Call for Papers | Living together in the cities of the future and the metaverse

Scope and aim of the Call for Papers

The boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds are becoming increasingly blurred. The fact that Metaverse is now a buzzword is the most salient example of that. In the next decade, our love, laughter, labour, and leisure – in one word, our lives – will depend on finding the right mix of physical, digital, virtual, and hybrid interactions.

More than ever, living together in the 21st century requires communities and their legal and political institutions to channel and complement economic actors in designing the spaces where we will be spending our lives.

The conference takes the city of the future and the Metaverse as its focal point as one of the main examples of the complex and interconnected social and legal issues that will increasingly define our lifestyle.

Topics that authors may wish to explore in relation to “Living together in the cities of the future and the metaverse” include but are not limited to:

• Regulation of AI and automation
• Accessibility, safety and vulnerabilities
• Labour Law and new workplaces
• Family law and other personal relations
• Sustainability and governance
• Consumer law and data protection
• Health law and well-being
• Digital commerce and contracts
• Information, media and communication technologies
• Infrastructure financing and security

The legal and regulatory analysis carried can be on a national, comparative, European or international level. Cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary submissions are welcome.

Abstracts of 500 words should be submitted in Word format to info@whatnext.law by Monday, 28 November 2022.

Organising Committee & Academic Co-Convenors for the conference

• Fabrizio Esposito, NOVA School of Law, Lisbon, Portugal
• Pin Lean Lau, Brunel Law School, Brunel University London, UK