THEMATIC GROUPS
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- Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS
- Category: Regional Design
Members of the Thematic Group Regional Design will soon launch a call for papers elaborating regional design. The more detailed scope of contributions is described below. Papers will be published in a special issue of the journal Planning Practice and Research. The selection procedure will involve an online-round table to be held around the original date of the 2020 annual AESOP conference in July 2020. We will soon provide you with more information. Please watch this webpage + the news on the AESOP website for this!
SPECIAL ISSUE @ PLANNING PRACTICE AND RESEARCH
REGIONAL DESIGN: a transformative approach to planning
Guest editors
- Valeria Lingua, University of Florence
- Verena Elisabeth Balz, Delft University of Technology
- Agnes Förster, RWTH Aachen University
- Cristina Cavaco, Universidade de Lisboa
Call for papers
Spatial planning approaches have changed over the last decade. Major shifts in the institutional architecture of planning schemes has occurred: planled planning approaches – characterized by fixed administrative boundaries, statutory frameworks, and paternalistic forms of government - have turned into development-led approaches, in which soft planning follows and facilitates development proposals by market actors and the civil society at large. Dilemmas that are triggered by an accumulation of competing spatial claims – often due to highly urgent climate mitigation and adaptation measures – and a coupling of structural social, economic and political change have resulted in a greater appreciation of adaptive spatial planning approaches. Such approaches involve knowledge about particular areas, place-based community-led initiatives, tailored temporary governance arrangements and more transformative perceptions of natural, metabolistic and evolutionary spatial change. In a context of uncertainty, contentiousness and complexity, they aim at unlocking greater and timelier societal responses to problems in the built environment while maintaining robust, long-term planning rationales at the same time.
Observations of the emerging softer, more adaptive or flexible modes of spatial planning indicate that they give a more important role to spatial visioning and spatial design. The changes described above seem to have inspired more iterative and reflexive planning processes that are characterized by normative and persuasive agenda-setting approaches, often involving a variety of knowledge repertoires and many actors. Spatial analysis, the imagination of spatial metaphors and the 'art' of making spatial representations have emerged as respected tools in capacity and consensus building in the deliberative, interactive multi-actor settings that flexible planning modes imply. In various countries, design-led approaches became more intimately related to regional spatial planning. Regional design - as an explorative search for spatial solutions to problems at high levels of scale, emerged as a distinctive discipline that contributes to uncovering the mechanisms of regional spatial development, mediating the divisions and conflicting rationales that are caused by mismatches between spatial ranges and administrative boundaries, and encouraging local action while also supporting the coordination of such action across multiple and multi-scalar territories. Also, last but not least, it enhances the legitimacy and accountability of planning, linking the very different types of societal and civil actions that occur at different scales. However, while expectations of the performance of design-led approaches rise, their role in planning remains under-defined and the evaluation of their performance lacks empirical evidence.
The proposed special issue intends to gather contributions that critically discuss the impact that regional design has on regional governance and spatial planning at the regional and metropolitan level. Editors of the issue will in particular appreciate investigations of design-led approaches in a context of ‘soft’, ‘adaptive’ or ‘flexible’ spatial planning. Such investigations elaborate how design-led approaches challenge spatial planning policies and practices that are anchored in rigid administrative boundaries, and on how spatial visioning and design contribute to defining and redefining territorial entities and actor networks. The main aim of the special issue is a more sophisticated understanding of the performance of regional design in the realm of emerging modes of regional spatial planning and of the processes that support their institutionalization. We invite proposals that take-up this broad intellectual and practical challenge while also considering more than one of the more detailed points below:
- Regional spatial planning in a context of social, economic, political and societal change: (re-) conceptualisations of regional spatial planning with particular attention to theoretical notions of ‘soft’, ‘adaptive’ and ‘flexible’ modes of planning; the relation with contemporary dynamics of social, economic, political and societal change.
- Roles of spatial design and visioning in regional spatial planning: theoretically founded and/or empirically observed relations between design-led approaches and regional spatial planning, with particular attention to the position of design in planning procedures, governance and actor constellations, and/or wider spatial and institutional settings. Considerations emphasize on design thinking as an approach to the resolution of wicked problems that occur in complex spatial settings and territories while acknowledging disparities in e.g. the distribution of spatial resources or power.
