ISPN 2025 Workshop: Systematising participatory toponymic diagnostics during street addressing and settlement mapping operations

 📍 Clarens, South Africa | 26 November 2025 | 10:30–12:30

The forthcoming ISPN 2025 Workshop, held as part of the Eighth International Symposium on Place Names in Clarens, South Africa, will spotlight one of the most urgent and fascinating aspects of modern toponymy: participatory naming in urban and rural mapping contexts.

Titled "Systematising participatory toponymic diagnostics during street addressing and settlement mapping operations," the workshop is led by renowned geographer and toponymist Prof. Frédéric Giraut from the University of Geneva, who also holds the UNESCO Chair in Inclusive Toponymy. It invites researchers, cartographers, city planners, and policy-makers to reflect on how digital technologies and community participation can shape inclusive geospatial naming practices.

What does that mean in practical terms?

Think about the many settlements or informal neighborhoods that appear on no official map. Think of place names in indigenous or minority languages that are missing from street signs. Prof. Giraut’s session aims to systematize efforts to make such names visible, weaving them into official nomenclature and city planning through collaborative diagnostics and digital tools like OpenStreetMap.

🔎 Highlights from the Workshop Agenda:

• Visibility of minority place names: Exploring the progress made and setbacks encountered in mapping places that reflect local linguistic and cultural identity.

• The digital turn: How platforms like OpenStreetMap are helping promote more inclusive naming frameworks.

• Recommendations: Encouraging governments and municipalities to integrate participatory toponymic diagnostics when assigning street names or planning new developments.

• Case studies and future initiatives: Looking at global efforts and innovative naming protocols that put communities first.

This is not just an academic exercise. It’s about naming justice - empowering communities to reclaim and affirm their identities through the maps they appear on (or don’t). It also challenges dominant cartographic traditions by elevating vernacular and minority place names, often overlooked or actively erased by colonial or centralized naming systems.

The workshop will be hosted at the Protea Hotel in Clarens on 26 November 2025, from 10:30 to 12:30. The registration fee is R1,000 (or R1,200 for two workshops).

📧 Inquiries: kongresETFB@ufs.ac.za
🔗 LinkedIn Group: Join here 

With South Africa’s vibrant linguistic landscape and its ongoing efforts in street renaming and participatory governance, Clarens is a fitting location for such a timely event. This workshop promises to be a meaningful step toward reshaping our toponymic future - one street name at a time.