Founded in 2012, the Urban Law Center at Fordham Law School seeks to investigate and improve the role of the law and legal systems in contemporary urbanism. It promotes an interdisciplinary understanding of the legal, governance, and regulatory aspects of urban environments by advancing collaborative research and scholarship, organizing local and global convenings, and supporting knowledge sharing, career pathways and pedagogy in the world of urban law. In particular, the Center’s efforts focus on forces that shape urban inequality and urban innovation, targeting the most pressing issues facing our nation’s cities and their metropolitan regions.
The Annual International and Comparative Urban Law Conference
In the twenty-first century, the intersection of law and urbanism raises pressing questions about urban governance and innovation, sustainability and ecosystems, public health, housing, the structure and scope of local authority, and the role of law in urban policy areas. The International and Comparative Urban Law Conference (ICULC) is the Urban Law Center's annual convening of legal scholars who explore these issues - and more - from international, comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives. Each year, the Urban Law Center partners with another university to host the conference on our co-sponsor's campus. To date the conference has been hosted in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and North America.
Since 2014, the conference has steadily grown in scope and size. The 11th annual conference will be held on May 12th - 14th, 2026 in Mexico City. The call for papers is below.
The work shared during our annual gathering has led to new collaborations and published scholarship that provide a current view on the ever growing field of urban law. This scholarship has been made possible by the commitment and generosity of our conference participants, and the support of our partner organizations. ​​
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The Conference
The Urban Law Center at Fordham Law School, the International Urban Legislation Association (CJUR Internacional), and the Faculty of Higher Studies (FES) Acatlán of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) are pleased to announce a call for participation in the Eleventh Annual International and Comparative Urban Law Conference, taking place in Mexico City from Tuesday, May 12th through Thursday, May 14th, 2026.
Since 2014, this annual Conference has welcomed leading urban legal scholars from around the globe to present their research and works in progress. Now in its eleventh year, the Conference continues to strengthen this tradition by providing a dynamic forum to share diverse international, comparative, and interdisciplinary perspectives on the rich intersection of cities and law. The Conference will include opportunities to engage urban scholarship, practice, and pedagogy across diverse perspectives. The Conference will also highlight local perspectives and experiences for a grounded understanding of the dynamic urban legal worldwide context.
The Conference has long facilitated engagement across legal academic sub-specialties and across legal systems internationally to enrich our understanding of urban law. We look forward to welcoming you to Mexico City.
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Proposal Submission
Please submit a proposal of up to 500 words to urbanlaw@fordham.edu with “[Name of Proposed Paper, First Name, Last Name]” in the subject line of your email. If you have a draft paper, please include it with your proposal, but participants do not need to have prepared a paper to participate. The Conference will be conducted in English. English-language proposals are preferred but we will also consider submissions in Spanish.
For reference, programs from our first ten ICULCs can be found here.
Submissions are due no later than January 15th, 2026, although earlier submissions are encouraged. Proposers will be informed of their acceptance by February 15th, 2026.
Limited funding is available to offset costs for those who would otherwise not be able to participate in person, including scholars from the Global South, early career scholars, and graduate students. Please indicate in your application whether your participation is conditional on receiving funding.
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Co-Sponsors
About the Urban Law Center: The Urban Law Center is committed to investigating the role of the law and legal systems in contemporary urbanism through scholarship, pedagogy, programming, and applied research. For more details, please visit https://www.urbanlawcenter.org.
About Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México: The Faculty of Higher Studies (FES) Acatlán of the UNAM is a multidisciplinary university institution and is the entity with the largest student population within the UNAM. With an enrollment of approximately 23,000 students, it ranks as the largest faculty in terms of population. For more details, please visit https://www.acatlan.unam.mx/index.php?id=13.
About CJUR: International Urban Legislation Association (CJUR Internacional) is a prominent organization promoting urban legislation alongside UN-Habitat, the World Urban Campaign, and the Habitat Professionals Forum. For more details, please visit cjur.net.