- Performance of spatial design and visioning in regional spatial planning: evidence of the impact of design-led approaches on regional spatial planning, expressed in for instance new allocations of resources, actor constellations, frames of reference, and/or fields of action; with particular attention to the role of spatial design in mediating between statutory and soft planning modes and frameworks, processes of governance rescaling and new territorial arrangements.
- Tools and instruments in design-led approaches to regional spatial planning: new tools and instruments in regional spatial analysis, for instance concerning use of (big) data, and real-time modelling; elaboration of visualisation and communication techniques in design-led approaches; ways to involve spatial design and visioning in regional spatial planning processes such as design studios, international exhibitions, and design competitions.
- Teaching regional spatial planning and design: elaborations of transdisciplinary educational formats that involve learning about design and regional spatial planning.
- Regional spatial planning and design in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: as the recent coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic spreads across cities, regions and countries, it highlights the very misalignment between political-administrative jurisdictions and the real geographies of spatial development patterns. The fall-out of the pandemic seems to support localism on the one hand; it raises questions about the necessity for commuting, or the reliance of regional economies on global supply-chains for instance. Fall-out illustrates a need for coordination across administrations on the other hand. Emerging mechanisms in the distribution of health equipment or economic support render the costs of non-coordination on a daily basis. The team of editors recognizes that a deep and thorough analysis of recent development is barely achievable within the time frame set for the special issue. It however welcomes contributions that use evidence triggered by the crisis to reflect on the roles of spatial planning, regional design and visioning in an alignment between jurisdictions and geographies.
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- Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS
- Category: Public Spaces and Urban Cultures
Annual Report for 2019
Organized by Christine Mady and Ceren Sezer, in collaboration with further TG PSUC members
Introduction
Public Spaces and Urban Cultures (PSUC) is a thematic group established in April 2010 with the initiative of Sabine Knierbein (Associate Professor, TU Vienna, Austria), Ceren Sezer (Architect and urban planner, TU Delft) and Chiara Tornaghi (Reader, Coventry University, United Kingdom). The main aim of the group is to generate an international and interdisciplinary exchange between the research and practices on public spaces and urban cultures. By doing so, it aims to support research, planning and a design agenda within the AESOP community, and beyond.
In 2019, the Group continued its endeavors to involve practitioners, academics, governmental and non-governmental professionals, and further interest groups into the TG’s activities and exchange of knowledge across disciplines and domains of action through meetings, workshops, conferences and roundtables. During 2019, the group’s membership rose to over 100 professionals working with public space, including practitioners and researchers, from both Europe and beyond.
Internal organization of the group
A collective made up of group members organizes the activities of the PSUC. Some of the tasks of the core group are: to establish the Group’s agenda (working topics, calls, meetings); to manage communication via various media (homepage, blog, Facebook, mailing list, newsletter) among the Group’s members; to prepare meeting and annual reports; to disseminate scientific results; to promote a strong involvement into research and publication affairs; as well as towards a broader audience and the AESOP Secretary General.
The internal organization of the group is structured as follows:
Group Coordination: 2019-2021 Ceren Sezer (Main Coordinator, The Netherlands), Christine Mady (Second Coordinator, Lebanon); 2017-2019 Gabriella Esposito De Vita (Main Coordinator), Ceren Sezer (Second Coordinator, The Netherlands).
Active members: Katarzyna Bartoszewicz (Poland), (Nadia Charalambous (UK), Gabriella Esposito De Vita (Italy), Sabine Knierbein (Austria), Elina Kranzle (Austria), Christine Mady (Lebanon), Veronika Mazurkiewicz (Poland), Matej Niksic (Slovenia), Stefania Ragozino (Italy), Nikolai Roskamm (Germany), Mohamed Saleh (The Netherlands), Sara Santos Cruz (Portugal), Ceren Sezer (The Netherlands), Socrates Stratis (Cyprus), Tihomir Viderman (Germany), Burcu Yigit Turan (Sweden).
