THEMATIC GROUPS
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- Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS
- Category: Planning Education
Artificial intelligence is transforming the way knowledge is produced, shared and applied, and is challenging long-held practices in higher education. For spatial planning in particular, this change is profound: AI is reshaping analytical reasoning, design thinking and ethical judgement, all of which are central to the discipline. The question is no longer whether AI has a place in the classroom, but rather how it is altering the ways in which planning knowledge is taught, learnt, and assessed. This international workshop will bring together universities and practitioners to explore these changes through keynote speeches and collaborative sessions. Themes will include: rethinking assessment when AI tools are part of the learning process, addressing ethics and bias through critical AI literacy, and reimagining curricula to foster new forms of teaching and reflection. The event aims to clarify how education can adapt to ensure that graduates use AI effectively and think critically alongside it, thereby helping to redefine the foundations of spatial planning education.
Workshop programme:
9:30am – 5pm (CET)
Speakers:
- Rico Herzog, City Science Lab, HafenCity University Hamburg
AI in practice: From algorithmic support to hyperreal planning?
- Juliana Martins, Bartlett School of Planning, University College London
Embracing, tolerating, or resisting AI? Reflections on the future of planning education
Parallel working sessions:
- Proving knowledge in the AI era
- Ethics and bias in AI for planning education
- Innovating curricula through thinking with AI
Registration by December 15:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeIEcS2Uv-ylUTCfOElIpOb7whDoIe3CyvsXZJ_V1ohSlYWKQ/viewform?usp=dialog
Contact: Fabio Bayro Kaiser (bayrokaiser@
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- Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS
- Category: Public Spaces and Urban Cultures
Politics of Hope for the Enjoyment of the Sea
Napoli | 6-7 November 2025
Event of the AESOP Thematic Group ‘Public Spaces and Urban Cultures’
As a “collectively mobilized resource” hope holds together utopian aspiration and practical negotiation, seeking alternatives to technocratic control in shaping urban life. The Politics of Hope (Appadurai, 2007) points toward real processes of social transformation through what the Thematic Group Public Spaces and Urban Cultures describes as “collective endeavours influencing the material, imagined, and sensed dynamics that shape urban realities”. A deeper awareness of rights, a broader access to knowledge and a proactive involvement in decision making are some of the ingredients to allow people to practice their imaginations for urban future and realize their agency in the social-urban transformation (Schatzki et al., 2001). These elements also underpin the protagonism of the Neapolitan Committee Mare Libero Pulito e Gratuito [Free Sea] and the Neapolitan Urban Commons Network within the city’s multiple contested urban scenarios.
The event is jointly organized by the Institute for Research on Innovation and Services for Development (Cnr Iriss) and the AESOP Thematic Group Public Spaces and Urban Cultures, within the Erasmus+ project PS-U-GO Education in Living Labs: Participatory Skills for sustainable Urban Governance (www.psugo.eu/).
6 November 15:00
Maschio Angioino - Castel Nuovo, Event Room
V. Vittorio Emanuele III
Introduction
Stefania Ragozino | Cnr Iriss
Collectively Mapping the enjoyability of Neapolitan Coast*
Stefano Cuntò | University of Naples
PS-U-GO ULL Naples: a short documentary
Lorenzo Lodato | Lido Pola Urban Commons
KEYNOTE LECTURE
Why does water matter to the everyday cultures and practices of city dwellers?
Sophie Watson | Open University London
ROUNDTABLE
Co-Producing Hope through the Enjoyment of Waters
Gabriella Esposito De Vita | Cnr Iriss
Paolo Landri | Cnr Iriss
Lorenzo Lodato | Lido Pola Urban Commons
Valentina Rossi | Cnr Iriss
Maura Striano | Naples City Council
Anna Terracciano | University of Naples
Raffaele Vaccaro | Nisida Environment
Sophie Watson | Open University London, UK
Moderation Tihomir Viderman | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg - AESOP TG PSUC
7 November 10:00-12:00
Mergellina Metro Station
Neapolitan Coast Mobile Workshop
Committee Mare Libero Napoli
- Details
- Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS
- Category: Ethics, Values and Planning
Group members, save the date!
📢 ROBOTS TAKING OVER THE CITY?! CHALLENGES FOR ETHICS AND SPACE, on October 24 at 10:00 CET.
This is the first online seminar of the colloquium series (fall season) by our AESOP - Association of European Schools of Planning Thematic Group: "Ethics, Values and Planning."
🤖 While most of us can probably conjure doomsday-esque images of a robot-driven takeover (think Blade Runner, Westworld, Minority Report, Avengers: Age of Ultron), what do scholars working on the spatial and ethical implications of today’s robots in urban spaces really think is occurring? How are robots changing our current human experience of space in the city and what are the possible benefits and drawbacks?
In this seminar, Casey Lynch and Shanti Sumartojo will discuss their research on these topics and more, followed by an open Q&A with audience members.
🗓️ Date: October 24th at 10:00 CET
👩💻 Format: online via Teams (1 and a half hour)
🔗 Register here to receive the Teams link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSde6Cqg9Np12-1OTT7NWH2faeHDq6jnb-nJ5zNizriPTkdATQ/viewform
- Details
- Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS
- Category: Planning and Complexity
INVITATION
Pre-Conference Seminar (ONLINE)
We are looking forward to the upcoming 23rd meeting of our thematic group on Planning and Complexity in Gothenburg (Sweden) on 27 and 28 November 2025. To keep us connected and inspired, we have organised an online pre-conference seminar. Open to all members of the thematic group and everyone who feels connected to the group and/or the topic. You can download the invitation as PDF file here.
