AESOP newsletter - November 2025

Theme & Focus
Under the title “Planning Resilient Communities in Uncertain Times: Navigating Climate Change and Emerging Technologies”, the meeting...

The call for hosting the 2028 AESOP Congress is now open. All Full and Associate AESOP Member institutions are warmly encouraged to apply.

The deadline for the submission of the bids is February 27th, 2026. 

The decision will be made by the Council of Representatives at the meeting in As (Norway) on March 12th, 2026. The candidates will be kindly asked to prepare a 10-minute presentation for the Council of Representatives.

The...

 AIM OF THE PRIZE

Teaching and capacity development in the field of spatial planning is one of the main activities of AESOP Member Schools. Thus, in 2002, AESOP introduced a prize (https://aesop-planning.eu/activities/awards/excellence-in-teaching-award ) to recognize and encourage Excellence in Teaching.

Through this award, AESOP celebrates and disseminates innovative practices in teaching in its Member Schools. The broad aim of the Prize is...

1. Introduction

The Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) invites applications for the position of Chair of the AESOP Excellence in Education Board (EEB) for the term 2026–2029.
The Chair oversees the Excellence in Education Board, coordinates the Quality Recognition Programme, and ensures the quality and transparency of assessment processes for awarding the AESOP Certificate of Quality.

2....

1. Introduction

The Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) invites applications for the position of Secretary General for the term 2027–2031.

According to the AESOP Charter, “Representing the Association and managing its current affairs (...) shall be delegated to the President and the Secretary General.”

The current mandate of the Secretary General runs from August 2023 to July 2027. In accordance with the Charter,...

The AESOP Excellence in Education Board is inviting AESOP school members to apply for AESOP's Quality Recognition Programme.

If your planning programme has been fully delivered and you are looking for:

• opportunities to engage in critical dialogue with us concerning the programme's curriculum...

We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming AESOP Lecture Series event, titled “Landscapes of Elsewhere: On Borders, Practices and Approaches”, taking place on 20 November 2025 at Spazio Craft, Politecnico di Milano, and accessible both in person and online.

Speakers:
Negar...

The Interplay Between Health, Housing, Planning: A New challenge ?

Guest editors:

• Yaneira Wilson, Centre de Recherche sur l’Habitat LAVUE, ENSAPVS, yaneira.wilson@paris-valdeseine.archi.fr
• Yankel Fijalkow, Centre de Recherche sur l’Habitat LAVUE, ENSAPVS yankel.fijalkow@paris-valdeseine.archi.fr

Description

The intricate connection between health and housing has been extensively...

 

Spotlight Finland: Contemporary challenges in planning practice and urban development

Guest editors:

Eva Purkarthofer, Aalto University, eva.purkarthofer@aalto.fi

Raine Mäntysalo, Aalto University, raine.mantysalo@aalto.fi

Description: Motivated by the 6th World Planning Schools Congress taking place from 29.6. to 3.7.2026 in Espoo and Helsinki, this special...

Politics of Hope for the Enjoyment of the Sea

Napoli | 6-7 November 2025

Event of the AESOP Thematic Group ‘Public Spaces and Urban Cultures’

As a “collectively mobilized resource” hope holds together utopian aspiration and practical negotiation, seeking alternatives to technocratic control in shaping urban life. The Politics of Hope (Appadurai, 2007) points toward real processes of social transformation through what the Thematic Group Public Spaces...

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way knowledge is produced, shared and applied, and is challenging long-held practices in higher education. For spatial planning in particular, this change is profound: AI is reshaping analytical reasoning, design thinking and ethical judgement, all of which are central to the discipline. The question is no longer whether AI has a place in the classroom, but rather how it is altering the ways in which planning knowledge is taught, learnt,...

Organizer: SPECTRA Centre of Excellence EU, Comenius University, within the framework of the project PM4U – Project Management for EU Urban Transformation
Partners and supporters:

• SPECTRA Centre ofExcellence EU, Comenius University, Bratislava
• AESOP Thematic Group on Transboundary Planning and Governance
• Embassy of Ukraine in the Slovak Republic
• NGO SME–Spolu (Ukraine–Slovakia SOS)

Format: Hybrid...

