23 June - 26 June 2026
The 13th International Conference on Population Geographies
23 June - 26 June 2026
The 13th International Conference on Population Geographies
The 13th International Conference on Population Geographies (ICPG) will be held in Nanjing, China, from June 23 to 26, 2026. As one of the most influential international academic conferences in the fields of population geography and spatial demography, the ICPG is held biennially. It provides a high-level platform for academic exchange and collaboration among population geographers, spatial demographers, and all researchers concerned with population and spatial issues worldwide.
Amid deepening global interdependence and an era characterized by uncertainty and transformation, population issues remain at the core of global sustainable development. From advancing the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to addressing climate change, promoting balanced regional development, and reducing social and regional inequalities, the theories and methods of population geography play an increasingly critical role in understanding and responding to today's major global challenges. Whether examining population growth and distribution, resource and environmental capacity, migration and mobility, or human behavior and interaction in space, population geography continues to expand the frontiers of knowledge at both large and local scales, providing a unique and indispensable perspective for explaining population dynamics and spatial processes.
Since its inauguration in St Andrews, UK, in 2002, the ICPG has been successfully hosted in Liverpool (UK), Hong Kong (China), Hanover (USA), Umeå (Sweden), Groningen (Netherlands), Brisbane (Australia), Seattle (USA), Loughborough (UK), Tokyo (Japan, online), and Belfast (UK). It has evolved into a vital link connecting the international population geography community. The 13th ICPG marks the first time the conference will be hosted in mainland China, carrying the important mission of bridging Chinese and global research in population geography. Nanjing University, with its long history and profound cultural heritage, will provide a vibrant and inspiring environment for this event.
We cordially invite scholars and researchers from around the world to gather in Nanjing to explore emerging topics in global and regional population change, share the latest research findings, and advance the discipline of population geography.
The conference website is now available at: https://icpg-nanjing2026.cn/. Further details, including the conference theme, keynote speakers, abstract submission guidelines, and registration procedures, will be announced on the website in due course. We encourage you to stay tuned for updates.
Nanjing University looks forward to welcoming you to this prestigious academic event.
Conference Co-chairs
Yunsong Chen
Huayu Lu
Dai Wang
Xiaobin Jin
| Anthony G.O. Yeh (The University of Hong Kong) |
Bindong Sun (Zhejiang University) |
Bojie Fu (Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, CAS) |
Canfei He (Peking University) |
| Changhong Miao (Henan University) |
Changqing Song (Beijing Normal University) |
Chuanglin Fang (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
Cindy Fan (University of California, Los Angeles) |
| Dadao Lu (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
Darren Smith (Loughborough University) |
Desheng Xue (Sun Yat-sen University) |
Elin Charles-Edwards (The University of Queensland) |
| Fahu Chen (Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS) |
Feng Zhen (Nanjing University) |
Fubao Sun (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
Gemma Catney (Queen's University Belfast) |
| Guishan Yang (Hohai University) |
Guixin Wang (Fudan University) |
Guoyou Zhang (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
Haibo Tan (Hunan University) |
| Hong Zhu (Guangzhou University) |
Honggang Xu (Sun Yat-sen University) |
Hualou Long (Guangxi University) |
Huayu Lu (Nanjing University) |
| Jianfa Shen (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) |
Jie Fan (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
Jinhong Ding (East China Normal University) |
Juhua Xiong (National Natural Science Foundation of China) |
| Jun Wang (East China Normal University) |
Lily Kong (Singapore Management University) |
Mark Ellis (University of Washington) |
Mei-Po Kwan (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) |
| Michael Batty (University College London) |
Michael Meadows (Nanjing University) |
Pengjun Zhao (Peking University) |
Qingyuan Yang (Southwest University) |
| Quansheng Ge (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
Reiko Hayashi (National Institute of Population and Social Security Research) |
Richard Wright (Dartmouth College) |
Shenjing He (The University of Hong Kong) |
| Shuang Chen (Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology) |
Shujin He (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
Weidong Liu (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
