This conference brings together researchers from across the globe to explore urban life on islands and archipelagos.Islands are often associated with peripherality, yet they have long been important sites for the growth of cities. Physical separation from the mainland and spatial limitations can encourage the transport of products and ideas, improved defence infrastructure, construction of social capital, consolidation of political power,formation of vibrant cultures, and concentration of population.Some island cities were located on inland river islands and have since expanded far beyond their original borders while others are still strongly associated with their island cores.Fostering dialogue between the fields of island studies and urban studies, this interdisciplinary conference will featurepresentations that explore and critique the varied connectionsbetween the urban and the insular from a diversity of perspectives on culture, planning, politics, architecture, economy, and environment in island cities worldwide. We welcome papers and panels focusing on individual casestudies as well comparative analyses and conceptual frames.Keynote SpeakersJohn Urry (Lancaster University)Arjun Appadurai (New York University)Elaine Stratford (University of Tasmania)Stephen Graham (Newcastle University)C.Y. Jim (University of Hong Kong)