AESOP is pleased to announce that the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has been selected to host the AESOP Heads of Schools Meeting 2026. The selection was formally approved during the AESOP Council of Representatives meeting held on 7 July 2025.
The event will take place at NMBU's Ås Campus, located 30 km south of Oslo, in a vibrant academic environment that brings together research and education in urban and regional planning, sustainability, and landscape studies. The meeting is scheduled for March 2026, with exact dates to be confirmed soon.
🏛️ Host and Co-organisers
The HoS 2026 meeting will be organised by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at NMBU, with the support of several key academic and institutional partners:
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Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
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University of Stavanger (UiS)
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SITRAP – Centre for Integrated and Transdisciplinary Teaching in Planning
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KS – Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
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FUS – Forum for Education in Urban Planning, a collaborative platform uniting Norwegian institutions active in planning education.
The coordination team is composed of Prof. Mina Di Marino (NMBU), Assoc. Prof. Anja Kristin Standal (NMBU), Prof. Rolee Aranya (NTNU), and Assoc. Prof. Fabio Alberto Hernandez Palacio (UiS).
🌍 Themes and Objectives
The HoS 2026 meeting will focus on the evolving roles of planning schools in response to contemporary societal challenges. The organisers aim to stimulate discussions on curriculum innovation, planning education across disciplines, and the interaction between research, practice, and teaching.
The programme will include keynote lectures, roundtables, and interactive workshops designed to foster exchange among school directors and academic leaders within AESOP. It will also showcase Norwegian initiatives in integrated planning education and multilevel cooperation.
🧭 Location and Accessibility
The meeting will be hosted at NMBU’s Ås Campus, easily accessible from Oslo via public transport. The campus offers modern conference facilities and is embedded in a green, research-intensive environment renowned for its focus on sustainability and interdisciplinary collaboration.
More details on the programme and logistics will follow in the coming months.
We warmly thank all institutions that submitted applications for hosting the HoS 2026 meeting and look forward to seeing the AESOP community gather in Norway next year!
