Exploring land-management across Europe: perspectives, challenges and practices
Call for Applications
2025 ARL International Summer School
17-19 June 2025 in Ås, Norway
Organised by the ARL - Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (BYREG) of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences
We are pleased to invite PhD candidates to submit papers for the 2025 ARL International Summer School, scheduled to take place on 17-19 June at the campus of NMBU in Ås, Norway (30km south of Oslo).
The topic
Land has always been a finite resource, facing diverse and often competing demands from urban and infrastructural development, environmental preservation and agricultural use. In the context of climate change adaptation and climate mitigation and other emerging trends, sustainable land use is gaining new significance. Addressing these challenges requires a novel approach to land management and land-use planning, emphasizing sustainable policies and practices fostering transformative approaches towards just spatial development.
This interdisciplinary summer school provides a platform to explore the different perspectives, challenges, and practical experiences in transformative land management across Europe. Participants will critically examine how regulatory frameworks and planning approaches contribute to sustainable and just urban development and gain insights into the implications of land-use policies, including their role in mitigating urban sprawl, preserving natural habitats, and achieving long-term sustainability goals such as the EU’s ambitious goal of achieving zero land take by 2050.
Potential Contributions
We invite applications from PhD candidates internationally and across a range of disciplines whose work aligns with the following themes:
- Perspectives on effective urban and regional planning practices: The role of planning in promoting sustainable and resilient land management and urban development across different planning systems, including the role of e.g. private actors or stakeholder collaborations.
- Critical work on transformative land management approaches: Strategies for planning processes to achieve sustainable and integrated spatial development.
- Methodological work on legal Instruments for No Net Land Take (NNLT) property rights and land use regulation: An analysis of national and European legal frameworks, focusing on property rights and land use restrictions, aimed at limiting urban sprawl and land take to achieve goals.
- Reflections on environmental and ecological challenges: The relationship between land take policies and biodiversity, ecosystems, and natural resources, and the consideration of the trade-offs between development and conservation; including topics like urban regeneration, brownfield redevelopment, and the integration of green infrastructure.
The themes above are not meant to be exhaustive, encouraging applications to contribute innovative and cross-cutting ideas. We particularly welcome diverse methodological approaches, including pluralistic, heterodox, and power-critical perspectives. We encourage PhD candidates to apply who are interested in contributing to these discussions with creative and interdisciplinary approaches.
The Program
Our aim is to stimulate discussions, gain insights and develop new research questions around the subject of this year’s summer school.
Participants will have the opportunity to present their research and receive individual feedback from the participating international scientific experts. In addition, keynote speeches by distinguished academics offer the opportunity to intensify the debate and develop further research ideas. A field trip and social activities complement the program. In summary, the Summer School will provide a platform for collaborative learning and engagement, promoting a supportive environment for advancing doctoral research.
Eligibility
The Summer School is open to all PhD students whose work addresses issues related to planning, law, urban studies, environmental policy, sustainability, human geography and related fields. It is particularly aimed at 2nd and 3rd year candidates.
Submission Guidelines
Your application should include a motivation letter (max. 1 page), a short CV (max. 2 pages) and an extended abstract (max. 600 words) addressing one or more of the abovementioned themes. The abstract should clearly present the research gap, research question, methodology, and expected / preliminary outcomes of your PhD project. Selected participants are expected to submit an academic text (3,000 to 4,000 words) before the summer school. The text should synthesize the main aspects of the presentation that you are expected to give during the Summer School. As academic institutions, the organizers encourage academic publications and aim to compile a special issue in an international peer-reviewed journal on the theme of the summer school. Hence, participants are asked to develop afterwards their academic texts into an academic journal paper.
Please send your application (compiled in one PDF file) to
Key Dates:
- Abstract submission deadline: 15 February 2015
- Notification of acceptance: Middle of March 2025
- Full paper submission deadline: 15 May 2025
Fees and Scholarships
The ARL sponsors the accommodation and travel costs for all participants. A participation fee will not be charged.
For further inquiries, please contact
We look forward to receiving your contributions!
For more information visit https://www.arl-international.com/news/exploring-land-management-across-europe-perspectives-challenges-and-practices