Weiran Zhang (Fudan University) |
| Wen Chen (Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, CAS) |
Wenzhong Zhang (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
Xiangzheng Deng (Beijing Technology and Business University) |
Xianjin Huang (Nanjing University) |
| Xianyan Wang (Nanjing University) |
Xiaobin Jin (Nanjing University) |
Xuejun Duan (Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, CAS) |
Yansui Liu (Henan University) |
| Yanwei Chai (Peking University) |
Yu Zhu (Shanghai University) |
Yungang Liu (South China Normal University) |
Yuqi Lu (Nanjing Normal University) |
| Yunsong Chen (Nanjing University) |
Zhiding Hu (East China Normal University) |
Co-Chairs
Members
(in Alphabetical Order)
| Can Cui (East China Normal University) |
Chen Chen (Shanghai University) |
Chenyan Li (The Geographical Society of China) |
Clive Sabel (Nanjing University) |
| Dongqing Ye (Nanjing University) |
Dongxia Zhao (Liaoning Normal University) |
Feixue Li (Nanjing University) |
Gaoxiang Gu (East China Normal University) |
| Guangliang Xi (Nanjing University) |
Hao Gu (Hunan University) |
Honglei Zhang (Nanjing University) |
Huachun He (Nanjing University) |
| Jianxi Feng (Nanjing University) |
Jianxin Zhang (Nanjing University) |
Jinhe Zhang (Nanjing University) |
Jinsong Liu (Hebei Normal University) |
| Kang Yang (Nanjing University) |
Lei Wang (Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, CAS) |
Lei Zhang (The Geographical Society of China) |
Liyue Lin (Fujian Normal University) |
| Ming Tian (Beijing Normal University) |
Mingrui Shen (Nanjing University) |
Qin Zhang (Nanjing University) |
Shenghe Liu (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
| Shuangshuang Tang (Nanjing Normal University) |
Taiyang Zhong (Nanjing University) |
Tao Liu (Peking University) |
Wei Qi (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS) |
| Weinan Gu (Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology) |
Weixuan Song (Hohai University) |
Xia Wang (Nanjing University) |
Xiaolong Luo (Nanjing University) |
| Xiaowei Chuai (Nanjing University) |
Xinxian Qi (Nanjing University) |
Xuanzi Zhang (The Geographical Society of China) |
Yang Hu (Nanjing University) |
| Ye Liu (Sun Yat-sen University) |
Ye Wei (Northeast Normal University) |
Yibo Qiao (Nanjing University) |
Yuji Zhou (Nanjing University) |
| Zehan Pan (Fudan University) |
Zongqi Duan (The Geographical Society of China) |
Secretary-General
Deputy Secretary-General
Population Geographies in an Era of Demographic Transition
Based on applications and suggestions from experts and scholars, the conference plans to organize 34 sessions. The session topics, descriptions, and organizer information can be viewed in tables under.
| No. | Session | Organizers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gender, Migration and Mobility | Wen Chen, Suhong Zhou, Zhilin Liu, Shuangshuang Tang |
| 2 | Population Mobility and Rural Restructuring | Yurui Li, Yaling Shi, Lin Zhu, Mingshun Xiang |
| 3 | Human Mobility Modeling Empowered by Artificial Intelligence Methods | Yuxia Wang, Mingxiao Li, Shuang Li |
| 4 | Population Health Risks under Global Change: A Social-Ecological Systems Coupling Perspective | Xiangli Wu, Luyao Wei, Xiaobiao Lin |
| 5 | New Trends in Migration and Labor Geographies | Gengzhi Huang, Kaihuai Liao, Quan Gao |
| 6 | Migration and Urban-Rural Integrated Development | Ming Tian, Chen Lv, Hua Zhang |
| 7 | Urban Shrinkage and Regional Spatial Reconstruction | Pingjun Sun, Yanjun Liu, Meimei Wang, Zuopeng Ma |
| 8 | Population Mobility and Modern Industrial System Development in Digital and Intelligent Era | Enping Li, Suhong Zhou, Weibin Peng |
| 9 | Student Mobility, Employment and Human Capital Distribution | Can Cui, Xin Lao, Jianfa Shen |
| 10 | International Perspectives on Learning and Teaching Population Geographies | Yushan Duan, Xin Miao, Rafael de Miguel González |
| 11 | Population and Sustainable Development | Joon Sik Kim, Xianhong Qin |
| 12 | Population Aging and Elderly Well-Being | Xin Xu, Dongxia Zhao, Lianxia Wu |
| 13 | New Data and Directions in the Study of Migration | Guy Abel, Wei Qi, Tao Liu |
| 14 | Migration and Sustainable Urbanization | Reiko Hayashi, Mingxing Chen, Chenglong Wang |
| 15 | The Space-Time of Population Mobility: Transport, Migration, and Infrastructure | Yang Hu, Lei Wang, Mengzhu Zhang, Yu Huang, Haoyu Hu |
| 16 | Migrants, Urban Food Insecurity, and the Making of Urban Food Systems | Jonathan Crush, Taiyang Zhong |
| 17 | Talent Migration, High-Tech Innovation, and Urban Development | Sainan Lin, Bo Zhang, Quan Gao, Yue Gong, Hengyu Gu |
| 18 | Spatialization of Population Data | Jinsong Liu, Yang Ju, Tian Lan |
| 19 | Population Spatial Practice and Ecological Well-being towards Planetary Health | Xiaomei Cai, Duo Yin, Jiang Xu |
| 20 | Population Health and the Environment | Clive Sabel, Jianxi Feng, Zhixin Feng, Yang Ju, Mary Abed Al Ahad |
| 21 | New Destinations: Migration to Non-Traditional Receiving Societies | Chen Chen, Cindy Fan, Reiko Hayashi |
