THEMATIC GROUPS

Details

Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS

Category: Global South & East

Published: 12 July 2026

How should planners respond to the rapid spatial reorganisation of industry? An international online workshop hosted by AESOP IIT Delhi and UCL brought together emerging researchers and world-leading experts to explore the future of industrial planning, governance, sustainability and labour. 

From 7–9 July 2026, the AESOP’s Young Academics Network, the School of Public Policy at IIT Delhi, and The Bartlett School of Planning, UCL successfully delivered a three-day international online workshop on "International Perspectives on Planning Industrial Spatial Configurations". The event brought together 19 PhD researchers, post-doctoral scholars, and early-career academics from India and across the globe. 

International keynote speakers included Professor Tali Hatuka, whose work on urban futures and industrial urbanism has influenced debates on cities and technological change, Professor Tathagata Chatterji, who explored industrial transformation through the lens of informality and sustainable development, and Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones (UCL Bartlett), internationally recognised for his contributions to spatial planning, governance, and digital futures.

A dedicated editors’ roundtable brought together representatives from Planning Theory & Practice, Built Environment, and Town Planning Review, providing participants with insights into publishing, scholarly debate, and academic careers. Representing the UCL–IIT Delhi partnership, Dr Amit Khandelwal and Dr Archana Trivedi joined the reflective final sessions and shared insights on how the relationship has developed, through sustained engagement, academic conversations and a shared commitment to addressing important challenges together.

Across three days, participants presented work-in-progress within four thematic areas: spatial planning and territorial strategy; governance and institutions; environment and equity; and labour geographies. Structured mentoring sessions provided detailed feedback from Professor Gavin Parker, Dr Urmila Jha-Thakur, Professor Meenu Tewari, Professor Utpal Sharma, and Dr John Ward.

The workshop strengthened India–Europe research collaboration, fostered new academic networks, and demonstrated the value of innovative online formats in supporting emerging planning researchers, particularly for international partnerships. The organisers extend their sincere thanks to all keynote speakers, editors, mentors, and participants for making the event such a stimulating and successful exchange of ideas.

Acknowledgements

This initiative emerged from AESOPs Global South & East Thematic Group. AESOPs Young Academics Network. It was enabled by the strategic partnership between IIT Delhi and UCL, and support of Prof Jacqui Glass Dean of the Bartlett (UCL’s faculty of the Built Environment), Prof Monica Lakhanpaul (Global Strategic Academic Advisor, India), University College London, Prof. Ashwini Agrawal (Dean of Research and Development, IIT Delhi). 

The co-organisers were Dr Lucy Natarajan from Bartlett School of Planning (BSP, UCL) and Dr Surajit Chakravarty from the School of Public Policy (SoPP, IIT Delhi), who ran the event with enormous support from others in BSP, SoPP, and the Young Academics Network (AESOP YAN). We pay special thanks to Donato Casavola, Adahi Şahin, Adina-Iuliana Deacu, Dr Dimitrios Panayotopoulos-Tsiros, Aaron Davis, and Pratyoosh Madhavi.

Details

Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS

Category: Public Spaces and Urban Cultures

Published: 10 July 2026

Youth as Agents of Hope: Urban Living Labs and Community-Engaged Learning

29–30 October 2026 | Larnaka, Cyprus

A two-day conference is combined effort of the Erasmus+ project ‘Education in Living Labs: Participatory Skills for Sustainable Urban Governance’ (PS-U-GO) and the ‘AESOP Thematic Group on Public Spaces and Urban Cultures’ (TG PSUC), hosted by the Society and Urban Form lab (SURF), Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus, and supported by Larnaka2030, the European Capital of Culture 2030.

Conference Topics

Involving young people in public space and urban governance brings immediate concerns into long-term urban development agendas. Urban Living Labs (ULLs) offer a promising framework for inclusive urban decision-making, fostering collaboration among multiple stakeholders and young people, and creating situated learning environments that bridge formal higher education with engagement in space of everyday life.

The conference aims to address the following questions:

• How do young people gain a meaningful role in public space and urban governance?
• What role do Urban Living Labs play in bridging formal education with real-world urban contexts?
• How can participatory methodologies support civic responsibility among students and young urban professionals?
• What pedagogic frameworks best support situated, experiential learning through ULLs?
• How can students and young people contribute to urban change by co-creating urban solutions and imagining hopeful urban futures?
• What institutional, spatial, and relational practices make ULLs with young people effective?

Who is Invited to Participate?

Researchers, educators, students (including early-career researchers), practitioners, youth workers, policymakers, and community organizations engaged with:

• Youth participation in urban planning and decision-making
• Urban Living Labs as educational and governance spaces
• Participatory and community-engaged pedagogies
• Situated learning and experiential education in higher education institutions
• Co-creation, commoning, and civic empowerment in urban contexts

Format of Participation

• Oral presentations, visual essays or videos (10–15 minutes).
• Contributions may address theoretical, methodological, educational, or practice-based perspectives related to the conference themes.

