AESOP is pleased to announce that the Council of Representatives, during its meeting held in Helsinki in July 2026, officially approved three new AESOP Lecture Series for the coming academic year.
The AESOP Lecture Series continues to provide an international platform for leading scholars and practitioners to engage with some of the most pressing challenges facing planning research and practice. The 2026 programme reflects the breadth of contemporary planning debates, spanning social inclusion, climate resilience, environmental governance and the political dimensions of urban transitions.
The following lectures have been selected:
🔹 Gender-Equitable Urban Development: Bridging Research and Practice
Host Institution: Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf (HSWT), Germany
Proponent: Prof. Dr. Jennifer Gerend
This lecture explores how gender-responsive planning can contribute to more inclusive, climate-responsive and future-oriented cities and regions. Drawing on research and practice across Europe, it examines gender-equitable approaches to public spaces, neighbourhood development and mobility planning, highlighting experiences from metropolitan, small-town and rural contexts alike.
🔹 Planning Groundwater Futures: Climate Adaptation, Drinking Water Resilience and Integrated Water Governance
Host Institution: Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH), Türkiye
Proponent: Prof. Dr. Alper Baba, Nicel Saygın, Birsu Kambur
Focusing on one of the defining environmental challenges of our time, this lecture examines groundwater resilience, climate adaptation and integrated water governance. Bringing together expertise from hydrogeology, environmental sciences and spatial planning, it highlights the importance of interdisciplinary approaches for building resilient water futures in climate-vulnerable regions.
🔹 Urban Greenlash: Understanding the Phenomenon and Developing Responses
Host Institution: Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), Germany
Proponent: Dr. Neelakshi Joshi
This lecture addresses the growing political and societal backlash against ambitious urban climate policies across Europe. Through contributions from researchers, practitioners and policy-makers, it will explore how planners can better understand and respond to "urban greenlash" while advancing socially just and effective climate action.
Each lecture will be open to the wider planning community and organised in a hybrid format, encouraging participation from AESOP members, students, researchers and practitioners around the world.
Further information on speakers, registration and event dates will be published on the AESOP website and shared through our communication channels in the coming months.