Advisory Board: Ali Madanipour (University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK); Sophie Watson (Open University, UK); Sabine Knierbein (TU Vienna, Austria); Gabriella Esposito De Vita (CNR-IRISS National Research Council of Italy, since July 2019).
The list of members who (co-)organized meetings in 2019
Patricia Aelbrecht (UK), Ceren Sezer (The Netherlands), Workshop of Knowledge Exchange between Research and Practice on ‘Public Space Design with Social Cohesion and Intercultural Dialogue in mind’, 15 May 2019, Cardiff University.
Ceren Sezer (The Netherlands), Gabriella Esposito DeVita (Italy), Stefania Ragozino (Italy), Track #15, Tourism, public spaces and urban cultures during the AESOP 2019 Annual Meeting in Venice “Planning for Transition”, 9-13 July 2019, Venice (Italy)
Group’s activities in 2019
This year was dedicated to conclude the working theme Unstable Geographies – Dislocated Publics and start the new one Public Spaces: Knowledge transition between Research, Policy and Practice.
Developing the umbrella topic “Public Spaces: Knowledge transition between Research, Policy and Practice”
Public space has received increasing attention in urban research, policy and public debate. This is evident in the growing academic literature on the themes related to public space, including accessibility, healthy living, inclusiveness, democracy, urban justice, self-organization, social movements and other. The 2016 UN Habitat Conference, Habitat III, adopted what is called The New Urban Agenda, which focused on public space as a promoter of ‘inclusive, connected, safe and accessible’ cities (UN Habitat, 2016). UN Habitat’s public space programme operates in various countries to promote the design and management of public spaces through participatory approaches engaging different stakeholders. Other initiatives include the Project for Public Space (PPS) Placemaking approach, which has been adopted in several cities. The contributors to public space provision go beyond state actors to include panoply of residents, activists and different combinations of interest groups.
Within this context, one realises the shifting boundaries and roles of public spaces that include: self-organization in reclaiming public spaces on the one hand and market-led celebration for economic attractiveness as well as political manipulation of the public realm for undemocratic purposes on the other hand, with several shades in the middle. This complexity requires relational perspectives to analyse these spaces as well as further proposals for transdisciplinary methods, which are very much needed to engage knowledge, concepts and theories from various disciplines, allowing them to permeate policy-making and practice processes in different contexts.
To this end, the working theme poses the question: which actors and which transdisciplinary methods can engage knowledge on public spaces in a transformative manner that directly influences public space policy and practice processes towards meeting the role of promoter of ‘inclusive, connected, safe and accessible’ cities?
The AESOP Thematic Group Public Spaces and Urban Cultures develop this working theme addressing the following topics:
- Changing typologies and roles of players and actors: multiplicity of publics and public space cultures, arenas for rebuilding participation
- Public spaces and changes: climate change, social movements, circular economy
- Changing needs and roles: homelessness, refugees, immigrants and integration, age, gender, social, cultural, ethnic and religious considerations and urban justice
- Questioning the global north-south divide and public space dynamics
- Changing environmental awareness: public space as a buffer zone, contribution to public health (mental and physical well-being)
- Changing intangible cultural heritage: adapting the genius loci to multiple and dynamic cultural identities
Productive steps in 2019
15th May 2019 AESOP TG PSUC Workshop, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK |
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Workshop of Knowledge Exchange between Research and Practice on ‘Public Space Design with Social Cohesion and Intercultural Dialogue in mind’ |
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Over the last two decades, societies worldwide are facing serious challenges to achieve social cohesion. A context of rising diversity, austerity and a series of ethnic conflicts and terrorist attacks have brought about a culture of fear, intolerance and distrust of strangers in our everyday public spaces. This context has led to a series of top-down and bottom-up experiments in public space design and management seeking to promote social cohesion and intercultural dialogue. To date there have been few efforts to evaluate the outcomes of these experiments and to understand if and how social cohesion and intercultural dialogue have been realized. This workshop brings together academics, practitioners and policy-makers to share their knowledge and experience around this subject, and identify where new knowledge is needed in terms of public space theory, practice and policy. It seeks to develop an international network of expertise to support and expand future collaborations in intercultural public space research, practice and policy. The workshop begins with a series of short presentations by the invited speakers outlining their varied research and practice insights on the subject, followed by a discussion. Invited Speaker: Jane Dann, Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design, London Ceren Sezer, TU Delft & AESOP Public Spaces and Urban Cultures Thematic Group Melissa Meyer, Regeneration & Economic Development, Greater London Authority Noha Nasser, MELA, London Anna Mansfield, Publica, London |
