Sabine Barles, a distinguished scholar, holds expertise in civil engineering, urbanism, and the history of techniques. Currently serving as a professor of urbanism and planning at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, her research is deeply rooted in an interdisciplinary approach. Barles explores the materiality of cities and their intricate relationships with surrounding territories and environments. Delving into the intersection of history, techniques, and the environment, she focuses on the transformative role of professions and knowledge, notably those of doctors and engineers, in shaping urban spaces since the eighteenth century. Barles' extensive work on the Paris agglomeration encompasses the management of water, by-products, waste, roads, and subsoil. Her investigations have culminated in the concept of urban or territorial metabolism, examining the intricate web of energy and material flows within a temporal framework. These studies provide valuable insights into the formation of dominant socio-ecological regimes and the concept of transition. In recent endeavours, Barles has actively contributed to territorial foresight exercises on the scale of the Seine Basin and the Paris agglomeration, further solidifying her impact in the field.

Prof. Claire Colomb is Professor of Land Economy (Planning, Public Policy and Urban Studies) at the University of Cambridge. She was previously Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London (2005-2023), where she remains an honorary professor. She has a first degree in Social and Political Sciences from Sciences Po Paris (1998) and a PhD in Town Planning from University College London (2008). She is a chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI) and Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS). Over the past 25 years she has worked and researched in France, the UK, Germany and Spain. Her research interests span urban and regional planning; EU policies; urban governance; urban social movements and the contentious politics and regulation of urban development in an international comparative perspective.

Alex Deffner holds a PhD in Planning Studies (London School of Economics and Political Science: LSE), an MSc in Regional and Urban Planning Studies from the LSE and a Bachelor's in Architecture from the National Technical University in Athens, Greece. From 2013 till his retirement in 2022, he has been a Professor of Urban and Leisure Planning at the Department of Planning and Regional Development (DPRD) in the Univeristy of Thessaly, Volos, Greece, where he has taught since 1996). From 2003 to 2022, he has been the Director of the Laboratory of Tourism Planning, Research and Policy. Also, from 2014 to 2020, he has been the Director of the Postgraduate Program ‘Tourism and Culture Planning and Development’. Between 2016 and 2018, he was the Head of the DPRD. From 1988 till 1998 he has been working at the National Centre for Social Research (NCSR), Athens, Greece, as Special Scientific Staff of the Institute of Urban and Rural Sociology (IURS). Since 2020 he has been, as the Conference Officer, a member of the Executive Committee of AESOP (Association of European Schools of Planning). Since 2023 he is a Member of the 3part Steering Committee of the WPSC (World Planning Schools Congress) VI 2026, in the context of GPEAN (Global Planning Education Association Network). His research and publications in English (journals, books, and conference proceedings) relate to urban planning and regeneration, planning theories, city and place marketing and branding, time planning in cities, leisure (culture, tourism, sports, entertainment) planning, urban and cultural tourism, special (and mega) events planning, and cultural heritage. He is a member of the Academic Board of ‘Transactions of the Association of European Schools of Planning’ (since 2017), and he has been a member of the Editorial Board of the Greek journal ‘Aeihoros: Papers in Urban and Regional Planning and Development’ (2002-2020), as well as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the international journal ‘Tourismos’ (2006-2016). From 2000 till 2019, he has been a Chair of the Organising Committee of several International and Greek conferences.

Emmanuel Grégoire, presently occupying the position of First Deputy Mayor of Paris, is responsible for overseeing a multifaceted portfolio that includes urban planning, architecture, Grand Paris, district relations, and the transformation of public policies. A prominent member of the Socialist Party (PS), Grégoire assumed the role of First Deputy Mayor under the leadership of Mayor Anne Hidalgo on September 24, 2018. His political trajectory features pivotal roles as Hidalgo's deputy overseeing human resources, public services, and administration modernization from 2014 to 2017. Subsequently, he played a crucial role in managing the budget and spearheading the transformation of public policies from 2017 to 2018. Born in Les Lilas, Grégoire's formative years unfolded in Charente-Maritime following his parents' divorce. His educational journey includes attending Jonzac College and further studies at the Institute of Political Studies in Bordeaux, culminating in a degree in philosophy. As a dedicated family man with three children, Grégoire contributed significantly to the field of medical consulting, serving at B2Ge Conseil from 2008 to 2016.

