Ulrich Graute, Germany

Committee Chair

Ulrich is a German academic, policy analyst, adviser and trainer living in Berlin. He supports international organisations, national governments, regional and local authorities in their international cooperation, strategy and capacity development towards a more sustainable development.

For more than 30 years, he has nurtured his wealth of analytical and managerial experience on all policy levels from city halls in Germany to regional authorities in Europe and from national governments in Asia to the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York, Geneva and Nairobi. As senior advisor Ulrich supported the Mayor of Berlin in preparation and during Habitat III. Ulrich supported the development of national development strategies as senior advisor of the UN Secretariat. More recently he worked for UN-Habitat on national urban policies, the IG-UTP Handbook and provided transformational training programs for sustainable urban development in Saudi Arabia. His PhD thesis analyses multi-level governance in Europe and he published on local authorities acting globally. Ulrich Graute (www.ugraute.de) is Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, AcSS (UK).

The Scientific Committee is appointed to advise on major technical planning issues with professional and academic integrity and competence. Members provide substantive opinion to shape ISOCARP’s proactive and progressive agenda, provide evidence-based analysis to enable Society contributions to international debates, and ensure ISOCARP remains at the forefront of planning thinking and practice.

The current Scientific Committee will serve a 3-year period, 2023-2026.

Contact the Scientific Committee

Li Fan, Germany/China

Committee Vice Chair

Dr Li Fan is a researcher in urban and rural regeneration. She works as an advisor, an urban planner, a project manager for academic institutions, public and private sectors and international organisations in China, in Germany and beyond.

Dr Li Fan is a senior researcher at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany. She studied Urban Planning at Tongji University and received Ph.D. from the Technical University of Berlin with summa cum laude. Dr. Fan has worked both as a practitioner and a researcher in China and in Germany. She served as a heritage consultant for conservation and regeneration projects funded by national and international institutions, including UNDP and ADB. She is a German Chancellor Fellow, a DAAD fellow and the board member of International Association of World Heritage Professionals

Sebnem Hoskara, Cyprus

Dr. Hoskara is a professor or architecture and urbanism. She is the Director of Urban Research and Development Center (URDC) of Eastern Mediterranean University. She teaches and conducts research on architectural and urban design. She acts as the co-chair of the Senior Advisory Board on Public Space in City Space Architecture.

Şebnem Hoşkara is a tenured Architecture and Urbanism (Urban Design) professor at the Department of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). She is the Director of EMU’s Urban Research and Development Center (URDC) and the EMU Press Executive Committee Director. She is the Editor of a recently published academic journal – the Journal of Urban Research and Development. She worked as a Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) as the Interim Director of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) Graduate Programs between 1 September 2018-31 May 2019, and she was the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at EMU between October 2010 – October 2016. She is a founding member of Cyprus Network for Urban Morphology (CYNUM), and a member of ISOCARP, CSA, ICOMOS TR, EDRA, Europa Nostra, ISUF, and TICCIH. She also acts as the co-chair of the Senior Advisory Board on Public Space in City Space Architecture. Professor Hoskara continues her research in Architectural and Urban Design Education, Urban Morphology, Public Space and Placemaking, Sustainable Urban Design and Planning, SDGs in Architecture, Urban Design and Urban Planning, Urban Conservation, and Conservation of Industrial Heritage in Cyprus. She has supervised 8 Ph.D. and 17 Master’s theses and currently supervising 8 PhDs and 1 Master’s.

Ismael Fernandez Mejia, Mexico 

Mexican Architect, Urban Planner, Consultant in Urban Development Projects, and Infrastructure.  President of IFM International, firm devoted to the integration of Urban Development, Infrastructure, Clean Energy and Real Estate investment projects. Former head of the Scientific Committee for the 1st International Congress of Metropolis, basis for the creation of the Metropolis Association now based in Barcelona.

Member of ISOCARP since 1975, BM Mexican Delegation, ExCo, head of UPATs and Past President (2009-2012). Former, Habitat Professionals Forum Chairman, Member of the Standing and Steering Committees at the World Urban Campaign. In such capacity Member of the Urban Planning Committee in OECD, and representative to UNESCO. 

Strongly involved in Habitat III, producing discussion papers for the Urban Thinkers Campus and for the Zero Draft of the Habitat III Declaration. In this context, he was a member of the expert group for the official Mexican Government Position on Habitat III. 

Hendricus Andy Simarmata, Indonesia

Hendricus Andy Simarmata is an Indonesian urban and regional planner who has more than 20 years of experience in research, consultancy, and advocacy in the field of sustainable urban development. Currently, he serves as the President of Indonesian Association of urban and regional Planners (IAP).