9th-13th July 2019 AESOP Annual Congress Venice 2019 |
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Track #15, Tourism, public spaces and urban cultures |
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The track #15, Tourism, public spaces and urban cultures was co-chaired by Ceren Sezer (The Netherlands), Gabriella Esposito De Vita (Italy), and Stefania Ragozino (Italy) and included 73 papers that were presented in the following sessions: opening session, public space focus 1&2, public space inclusivity, urban creativity, historic cities, place-based approaches, focus on streets, tourism focus, urban regeneration, communities, urban forms. Theme Over the last decade, public spaces have received an attention more than ever in urban research, policy and public debates as a facilitator of diverse, equal and democratic urban cultures. These debates are underlined by the decline of welfare state model and a rise in the neo-liberal approach to urban development to promote city’s position in global competitiveness in order to achieve its economic success and prosperity. Among others, tourism has been seen as one of the key drivers of economic success. This implies that investments are not evenly distributed at the city level but concentrated in some selected parts of the city, such as historical city parts, waterfronts, business hubs for finance and high-tech industries, and neighbourhoods for creative industries. Some of the consequences of these developments are: social and spatial segregation, lack of public participation in the urban planning and design processes, gentrification in the central neighbourhoods, privatisation and control of urban space, marginalization of some social groups based on their gender, race and religion, dislocation of neighbourhood residents, and lack of accessibility and distribution of amenities. This track welcomes theoretical, methodological and empirical contributions addressing the role of public spaces in promoting a diverse, equal and democratic urban cultures, including, but not limited to the following aspects:
Keywords public spaces, urban culture, tourism, touristification, economy of tourism, place-making, self-organization, environmental resources, place-branding, aging society, youth unemployment |
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- Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS
- Category: Public Spaces and Urban Cultures
ROUNDTABLE : City, diversity and social inclusion: a myth or reality?
When: 24 February 2020, 11:00 - 12:30.
Where: Berlagezaal, Faculty of Architecture and Built Environment, Delft University of Technology.
Participation: free / public participation / registration is not required.
Theme:
In the last three decades, there has been an increasing policy and academic attention towards the promotion of intercultural dialogue and social inclusion within Western European cities, in the context of rising diversity in urban population and the neoliberal model of urban development processes. Built environment, particularly neighborhoods and their public spaces, have been a matter of attention in these debates. It is often assumed that these places are solutions to overcome the increasing social fragmentation in cities, as they are potentially able to promote social contacts and encounters between the different urban groups.
Despite the important policy efforts, the goals of intercultural dialogue and social inclusion still present a challenge for most Western European cities. Moreover, the evaluation of the urban development programmes to promote inclusive cities, and its implications for urban design and planning have been disregarded. This gap raises some fundamental issues in relation to the role of built environment in promoting socially inclusive cities. This roundtable addresses these issues with examples from Europe, with the participation of distinguished speakers from the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.
Moderator
Ceren Sezer / RWTH Aachen University
Speakers
Sophie Watson / Prof. of Sociology, Head of Department of Sociology, Open University, UK.
Christa Reicher / Prof. of Urban Design, Head of Institute for Urban Design and European Urbanism, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
Marja Elsinga / Prof. of Housing Institutions and Governance, Department of Management in the Built Environment, TU Delft.
Ali Madanipour / Prof. of Urban Design, Newcastle University, UK.
Jan Rath / Professor of Urban Sociology, Head of the Department of Sociology, University of Amsterdam.
Reinout Kleinhans/ Assoc. Prof. Urban regeneration, Department of Urbanism, TU Delft.