Michael Storper, holding a Ph.D. in Economic Geography from the University of California, Berkeley, is a Regional and International Development Professor at UCLA and a Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics. From 2000 to 2019, he served as a Professor of Economic Sociology at Sciences Po. Authoring over 100 academic articles and 13 books, including "The Regional World: Territory, Technology and Economic Development" and "Keys to the City," Storper's latest work, "The Rise and Fall of Urban Economies: Lessons from Los Angeles and San Francisco," was published in 2015. Recognized with an honorary doctorate from the University of Utrecht in 2008 and prestigious awards like the Sir Peter Hall Prize in 2012 and the Royal Geographical Society's Founder's Gold Medal in 2016, Storper is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Academy of Social Sciences. Renowned as one of the world's most influential scientific minds by Thompson-Reuters in 2013, he actively shapes regional and urban policies for the European Union and other international agencies. Holding dual Franco-American citizenship, Storper remains a prolific force in the academic and policy realms.

Christophe Demazière, professor at the University of Lille, studies territorial development, small city development and comparative analysis of planning systems. His work as an expert in territorial planning contributes significantly to the advancement of sustainable and equitable urban environments. Former president of the French speaking planners, he is dedicated to shaping the next generation of urban planners and researchers, inspiring them to tackle the complex challenges facing contemporary cities. His research covers various topics related to EU urban and territorial development, the comparative studies on cities and metropolises in France and Germany and the Research Agenda for Small and Medium-Sized Towns.

Hélène Mainet is a prominent scholar in the fields of geography and urban planning, currently serving as a Professor of Geography and Urban Planning at the University of Clermont Auvergne. She is affiliated with the UMR Territoires research unit, where she leads and contributes to innovative research projects focused on territorial development and urban dynamics. Her main research topics include the attractiveness in regions with low population density, focusing on residential attractiveness and its measurement; the role of secondary towns in urban-rural linkages, particularly in East Africa; the concept of attractiveness and its measurement in peripheral territories. and the development dynamics of small towns in Africa.

Sylvy Jaglin, a Professor of Urban Planning at Université Gustave Eiffel, specializes in Urban and African Studies. Her research at LATTS (Laboratoire Techniques, Territoires et Sociétés) focuses on networked urban services in developing cities, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Jaglin's work examines the co-production and hybridization of urban electricity configurations, exploring socio-technical approaches to issues such as access, governance, and energy transitions. Her publications cover topics such as a materiality approach to politics of urban electricity configurations in Sub-Saharan African, urban electric hybridization, and the socio-technical dynamics of decentralized electricity solutions.

Professor of Geography and Urban Studies at Sciences Po and a Researcher at the Centre for International Studies (CERI-Sciences Po). Previously, he was a member of the reasearch team LATTS at Paris Est University and Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées since october 2015. Before, he worked at City Environment Society at the Université de Lyon since 2003. He previously worked at the French Institute of the Near East and keeps close relationships with it. His interests include the sociology and history of urbanism and the current transformations of urban management policies, specifically the topics of urban infrastructure (energy, water, solid waste) and metabolism.

CNRS (National Scientific Research Centre) Research Professor of Sociology, Politics and urban studies at Sciences Po, Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics. He was the founding Dean of Sciences Po Urban School (2015-2022) where he still teaches, and is involved in the “ Cities are back in town ” and “restructuring the state” research groups. He is a corresponding Fellow of the british Academy , a member of the Academia Europea, a co-editor of the European Journal of Sociology/Archives européennes de sociologie and member of the CNRS Scientific Council . Prior to this he was the editor of the International Journal of Urban and regional Research , the president of SASE (Society for Advanced Socio economics), a former trustee of the Foundation for Urban and Regional Research, a member of ERC panels, a founding member of the MAXPO centre (Max Planck Society/Sciences Po). He was educated at Sciences Po, Paris, Nuffield College Oxford (M.litt.) and the University of Paris X Nanterre.

Tuna Tasan-Kok is a Professor of Urban Governance and Planning at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) with a background in urban social geography and planning. Her research focuses on governance structures in urban regions, affordable housing, property markets, and urban regeneration. She chairs the Urban Governance Research Network (UGoveRN) and the IJURR Foundation. Tasan-Kok has contributed significantly to the field through her publications, including articles in journals such as Regional Studies, Environment and Planning, European Urban and Regional Studies, and Journal of Planning Literature.