First European Lecture Series on Small Towns will start in autumn/winter 2025. This lecture series explores current research and practices relating to the development of small and medium-sized towns in selected European countries. It discusses ongoing spatial dynamics, ranging from small neighbourhoods and inner cities to regional and national perspectives. These dynamics are closely linked to political debates and planning strategies in the relevant countries, as well as to...

Title (tentative): 

Critical Realism and Planning 

Editors: 

Jin Xue, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Norwegian University of Life Sciences jin.xue@nmbu.no 

Rasmus Nedergård Steffansen, Department of Sustainability and Planning, Aalborg University rsteff@plan.aau.dk 

Targeted publisher: 

Routledge Studies in Critical Realism 

Call for contributions: 

Planning is...

Special Issue Call for Papers

Urban Living Labs and New Epistemologies of Urban Design

in Urban Design International

https://link.springer.com/collections/fehceejgfa

Thematic framework

The Urban Living Labs (ULLs) indicate a deeper reconfiguration of how urban space is imagined and co-produced. Design practice is asked to create solutions for complex socio-spatial challenges, including climate change, structural transitions,...

Special Issue Call for Papers

Walking with Hope: Public Spaces for Wellbeing

We invite academics, practitioners, artists and all other interested contributors to submit full-length papers for a Special Issue of the international scholarly journal Urbani izziv / Urban Challenge (https://urbaniizziv.uirs.si/about). The Special Issue explores the vital relationship between the built environment, public spaces and human wellbeing through the interconnected...

Dear colleagues,

From the scientific journal Ciudades (ISSN-E 2445-3943; ISSN 1133-6579), founded in 1993 and edited by the Instituto Universitario de Urbanística of the University of Valladolid (Spain), we are pleased to inform about the

Call for papers "Historic centres: still a relevant issue?" by the scientific journal Ciudades nº 30, 2027 (edited by Instituto Universitario de Urbanística)

coordinated by 

Beatriz...

LINK TO THE DEDICATED WEBSITE : https://rencontres2026.sciencesconf.org/

The Perspectives Rurales scientific and pedagogical network meetings aim to bring together a wide range of participants: researchers from various disciplines, as well as local territorial actors and members of civil society. The event will be organized into several thematic sessions. This call for contributions is open to individuals, institutions, associations,...

UPRUN is pleased to announce that the deadline for abstract submissions for the Conference on Urban Planning for Social Resilience has been extended to December 16, 2025. The conference will take place on March 24–25, 2026, at TU Dortmund University.

This conference aims to explore innovative strategies and practices in urban planning that enhance social resilience within urban neighbourhoods. We invite leading academics, urban planners, policymakers, and community leaders...

«Cities under Strain: Rethinking the Ungovernable»

17–20 JUNE 2026 – Venice, Italy

European Urban Research Association 2026 Conference

The IUAV University of Venice (Italy), is delighted to be hosting the 2026 EURA Annual Conference. The overall theme of this conference is Cities under Strain: Rethinking the Ungovernable.

How can cities and territories cope with instability, disorder, and radical uncertainty...

We invite abstract submissions for the ‘Re-centring land conflicts in the post-globalisation order’ mini-conference (MC11), as part of the SASE 2026 Conference in Bordeaux (1-3 July).

In this mini-conference, we are seeking to have a critical debate about land struggles over sovereignty, resources and means of survival. We are inviting folks to submit abstracts (no more than 1000 words) which raise land as the main object of analysis of power in a ‘post-globalisation...

Title (tentative): 

Critical Realism and Planning 

Editors: 

Jin Xue, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Norwegian University of Life Sciences jin.xue@nmbu.no 

Rasmus Nedergård Steffansen, Department of Sustainability and Planning, Aalborg University rsteff@plan.aau.dk 

Targeted publisher: 

Routledge Studies in Critical Realism 

Call for contributions: 

Planning is...

Research Assistant Part-time (50%) (research language - German)

The Chair of Urban Design at TUM is seeking to fill a position as a Research Assistant (50%) starting on February 1, 2026 (limited to 14 months).

The position is part of the research project “Collaborative Use of the Existing Building Stock - Perspectives for Families (BegeFa)”.The interdisciplinary research project is being carried out in cooperation with the German Youth...

Applications are invited for a permanent post of a Lecturer/Assistant in Regional and Urban Planning within UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy.

The School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy is a dynamic, research-driven school with a clear focus on delivering excellent teaching programmes including professionally accredited undergraduate and graduate programmes in planning. It is ranked in the global top 150...