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- Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS
- Category: Public Spaces and Urban Cultures
Guest editors:
Deniz Ay | Vrije Universiteit Brussel | Department of Geography Pleinlaan 2 BE-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Ceren Sezer | RWTH Aachen University | Institute for Urban Design and European Urbanism | Wüllnerstraße 5b | D-52062 Aachen, Germany
Theme
The broad concept of spatial justice has emerged as a critical theme in urban studies with an active link to the promotion of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Spatial justice is a quest to challenge the deepening inequalities inherently attached to space (Fainstein 2014, Soja 2010, Young 1990). Spatial justice is not a new concept, yet it remains pressingly relevant due to global capitalism characterized by profit-oriented economic models shaping (re)development policies and practices. On the one hand, the city continues to serve as the playground for global competition and economic growth at different levels, often directed by the priorities of the capital at the cost of the wellbeing of the socially and economically disadvantaged urban populations. Some examples of these global trends include privatisation of public space (i.e., privately-owned public spaces, “POPs” in London ) (Niksic and Sezer, 2017), gentrification (Lees et al. 2016), and concentration of poverty especially in ethnic enclaves (Musterd 2016, Lichter et al. 2012). On the other hand, spatial justice is relevant beyond the city, given the rising inequalities concerning the use of environmental resources and access to a healthy environment. Therefore, the geography of spatial injustice surpasses conceptual divides between the urban and the rural. Spatial justice has widespread use and value both for the social theory and the political agenda (Williams 2018: 10-11).
Several national and international organizations have recognized the critical need to take action to improve spatial justice standards. UN-Habitat, in its New Urban Agenda, includes ‘just cities for all’ as a part of its ‘vision of cities for all (…) without discrimination of any kind (…) to foster prosperity and quality of life for all’ while reaffirming its commitment to sustainable urban development (2017: 4-5). More recently, the American Planning Association (APA) has published a ‘Planning for Equity Policy Guide’ to ‘reaffirm [its] commitment to promote equity and explicitly remove barriers in policies and regulations that perpetuate inequity in the United States’ (2019: 3). APA defines equity as ‘just and fair inclusion into a society’, and its policy guide outlines ‘recommended policy actions’ for planners’ toolboxes ‘to implement policies that result in fair, equitable communities’ (2019: 3,5).
There are persistent calls from scholars across disciplines, including geography, political science, and sociology, to use the justice perspective to explore the growing inequalities across space to confront the conditions of spatial inequality. However, the pedagogical approaches in social sciences to disseminate the knowledge on key ideas and principles of spatial justice and its practical implementation remain underexplored (see Blaisdell 2019, Carrillo and Mendez 2019, Rubel et al. 2016a, Rubel et al. 2016b). To address this gap in the literature, this special issue aims to bring together an interdisciplinary and international group of contributors to discuss and explore the state-of-the-art approaches and strategies to advance the comprehension of spatial justice in academic, policy, and practical realms. Some of the questions the contributions may address include, but are not limited to:
1. What is the place of spatial justice in education for urban studies? Do we need ‘spatial justice pedagogy’?
2. How, or to what extent, are urban designers and planners prepared through their formal education to stand on the side of spatial justice in their practice?
3. What are the opportunities beyond the conventional forms of teaching (i.e., digital humanities, digital ethnographies, multimedia) to promote spatial justice-oriented education in the context of the complex roles and futures of cities and regions?
4. What are the pedagogical pitfalls in planning curriculums, teaching methods, and materials used for advancing students’ understanding of spatial justice?
5. What are the alternative educational platforms beyond the academia for advancing the collective knowledge on spatial justice to connect directly with communities and grassroots?
In this special issue, we call for contributions from scholars from urban studies, planning and related fields in social sciences and humanities, activists, independent researchers, and advocacy groups with explicit interests in space, to address opportunities and challenges of advancing the practically applicable knowledge on spatial justice as a process and a quest to reimagining space.
