CA25103 - Perspectives on Higher Education Student Populations in Cities (PHESPiC)

Higher Education (HE) students constitute a highly qualified segment of human capital and represent a valuable resource for the future of European cities. However, they also face significant challenges in their host cities, including limited access to housing, high unemployment, declining purchasing power, and weak integration into local communities. Their presence also generates significant impacts, such as rising prices, the proliferation of specialized services and commerce, and the displacement of long-term residents. Although some European scholars have examined these issues at local or case-specific levels, research in this area remains fragmented, with limited knowledge exchange.

This Action addresses the urgent need to structure and coordinate this body of research, advancing towards a shared conceptual, methodological, and comparative framework for studying HE student populations in cities. Establishing a dedicated research network represents both a challenge and an opportunity: to position European research at the forefront of the international academic field, while generating knowledge relevant to policymakers, private actors, and students and civil society organizations. The Action will open up emerging urban themes in HE student research, foster the training of a new generation of scholars, and create new channels to disseminate findings across academic, social, and policy spheres.

It is organized into five Working Groups that comprehensively address key research topics concerning HE students in cities, strengthen collaboration among researchers, stakeholders, and society, and generate a wide range of outcomes. The structure emphasizes the engagement of researchers from Inclusiveness Target Countries and Young Researchers and Innovators, while promoting gender balance.