The Conference Format

The conference is organized around roundtable discussions, each to one of the conference's core questions, with a moderator and a discussant. Roundtables bring together diverse participants who share their work in short interventions (10–15 minutes), followed by open discussion.

This is accompanied by a mobile workshop to an active Urban Living Lab site in Larnaka, connecting the academic discussions with live urban practice. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage onsite with the work of international artists participating in the Creative Europe project MedSea led by Larnaka2030.

The conference is small-scale, limited to approximately 30 participants, allowing for in-depth exchange and collaborative reflection.

Submissions

Abstract of 250–300 words to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." data-linkindex="0">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." data-linkindex="1">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please use the template provided here: https://www.surf.com.cy/news-and-events/call-for-participation-ps-u-go-aesop-tg-psuc-international-conference-2026/

Key Dates

• 1 September 2026 Deadline for participation interests and submissions
• 15 September 2026 Participation approvals
• 29–30 October 2026 Conference
• 30 May 2027 Conference publication

Conference publications

• The conference findings, including all presentations and discussions, will be published online following the event. A book of abstracts will also be published prior to the conference. Both publications will have ISBNs.

Fee

• There will be no registration fees for the conference. Participants are responsible for all travel and accommodation costs.

More information: https://www.surf.com.cy/news-and-events/call-for-participation-ps-u-go-aesop-tg-psuc-international-conference-2026/

Details

Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS

Category: Planning/Conflict

Published: 24 June 2026

Voting for coordination committee members of the AESOP Planning/Conflict thematic group

After receiving applications for membership of the coordination committee members of the AESOP Planning/Conflict thematic group,

voting is now open:

please use the following form before July 15, 2026 

to express your vote for candidates (applications are listed in section 2 of the form):

voting link:

https://forms.gle/oHajc1L3DHN24VD28

Voting results will be kept anonymous.

Thank you!

Details

Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS

Category: Public Spaces and Urban Cultures

Published: 24 June 2026

Here is the information on the upcoming conference in the series "Public Spaces, Urban Cultures, and Hope" 17-19 September at TU Wien.

Steering committee: Sabine Knierbein, Andrea Glauser, Lisa Gaupp und Sarah Chaker

The Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien) https://www.tuwien.at/.  and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna https://www.mdw.ac.at/.  are offering two combined conferences:  

Public Spaces, Urban Spaces and Hope (https://skuor.tuwien.ac.at/de/events-urban-cultures-public-spaces-hope/. TU Wien, 18^th September 2026, TU Wien campus)

and 

Groove the City-Move the Street 2026(https://www.mdw.ac.at/ikm/events/groovethecity/. 17^th + 19^th September 2026, mdw campus)

which will take place in Vienna and seek to combine the fields of urban music studies and urban studies. Both public universities are joined in this endeavor by the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) Thematic Group on Urban Cultures and Public Spaces (https://aesop-planning.eu/thematic-groups/public-spaces-and-urban-cultures. AESOP TG PSUC) and by the Urban Music Studies Scholars Network (https://urbanmusicstudies.org/). Urban Music Studies).

Together, today we are very pleased to announce that the preliminary conference programs have been made available on the websites of the https://www.mdw.ac.at/ikm/events/groovethecity/. and the https://skuor.tuwien.ac.at/de/events-urban-cultures-public-spaces-hope/. TU Wien.

Registration for guests (without an active contribution) is now open - please register for the conference via the followinghttps://www.conftool.org/groovethecity2026/index.php?page=login. ConfTool-LINK. The registration fee of € 50 includes catering costs (during coffee breaks, some lunches, and one evening meal with vegan and vegetarian options) as well as participation in the musical program. With a possible solidarity contribution of € 100 (instead of € 50), you support early career researcher, speakers in precarious employment situations and contributors from the Global South. 

As you can see from the program, there is an opportunity to participate in two soundwalks in selected neighborhoods of Vienna: In Soundwalk I (Saturday, from 3.30 pm) the number of participants is limited. If you would like to participate in Soundwalk I, please register with Irene Poandl (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), providing your name (and, if applicable, the names of any accompanying persons). Available spots will be allocated on a "first-come, first-served" basis. Soundwalk II (Saturday, from 6.30 pm) has no limit on the number of participants, so no separate registration is required.

We very much look forward to welcoming you in September in Vienna at the mdw –  University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien). Further information as regards can be retrieved from our conference websites at https://skuor.tuwien.ac.at/de/events-urban-cultures-public-spaces-hope/. TU Wien  and at https://www.mdw.ac.at/ikm/events/groovethecity/. mdw which will be continuously updated.