Adaptive governance: systems perspectives
Kristof van Assche & Monica Gruezmacher
University of Alberta, Edmonton (Canada)
Wednesday, 1st October 2025
16.00 – 17.00 hrs CET
ONLINE in Google Meet
https://meet.google.com/sud-bgns-fmd
No registration required.
In this presentation, we interrogate the possibilities and limits of adaptive governance, by revisiting the diverse landscape of systems theories, with a special interest in social-ecological systems thinking and social systems theory, but also paying homage to the classic systems thinking of Ludwig von Bertalanffy and Kenneth Boulding. We then reinterpret adaptive governance in the frame of evolutionary governance theory (EGT), which gives central place to processes of co-evolution, and highlight the importance of epistemic negatives, i.e. non- observation, non-thinking and non-learning. We distinguish infrastructures relevant when radical adaptation is required at community level.
The event is organised by Nils Björling and the research area Local-Regional Transformations at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden (local organising team 2025) together with Christian Lamker and Jenni Partanen (thematic group coordinators).
- Details
- Parent Category: THEMATIC GROUPS
- Category: Transboundary Planning and Governance
Ukraine's European Path: Historical Legacy, Regional Development, and Future Integration
The hybrid event is a two-part academic lecture series hosted in Bratislava, organized within the framework of the EU-funded project “Project Management for EU Urban Transformation in the Context of Climate Change and Energy Transition” (PM4U), and supported by AESOP and the TG Transboundary Planning and Governance. It focuses on Ukraine’s path toward European integration, offering a comprehensive exploration of the country’s regional development, modern history, and evolving identity amidst geopolitical challenges.
Bringing together academics, policymakers, and practitioners, the event provides a platform for analyzing Ukraine’s European trajectory in light of historical, political, and military developments, particularly in the context of Russian aggression. The lectures are aimed at fostering critical dialogue, drawing lessons for EU cohesion policies, and deepening understanding of Ukraine’s transformation. Through expert-led sessions, participants will examine key agreements, the effects of war, the resilience of Ukrainian society, and current EU accession efforts, contributing to broader discussions on democratic transformation and post-war development in Eastern Europe.
Lecture 1: Eurointegration and Regional Development of Ukraine
This lecture examines Ukraine’s trajectory toward European integration within a broader geopolitical and historical context, emphasizing how EU orientation has influenced regional development strategies amid ongoing external aggression. Key lessons will be discussed in the context of governance, cohesion policy, and sustainable transformation.
Date: Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Time: 16:00–18:00 CET
Venue: Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Institute of Management
Speaker: Dr. Ivan Balykin (University of Mannheim, Germany)
Target Audience:
- Lecturers and researchers in regional development, political science, EU studies
- Urban planners and project managers
- Public sector professionals involved in EU policy and regional governance
- Bachelor's, Master’s and PhD students in related disciplines
Key Topics:
- The origins of EU–Ukraine cooperation and the 1994 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement
- Regional development under EU influence
- The impact of Russian aggression on governance and planning
- Ukraine’s contribution to EU cohesion and policy reflections
- Prospects for Ukraine’s regional transformation and EU membership
Details:
- Lecture format: Hybrid (online and onsite)
- Registration: https://forms.gle/hTAh1o4Kz1ei3BzJ9
- Registration deadline: September 22, 2025
- Venue (onsite part): Institute of Management of Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Vazovova 5, Bratislava, 812 43
- Participation: Free of charge
- Language: English
Lecture 2: Modern History of Ukraine: The Path to Eurointegration
This lecture provides an in-depth look at Ukraine’s modern history since independence, exploring the political and military challenges that shaped its identity and aspirations. Emphasis will be placed on civic resilience, the impact of Russian aggression, and Ukraine’s evolving relationship with the European Union.
Date: Thursday, 2 October 2025
Time: 16:30–18:30 CET
Venue: Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Institute of Management
Speaker: Dr. Ivan Balykin (University of Mannheim, Germany)
Target Audience:
- Historians, political scientists, and researchers in Eastern European studies
- Educators and students of EU enlargement and post-socialist transitions
- Practitioners in international relations and democracy-building
- Civil servants and analysts engaged in strategic planning or governance
Key Topics:
- Key historical milestones from 1991 to 2025
- The EU–Ukraine Association Agreement: significance and consequences
- Russian strategy and Ukrainian state-building
- The 2022 full-scale invasion and its implications
- Ukrainian national identity, resilience, and EU accession process
Details:
- Lecture format: Hybrid (online and onsite)
- Registration: Opening soon, check here: https://pm4u.priestoroveplanovanie.sk/content/events/event-uip/
- Registration deadline: To be announced
- Participation: Free of charge
- Language: English
About The Speaker
With over 15 years of academic and public sector experience, Dr. Balykin has authored more than 45 scientific publications and has taught in leading universities in Ukraine and Germany. His research focuses on Ukraine’s modern statehood, democratic development, and the impact of Russian aggression on national identity and regional transformation. He is actively involved in educational reform, civic initiatives, and international academic collaboration.
As an expert in the accreditation of educational programs for both the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance and the State Service for Education Quality of Ukraine, Dr. Balykin contributes to the modernization of Ukraine’s higher education system. He is also known for his dynamic public speaking, strategic thinking, and commitment to educational excellence.
- Autumn/winter 2025 Lecture Series on Small Towns
- Registration: Contested urban policy: breeding concrete utopias - AESOP Planning/Conflict thematic group conference, Berlin, 30 September – 2 October 2025
- Call for Contributions: Co-producing alternative urban futures through experimental urbanism
- Invitation: The Dynamics of Panarchy - Gothenburg, 27-28 Nov 2025