Interested contributors for this special issue are invited to submit a 500-word abstract to
- Title and keywords;
- Author(s)’ name, current affiliation and e-mail address;
- Research questions, methodology, and major findings of the research;
- Five key references;
- Short bio and a list of recent publications by the author(s); and
- If applicable, two related images at a proper resolution (min. 200dpi).
The deadline for abstract submission is May 4, 2020. After preliminary review by the guest editors, the selected authors will be invited by June 8, 2020 to submit a full paper. The deadline for submitting full papers is October 12, 2020. The selected full papers will proceed for the review process with Planning Practice and Research.
References
APA (2019). Planning for Equity Policy Guide. https://planning-org-uploaded-media.s3.amazonaws.com/publication/download_pdf/Planning-for-Equity-Policy-Guide-rev.pdf
Blaisdell, B. (2019). Right to the classroom: seeking spatial justice in kindergarten. The Urban Review.
Carrillo, J. and Mendez, J. (2019). Inner work, public acts: making a case for public pedagogy and spatial justice within Latinx communities, The Urban Review, 51: 444-456.
Fainstein, S. (2014). The just city, International Journal of Urban Sciences, 18:1, 1-18.
Lees, L., Shin, H. B., & López-Morales, E. (2016). Planetary gentrification. John Wiley & Sons.
Lichter, D.T., Parisi, D., Taquino, M.C. (2012). The geography of exclusion: race, segregation, and concentrated poverty, Social Problems, 59:3, 364-388.
Musterd, S. (2005) Social and Ethnic Segregation in Europe: Levels, Causes, and Effects, Journal of Urban Affairs, 27:3, 331-348, DOI: 10.1111/j.0735-2166.2005.00239.x
Niksic, M. and Sezer, C. (ed) (2017) ‘Special issue: Public spaces and urban justice’, Built Environment, 43(2), 161-304.
Rubel, L., Hall-Wieckert, M., Lim, V. (2016a). Teaching mathematics for spatial justice: Beyond a victory narrative. Harvard Educational Review: Winter 2016, 86:4. 556-579.
Rubel, L., Lim, V., Hall-Wieckert, M., Katz, S. (2016b). Cash across the city: Participatory mapping and teaching for spatial justice, Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, 12, 4-14.
Soja, E. (2010). Seeking Spatial Justice, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
UN Habitat (2017) New Urban Agenda. http://habitat3.org/wp-content/uploads/NUA-English.pdf
Williams, J. (2018). Spatial justice as analytic framework. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan.
Young, I. M. (1990). Justice and the politics of difference. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
About guest editors:
Deniz Ay is an urban scholar specialized in transnational planning, urban governance, and displacement. She joined the Brussels Centre for Urban Studies at the VUB as a research fellow in 2019. Deniz completed her doctoral studies in Urban Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and she taught courses on international development and transnational planning at the University of Bern- Institute of Geography and The Ohio State University- City and Regional Planning Section.
Ceren Sezer is a research fellow at RWTH Aachen University. Her research interests cover the issues of liveability and sustainability of public spaces, urban form and social life in the city, and urban regeneration and renewal processes. She is a joint editor of Marketplaces as an Urban Development Strategy (2013), Public Space and Urban Justice (2017), and The Politics of Visibility in Public Space (forthcoming). She is co-founder and coordinator of an international research group Public Spaces, and Urban Cultures established under the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP).
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- Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS
- Category: Planning, Law and Property rights
Prepared by Linda McElduff and Rachelle Altermann
Introduction
This report provides a brief overview of the activities of AESOP’s Planning, Law and Property Rights (PLPR) Thematic Group (TG) during the year 2019.
Overview of PLPR TG
The PLPR TG evolved from a congress track on planning and law organised by Rachelle Alterman (Technion, Israel), together with Willem Salet (University of Amsterdam), Ben Davy (TU Dortmund) at the 1999 AESOP congress in Bergen. The track soon grew and the PLPR Thematic Group was announced in 2003 at the AESOP congress in Leuven. During the 2006 World Congress of Planning Schools in Mexico City, a group of interested academics from many countries convened and decided to establish an International Association on Planning, Law, and Property Rights. The Association was established during the inaugural symposium in Amsterdam, in 2007, with Rachelle Alterman as first PLPR President. The main objective of the Association is to foster international academic knowledge exchange on the themes of planning, law, and property rights. PLPR is a free-standing standing academic association with members from all around the world, its own statutes, a website: see http://plpr-association.org/ and an annual conference.