Hendricus Andy Simarmata is an Indonesian urban and regional planner who has more than 20 years of experience in research, consultancy, and advocacy in the field of sustainable urban development. He earned his Dr.Phil (Ph.D.) in Development Studies from one of the leading research universities in Germany, The University of Bonn in August, 2015.

Following completion of his doctoral studies, Mr. Simarmata has served as lecturer at Urban Development Studies Postgraduate Program and Master Program of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia. He is also the principle/founder of the HAS consulting and NUA advisory teams to assist government institutions, private companies, and communities build the sustainability pathway. Since Nov 2019, he has been serving as the President of Indonesian Association of urban and regional Planners (IAP) and since May, 2020 he has been selected as one of the ISOCARP Scientific Committee members.

Hope Magidimisha-Chipungu, South Africa
 

Professor Hangwelani Hope Magidimisha is an academic in the discipline of Town and Regional Planning, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).

Professor Hangwelani Hope Magidimisha is an academic in the discipline of Town and Regional Planning, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). She is an NRF-rated researcher. She is currently appointed as a national planning commissioner at the office of the presidency. She is also the first black South African-born woman to be appointed Professor in Town and Regional Planning in South Africa based at UKZN.  Prof Magidimisha holds a master’s degree in the same field and a degree in Geography and Environment – both from UKZN. She also served as a co-general rapporteur for the 57th ISOCARP Congress hosted in Doha. Prof Magidimisha-Chipungu is the chair of the organizing committee for the International Symposium on Inclusive Cities. She is the Chief Editor of the Journal of Inclusive Cities and Built Environment. She continues serving on several boards locally and internationally with a focus on the built environment. She has won numerous excellent awards, including the Vice-Chancellor Research Award at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. She is also recognized by The Planner Magazine (for the royal institute of town planner) based in the UK as the most influential woman in 2021. She is currently Principal Investigator in an inclusive city project with a focus on southern African countries such as South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, and Namibia. Prof. Magidimisha-Chipungu’ s record of service spans but is not limited to the City Planning Commission for eThekwini Municipality, an advisory committee of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA-KZN), member of KwaZulu-Natal Tribunal, and Board member of SACPLAN. In view of a long history of excellence, she is appointed as the SARChI Chair in Inclusive Cities in South Africa. Her research and publications record span the authoring and co-authoring of a number of books, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journal articles in both local and international publishing outlets. Recently she has co-edited a book on Urban Inclusivity with a focus on Southern Africa.

Martina Juvara, United Kingdom

Martina Juvara is the director of strategic masterplanning company URBAN Silence in London. She is also a long-standing active member of ISOCARP, the International Society of City and Regional Planners, and their Head of Delegation at COP26.

Martina’s company is small, ambitious and proudly led by women: working for governments, cities and international agencies, preparing programmes of change through spatial planning, improved governance and design that can have transformational impact. With the World Bank, UNDP, Neom and High Speed Rail (HS2) among recent clients, she  works with prestigious companies like Khatib & Alami, Atkins, Arup and Jacobs.

She has led the spatial planning work for large scale projects in Damascus, Oman, Iraq, Cyprus and others, reporting directly to governors, mayors and ministers.

Martina is fiercely passionate about cities and what they have to offer to humanity. We are at a time of dramatic societal and environmental change and cities can be part of the answer towards a better future. Making appropriate use of expert thinking and listening to local people are the best ways by which ambitious opportunities can be realised on the ground.

She won two planning awards and a Landscape Institute Award in 2021.

Nasim Iranmanesh, Iran

Nasim Iranmanesh teaches architecture and urban planning in Azad University in Tehran. She has extensive experience in researching projects in architecture & urban design.

Nasim Iranmanesh is a highly qualified professional with extensive experience in architecture and urban design. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Azad University of Tehran and her Master’s degree in Urban Design from the University of Tehran. Furthermore, she holds a PhD in Urban Planning from the Islamic Azad University.

Throughout her career, Nasim has worked in various capacities, including as a researcher at the Building and Housing Research Center (BHRC) and as an architect and urban designer at Sazvareh No Consulting Engineers in Tehran. She is also an accomplished educator, currently teaching architecture and urban planning at Azad University in Tehran. Her research interests include architecture and urban design projects.

Nasim has also worked as a consultant in urban design for the municipality of Tehran and in the organization of Tehran Beautification. Moreover, she has held several individual exhibitions with watercolor and oil painting techniques, demonstrating her creative talents beyond her professional expertise.

She is an accomplished writer and researcher with several articles on urban design and architecture published in professional magazines. She has also presented various lectures on architecture and urban design in numerous congresses. Nasim is a member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) since 2005, and holds a scientific membership in the organization. Additionally, she is a member of the Society of Iranian Urban Planners and the Institute for Promotion of Contemporary Visual Art in the painting field.

