Matjaz Ursic, Ph.D, is an Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences. He is a member of the Centre for Spatial Sociology. His research interests focus on the processes of socio-cultural transformation of cities and contemporary urban phenomena in the circumstances of globalisation. Important research interests also include society development, cultural geography, analysis of (sub)cultures, urban migration and spatial systems with particular reference to transformations due to processes of suburbanisation, deurbanisation and reurbanisation. He teaches “Revitalisation of Cities”, “Locality, suburbanisation and socio-cultural transformations” and “Sociology of Architecture” “Environmental Sociology”, “Sociology of Sustainable Development” at the Faculty of Social Sciences and “Urban sociology” at the Faculty of Architecture, Biotechnical Faculty, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana and Faculty of Design, University of Primorska. Working experience include research and lecturing on various international institutes and universities (Tokyo Metropolitan University, University of Seoul, Kwangwoon University, Soongsil University, National Cheng Kung University Taiwan). He is recipient of research grants from The Japan Foundation (2009), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (2014), The Korea Foundation (2012) and the Taiwan Fellowship (2017).
As a researcher he participates or took part in various research-developmental projects with city municipalities and institutions that deal with revitalisation schemes and the changing role of city centres (e.g. project “Urban Education Live” - Smart Urban Futures - ENSUF, JPI Urban Europe, ERA-NET, Horizon 2020 (H2020); project GETM3 - Global Entrepreneurial Talent Management 3 part of MSCA-RISE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE, H2020); project Analysing the implementation of eco-city paradigm in Northeast Asia and Europe - A comparative study of cases from Korea, Slovenia, China and Sweden. NRF Joint Research Program. Soongsil University/University of Ljubljana; project “SECOND CHANCE – From Industrial Use to Creative Impulse” (Program co-financed by ERDF – Central Europe); project “SOSTENUTO – Thinking Culture as a Factor of Economic and Social Innovation” (co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance. MED – Europe in the Mediterranean); project: “REurban Mobil - Mobilising Reurbanisation on Condition of Demo- graphic Change” (part of 5th EU Framework program - Supported by the European Commission); project: “Civitas Elan (City – Vitality – Sustainability)” – part of the “7th EU Framework program: “Mobilising citizens for vital cities”); project: “Development strategy for an urban-rural partnership” (ARRS, Ljubljana); project: “Eco-Silver House (EE- Highrise) – Energy Efficient Demo Multi-residential High Rise Building”, 7th Framework program of EU (7FP)), etc.
He was also part of the expert team in the city of Celje that took part in the competition for European Capital of Culture 2012 in Slovenia. He is member of the External Advisory Board (EAB) for Personalised Travel Planning (PTP) – Cycle (Co-funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe Program of the European Union – European Commission). He is part of editorial boards in scientific journals (e.g. Urban Challenge; European Quarterly of Political Attitudes and Mentalities, Druzboslovne razprave) and is the author of a number of publications from the field of urban sociology.
Major publications include: Creativity in Tokyo - Revitalizing a Mature City (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020); "Inadequate adaptation of creative city paradigm?" (Space & Polity - Routledge - Taylor &Francis, 2019); “Comparing urban renewal in Barcelona and Seoul: urban management in conditions of competition among global cities” (Asia Europe Journal – Springer, 2012); “The role of traditional marketplaces in the post-industrial city – A comparative analysis of influences of urban renewal in Korea and Europe” (Trinity College Dublin, Trauben Turin, 2013); “Subcultures as a Factor of Urban Regeneration – Managing Cultural Diversity in the city Center of Ljubljana” (Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag, Berlin, 2009); The Problem of “Expert Interpretative Vacuum” in Media Discourses – Discourse Analysis of Texts on Ljubljana Urbanism (Frank & Timme, Berlin, 2008); Anti-urbanism as a Way of Life (University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 2007, co-author with Marjan Hočevar); Urban Spaces of Consumption (University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 2003); Compact and Spread City – Global Networks and Local Differences (KulturVerlag Polzer, Salzburg, 2002).