Update | DECEMBER 2024
This Update celebrates an Anniversary! The Institute was established eight years ago and officially registered as a Foundation in September 2016. It began with a single employee, Tjark Gall, who was soon joined by others. Since then, it has grown steadily, and today, a highly qualified and motivated team of nine professionals develops, manages, and innovates in research, capacity building, and technical assistance projects - not only in Europe, but also around the globe. We are thrilled to have organised and contributed recently to the World Urban Forum (WUF), especially to capacity-building and networking events. The launch of our new initiative on Urban Planning Systems is particularly promising, as it addresses resilience and integrated development of urban territories, placing emphasis on coherent legal planning frameworks. We are eagerly anticipating the prospect of embarking on new and exciting ventures in the coming months!
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
The ISOCARP Institute was proud to actively participate in the 12th World Urban Forum, a milestone event in shaping sustainable urban futures. We were honoured to moderate two impactful sessions: Tackling the Urban Climate Crisis - Practical Guidance on Managing Heat Risks and Integrating Nature-based Solutions on one hand, and Integrated Urban Planning Systems towards Future Resilient Cities – Global Experiences on the other. As a key event for the global planning community, the forum provided a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and drive sustainable urban development.
In October, we also took part in the ISOCARP World Planning Congress, where we held both special workshops and thematic sessions. Among the workshops we conducted, we were delighted to present the ISOCARP Institute's storytelling methodology to an international audience - this impactful tool, which uses AI-powered visualisation software, offers a means to effectively engage citizens in planning and decision-making. We were thrilled to receive positive feedback from the session and to learn it sparked interesting reflections from its attendees.
INSTITUTE Research
The past months were marked by various Project Meetings. In October, we attended the Kick-off Meeting of SPADES. As one of the core partners of the project, the Institute is leading research activities to evaluate the potential of soil in spatial strategies, compiling inventories of practices for soil assessment and soil integration. We will additionally contribute to the uptake of best practices by the planning and design sector!
Our team also attended REGEN's 2nd Consortium Meeting, where some of the discussions evolved around finalising the Assessment Framework for Urban Regeneration. Once concluded, the ISOCARP Institute will present it to urban planning professionals, municipalities and project developers interested in applying the framework to their neighbourhood regeneration projects. We are looking forward to the work ahead!
Only a couple of weeks ago, our team joined the JUSTNature consortium for its 6th Project meeting. On top of our involvement in communication and dissemination activities, we are contributing to the development of co-governance schemes, as well as supporting city partners in cross-learning activities, designed to share best practices and innovative strategies for promoting and upscaling nature-based solutions. Discover more about the meeting here.
We continue leading the communication and dissemination strategy for various projects - namely VARCITIES, DUST, UP2030 and PLUS Change. The latter has recently released the second issue of its newsletter! Read it here and find out what the project's been up to, including the main results of the Possible Landscapes sessions. DUST held its General Assembly in Katowice, Poland, where our team took the opportunity to present initiatives designed to strengthen the connection between the project's audience and its research outputs.
VARCITIES, in turn, held its 8th Project Meeting in September, whereas UP2030 convened its General Assembly in October in Zagreb. During the three day event, we held a workshop on both exploitation plans and the definition of the Key Exploitable Results for the project's next phase.
institute academy
The Institute continues refining the Storytelling for Participatory Exchange methodology, after successful workshops held in Budapest and Rotterdam, on top of the fruitful special session at the ISOCARP Congress in Siena. Have a look at the new storytelling page on our website to find out more about this inspiring tool and how to deploy it: new materials are on the way!
INSTITUTE PRACTICE
Well into the project's second year, our team is currently preparing for Down to Earth's second Thematic Conference, to be held in February in Gorenjska, Slovenia. With a focus on the topic of access barriers to young farmers in depopulated areas, the event will bring together experts and stakeholders, aiming to exchange on policies for rural development, legal instruments to improve the employability of young farmers, management of natural resources and land use, and measures to fight depopulation and climate risks.
KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY
Have you explored the Institute's knowledge base yet? Check it out to find papers, opinion pieces, and articles addressing some of the key questions and issues shaping the planning sphere today. Our latest piece delves into the integration of soil into the planning practice. The article provides an analysis of recent soil restoration policies and how they address the issue in practical execution. New articles are published regularly, and we hope to count with your contributions soon! Keep an eye for news on our social media.
FROM OUR TEAM
This month, the Institute team grew bigger: we welcomed Anna Croft, our new communications and graphic design intern. Anna recently graduated from the University of Amsterdam with a MSc in Urban Planning. She is interested in advancing interdisciplinary, participatory approaches in urban governance to promote more equitable urban transitions. We are excited to have Anna with us!
The ISOCARP Institute team wishes you Happy Holidays and a wonderful end to the year 2024! May 2025 foster collaboration towards a more just, sustainable and inclusive future!
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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!
Credits:
With images by Papukos - "Couple walking down decorated street during christmas time" • Adwo - "Hyde Park - Sydney - Australia" • photolink - "blurred background of a crowd of people on a pedestrian street during a snowfall in the city." • Manu Reyes - "Young farmer man with hat working in his field" • NINENII - "Women are using tablet to work." • FornStudio - "Christmas"