TRACK 10: Theories

Critical Approaches to Planning Theories and Practice

Chairs:

• Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv University
• Meike Levin-Keitel, University of Vienna
• Binnur Öktem, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul
• Franziska Sielker, TU Wien

Within the overarching theme of the 37th AESOP Congress "Planning as a Transformative Action in an Age of Planetary Crisis" Track 10 focuses on exploring and challenging the theoretical foundations of planning in response to the critical challenges of our time. As the world grapples with unprecedented environmental, social, and economic crises, the role of planning theories becomes increasingly vital in shaping transformative actions.

This track invites contributions that critically engage with traditional and emerging planning theories, encouraging participants to rethink and redefine the core concepts and assumptions that have historically guided planning practices. We welcome discussions that interrogate the epistemologies, ideologies, and methodologies that underpin planning and explore how they can be re-envisioned to address urgent planetary crises such as climate change, social inequality, and resource depletion. Particularly, this track seeks to examine how theoretical insights can be translated into practical interventions, especially in different geographies. We encourage submissions that not only critique established frameworks but also propose innovative, inclusive, and context-sensitive approaches to planning that emphasize social justice, sustainability, and resilience. Contributors are invited to engage with diverse perspectives, including decolonial, feminist, and postmodern theories, as well as interdisciplinary approaches that expand the horizons of planning thought. We aim to open discussions on the role of spatial planning and planners and ethics of planners under the recent global crises. By fostering critical debates on the transformative potential of planning theories, this track aims to create a space to imagine new possibilities for planning in an era defined by global crisis.