| 22 | The Coevolution of Industrial and Labor Geographies | Xiyan Mao, Yibo Qiao, Wenwan Jin |
| 23 | Digital Intelligence, Population Mobility and Rural-Urban Spatial Restructuring | Guangliang Xi, Xia Wang, Bo Wang |
| 24 | Africa population and development | Zhenke Zhang, Messay Mulugeta, Hang Ren |
| 25 | Urban Renewal, Residential Mobility, and Gentrification Dynamics | Ling Li, Hao Gu, Yang Xiao |
| 26 | Spatiotemporal Analysis of Tourism Behavior in the Era of Leisure | Honglei Zhang, Yiyi Jiang, Yuan Li, Zengxian Liang |
| 27 | AI-Enabled Population Dynamics and Synergistic of Regional Development in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Region | Huhua Cao, Shuang Chen |
| 28 | Migration, Mobility and Well-being: Geographical Perspectives | Ye Liu, Zehan Pan, Francisco Rowe |
| 29 | Longevity and Liveability in Cities | Kim Seonghoon |
| 30 | Integration of Artificial Intelligence Technology with Urban and Rural Population Governance | Darren Smith, Hualou Long, Tiyan Shen, Haibo Tan |
| 31 | Population Transition and Rural-Urban Integration at Grassroots | Wei Guo, Mingrui Shen |
| 32 | Urban Residential Differentiation and Social Integration Governance | Liyue Lin, Ran Liu, Jing Zhou, Zheng Wang, Xue Zhang |
| 33 | Food Systems in the Anthropocene: Human Mobility, Nutritional Transition, and Planetary Health | Zhen Wang, Weijing Ma, Xinxian Qi |
| 34 | Human Mobility in Response to Natural Hazards | Junqing Tang, Fengjue Huang, Pengjun Zhao |
Participants should register on the conference website (http://icpg-nanjing2026.cn/) and submit a 250-400 words English abstract by March 10, 2026.
The abstract should include the research motivations, objectives, data, methods, and findings, emphasizing methodological and/or theoretical advances. All contributing authors and their affiliations should be listed.
The Conference Organizing Committee will invite experts from the International Academic Steering Committee to review and select abstracts, and notifications of accepted abstracts will be sent by March 15, 2026. Authors of accepted abstracts can then complete the registration via the website. The early-bird registration deadline is April 15, 2026.
Participants are encouraged to organize their own parallel sessions. Applications for self-organized sessions must be submitted by 15 January 2026.
If a self-organized session has fewer than 10 registered participants, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to cancel the session and reassign the submitted papers to other relevant sessions.
There are four ways to participate in the conference: (1) giving an oral presentation, (2) presenting a poster, (3) attending without an oral or poster presentation (attendance only), and (4) giving an online oral presentation (available to overseas participants only).
The conference will be held in a hybrid format, with a strong preference for on-site participation. In principle, participants are expected to attend in person to facilitate in-depth exchange and collaboration. However, online participation will be supported for those who are genuinely unable to travel due to visa issues or other unavoidable reasons.
Note: Abstract submission is optional and is only required if you wish to present a paper. Attendance at the conference is permitted for all registered participants (upon completion of registration fee payment), regardless of abstract submission status.
The conference will be held in a hybrid format to enable the participation of international delegates from different time zones and who are unable to attend the conference in person. Of course, if possible, the organizers would prefer on-site participation to facilitate in-depth exchange and collaboration in person.
| Attendance Type | Participant Type | Early-bird (by 15 Apr 2026) | Regular (15 Apr-10 May 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-person | Professional | CNY 2,000 (approximately GBP 200) |
CNY 3,000 (approximately GBP 300) |
| Student | CNY 1,000 (approximately GBP 100) |
CNY 1,500 (approximately GBP 150) |
|
| Online (Overseas only) |
Professional | CNY 1,000 (approximately GBP 100) |
CNY 2,000 (approximately GBP 200) |
| Student | CNY 500 (approximately GBP 50) |
CNY 1,000 (approximately GBP 100) |
|
| Mid-conference field trip | No additional fee required | ||
| Post-conference excursion | CNY 380 (approximately GBP 38) |
||
Abstract submission opens; applications for organizing parallel sessions are accepted.
Deadline for applications to organize parallel sessions; abstract submission remains open.
Abstract submission deadline (notifications of accepted abstracts will be sent by 15 March 2026).
Payment channel open for conference registration.
Early-bird payment deadline for discounted registration rates.
Final payment deadline for all conference participants.
International Conference on Population Geography 2026.
Nanjing University, Xianlin Campus
163 Xianlin Road, Qixia District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China