PLPR maintains close links to AESOP. In 2012 Prof. Ben Davy, president of PLPR, and Prof. Kristina Nilsson, president of the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) at the time signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This memorandum affirms and institutionlizes the mutual friendship between the two associations. The PLPR TG constitutes an important link between the two organisations and the law track continues to be one of the most well attended tracks at AESOP congresses.
PLPR TG Coordination
Dr Linda McElduff (Ulster University) and Professor Rachelle Alterman (Technion – Israel Institute of Technology) coordinate the TG. Activities of the coordinators include establishing the group’s agenda; managing online communication (via homepage, mailing list, newsletter) among TG participants; preparing meeting minutes and annual reports; promoting knowledge sharing and publication affairs; as well as strengthening links with the wider AESOP community and Secretary General, and with practitioners and industry.
TG Activities in 2019
AESOP Annual Congress 2019, Venice: ‘Planning for Transition’ (9th– 13thJuly)
The Track: “Planning, Law and Property Rights: facing urban transitions” (Track No.14) was held during the 2019 AESOP congress in Venice, Italy. This was one of the largest tracks at the conference with an average of six papers across ten sessions. Rachelle Alterman (Israel Institute of Technology, Israel), Thomas Hartmann (Wageningen University, Netherlands) and Kim Carlotta von Schönfeld (Wageningen University, Netherlands) chaired the track, assisted by a series of young academics. In advance of the formal conference, two PLPR members; Linda McElduff and Thomas Hartmann (Wageningen University), attended the AESOP PhD workshop in Ferrara as mentors.
A TG meeting was convened during the conference (11/07/19). During this meeting both old and new PLPR TG attendees gathered to share updates and ideas in relation to research, teaching and funding opportunities. Upcoming events and conferences were also outlined to the participants including AESOP lecture series and PLPR conference 2020.
Workshop: ‘Teaching Planning Law: sharing lessons from across Europe’, Wageningen (07/10/19)
PLPR TG was successful in its AESOP Thematic Group Funding Bid to hold a small workshop on ‘Teaching Planning Law: sharing lessons from across Europe’. The workshop was held on 07/10/19 in Wageningen to coincide with an AESOP lecture from Barrie Needham and Eveline Van Leeuwen (AESOP 14th Lecture Series). This event provided an important platform to share existing practices and ideas in how planning law is being, and should/could, be taught in universities across Europe (and beyond) with a targeted participant group. The aim was to identify good practices, differences, barriers, and suggestions in how planning law has been integrated within the curriculum of planning schools (ie. its ‘visibility’ within planning programmes); what is being (and should be) taught – and what is currently missing (ie. what knowledge is needed); the pedagogical approaches used to teach planning law (ie. how is it being taught – teaching styles, assessment, didactic V’s interactive, etc.); and how the quality of that learning and teaching can be maintained, or indeed enhanced (linked to student satisfaction, progression, etc.).
The TG aims to build on this initial discussion and carry out additional research and workshops in the coming months (funding dependent). Updates, including a ‘summary report’ of the initial workshop in October, will be made available on the TG area of the AESOP Website. We look forward to continuing the discussions with you all soon!
TG Activities in 2020
In 2020 the TG will continue to promote and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas relating to planning, law and property rights. The particular focus of the TG for 2020 will be on identifying and sharing good practice in teaching planning law.
14th PLPR Annual Conference
TG coordinators and members will be participating at the 14th PLPR Annual Conference (17th-21st February 2020) at the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, Ústí nad Labem, Czechia.
33rd AESOP Congress
The forthcoming 2020 congress offers an opportunity to engage with existing and new TG members, and support young academics. A PLPR TG meeting will be held during the 33nd AESOP Congress at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK in July 2020. More detail will be provided in due course. As in previous years, there will be a dedicated Law Track.