Ljubljana and Warsaw met in Klagenfurt for a Booksprint dedicated to developing a joint book proposal on competing urgencies.
The week began with a guided sustainability walk through Klagenfurt led by Horst Ragusch, introducing the team to several local sustainability initiatives. Among the places visited was Refugium St. Egid, where a church courtyard has been transformed into a green retreat as part of local efforts to adapt to increasing summer heat.
Three intensive writing days followed, combining group and individual writing, feedback sessions, discussions and brainstorming. The team worked on the overall structure and coherence of the publication, its central argument and research gap, as well as its title, target audience and contribution. Particular attention was given to different understandings of urgency, their connections to climate change, and the argumentative alignment of chapters drawing on research in Klagenfurt, Ljubljana and Warsaw.
The Booksprint concluded with a visit to the Smart Climate Lab, where the team learned more about Klagenfurt’s path towards climate neutrality by 2030 and related challenges. A guided tour of the interactive “Mission Klimaschutz” exhibition at wissens.wert.welt of the kärnten.museum offered further perspectives on communicating climate change and climate action. The week ended with lunch at MiMa Markt, a community-oriented initiative centred on regional food, waste reduction, circularity and knowledge sharing.
Many thanks to our colleagues from Warsaw and Ljubljana for an engaging and productive week and for the insightful discussions, shared perspectives and collective work.
Participants of the Klagenfurt Booksprint:
Alexandra Schwell, Johannes Kroeger, Nadine Thaler, Aurelia Wolf, Alexandra Emig, Michaela Hulvejová (Alpen-Adria University, Klagenfurt)
Saša Poljak Istenič, Tatiana Bajuk Senčar (ZRC-SAZU, Ljubljana)
Anna Horolets, Renata Putkowska-Smoter (Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw)
Nina Vodopivec and Lisa Stančič (ZRC-SAZU, Ljubljana) joined online
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Photos by M. Hulvejová and A. Emig
