Update | august 2024
Here comes our Institute Update August 2024. Our activities are very rich between research, technical assistance and capacity-building: in this edition, we give an update on our different European Research projects such as PLUS Change, DUST or SPADES. For this new research on Soil, we are looking for an External Expert. We are also thrilled to announce that we are part of the team working on the project Urban Retrofit UK in partnership with the University of Glasgow and UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE); this project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (part of UK Research and Innovation) and will investigate how cities can be planned and ‘retrofitted’ for net-zero living, as well as conduct research on place-based approaches to an environmentally sustainable future, providing evidence to support local and national decision making. We are looking forward to engaging in exciting events in the months to come!
INSTITUTE Research
1st September marks the official start of our new project SPADES - Spatial Planning And DEsign with Soil! A key project under the EU Mission A Soil Deal for Europe, SPADES aims to integrate soil considerations into the planning practice. As one of the core partners of the project, our role will be to lead research activities to evaluate the potential of soil in spatial strategies, compiling inventories of practices for soil assessment and soil integration. We will also contribute to the uptake of best practices by the planning and design sector.
SPADES will enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of planning practices, directly echoing our mission of upholding professional excellence in planning and advancing sustainable planning practices.
Our on-going research projects have also been keeping us busy: in DUST, we completed the first workshops as part of the Community Champion Network, where we seek to promote lasting change with stakeholders in our case study regions. Now, we look to the initiation of our Regional Futures Literacy Labs, which connect community members and policymakers to imagine futures of sustainability transitions that work for everyone.
As part of VARCITIES, we attended the Final Conference of GoGreenRoutes in Brussels. We were invited to speak during the session on policy implications and focused on the need to promote nature, health and well-being into urban development beyond research and innovation projects, notably through mainstreaming within regional and urban development funding.
We also attended PLUS Change’s first General Assembly in Brussels. The project recently welcomed 13 Ambassadors of Change to the project. Ambassadors contribute to PLUS Change discussions on equitable land use, representing the interests of groups that are excluded from or underrepresented in land use planning and decision making in Europe. Scroll to the bottom of the project's 'About' page to learn more about who they are.
institute academy
After a successful launch of our Storytelling for Participatory Exchange methodology in Budapest, we held a pilot workshop with young people in Rotterdam, to create stories for change on the topic of access to nature in the city. The pilot was a huge success and showed the power of this new methodology for citizen participation in a workshop that was enjoyable for participants. Watch this space for more on our storytelling activities!
INSTITUTE PRACTICE
Tackling depopulation in rural areas means supporting generational renewal, e.g. ensuring new generations continue living and working there, especially in the agricultural sector. But young farmers are faced with a number of barriers to their installation. Experts from amattera have produced a report on the topic for Down to Earth to guide our investigation in six European regions. Check it out!
KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY
Our institute's knowledge library keeps growing, as we continue looking for ways to spark interesting conversations on topics related to global urban planning and development. In the past months, we released one opinion piece on the narratives and strategies behind Sustainability Transitions & Frugal Innovation, as well as a an article on Tactical Urbanism, including a profile from the Swiss organisation Collettivo Urbano. Keep an eye on upcoming pieces!
upcoming events
We're thrilled to have been selected to hold special sessions not only at the next ISOCARP World Planning Congress in Siena, but also at the Placemaking Week Europe in Rotterdam, and at the World Urban Forum in Cairo. Stay tuned for more updates!
connect with the institute
Are you interested in receiving direct opportunities from us? Subscribe to our Urban Expert Database! We are always open to developing new partnerships and collaborations, reach out to us if you are interested to work together on capacity building, research exploration, public outreach and technical assistance both in and outside of Europe. Send us an email: info@isocarp-institute.org or connect on social media!