Hadeel Abuzaid , Turkey
 

Hadeel Abuzaid is an architect, urban designer, consultant urban planner and graduate researcher in urban studies with a focus on urban development projects and sustainable urbanism studies.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Philadelphia University and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Middle East Technical University. She believes that social-urban development is key to achieving sustainable and healthy cities for everyone. Her research and study interests focus on social sustainability, people-place interactions, Human behavior and experiences in urban space, immigrants and refugees urban studies, territorial studies, sense of safety in open spaces, quality of life in cities, and urban health.

She has a progressive experience and practice in the architecture and urban planning field including urban climate change adaptation and resilience programs, urban development, master planning, landscaping, place-making, adequate shelter design, sustainable development goals SDs, environmental impact analysis, urban regeneration, heritage renovation, city planning regulations, community engagement and land use zoning. She has joined conferences, forums and workshops with local community organizations, European Middle-Class Mass Housing COST Action, and UN partners, and has contributed to publications on sustainable urbanism topics.

Urara Takaseki, Japan

Urara is a PhD candidate at The University of Tokyo, School of Engineering, Department of Urban Engineering. Her research focuses primarily on sustainable, inclusive urban planning and mobility.

Urara is a PhD candidate at The University of Tokyo, School of Engineering, Department of Urban Engineering. Her research focuses primarily on sustainable, inclusive urban planning and mobility. She is the CEO and Co-founder of Omotete, Inc., an IoT/femtech startup aiming to help women overcome barriers to mobility. She is also the President and Co-founder of Anchor, a non-stock company that provides Project Based Learning SGDs programs to middle and high school students in Japan with the aim to encourage youth engagement in local development. She has been the Vice President of nonprofit organization Your School, which trains medical students and works with hospitals to provide better access to education and social support to children under medical care primarily in Tokyo. Urara is a 3-time One Young World (OYW) Ambassador and OYW Japan Advisor. Before starting her master’s and PhD at The University of Tokyo, she graduated Keio University Faculty of Law with a minor in National Security of East Asia.

Pia Carrasco, Venezuela

Pia Carrasco is a Chilean and Canadian biophilic urbanist and academic; currently residing in Caracas, Venezuela. She has been recently appointed as a member of ISOCARP’s Scientific Committee with a particular focus on Caring and Gender Urban Planning to leave no one behind and as a mechanism to also fight the Climate Change emergency crisis.

Urban planner educated at the University of Montreal (Bachelor and Master degree), with a Ph.D in urban studies from the Quebec Institute for Scientific Research and a professional Master degree in environmental assessment from McGill University. At an international level, Dr Carrasco has worked on a wide variety of issues including green infrastructure, biophilia and urban ecosystem services as resilience strategies against Climate Change, as well as the development of a gender perspective in urban planning and sustainable and resilient urbanism. Her experience in different organizations and settings such as ICLEI, UN-Women, UN-Habitat, PAHO/WHO provides her with a unique interdisciplinary perspective. Dr Carrasco has also been a guest lecturer at different research institutes and universities throughout her career in Latin America (Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela), Canada and Vietnam. Her most recent experiences are with PAHO/WHO in advocating and convening urban health governance and resiliency in COVID-19 recovery; and with UN-Women as an international consultant working on the post pandemic model and notion of Caring City for Mexican and LAC cities
Zeynep Enlil, Turkey
Zeynep Enlil is a full professor of urban planning at Yıldız Technical University and the Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Urban Regeneration and Planning. She received her Bachelors in City Planning at the Middle East Technical University, M.Sc. in Urban Studies at the Cleveland State University and Ph.D. in Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington.

Zeynep Enlil is a full professor of urban planning at Yıldız Technical University and the Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Urban Regeneration and Planning. She received her Bachelors in City Planning at the Middle East Technical University, M.Sc. in Urban Studies at the Cleveland State University and Ph.D. in Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington.

Her teaching and research interests include resilience and healthy cities, sustainable development, planning theory and history, neoliberal urbanism, urban transformation, gentrification, role of creativity and culture in urban and regional development, urban conservation and tourism. She has been a consultant for the 2006 Istanbul Metropolitan Plan, co-leader of the “Istanbul Cultural Heritage and Cultural Economy Project” and “Istanbul Tourism Master Plan.” She has been team leader in a number of international research consortia funded under JPI Urban Europe and Horizon2020 ERA-NET Cofund.

Enlil had been the Vice President of ISOCARP during 2005-2011 responsible for the Young Planning Professionals Program. As a member of ISOCARP since 1996, she contributed to the Society in various other capacities. She was the General Rapporteur of the 58th ISOCARP WPC in Brussels, co-chair of the 42ndISOCARP Congress in Istanbul, Rapporteur in the 1997 Japan Congress and was a member of the Scientific Committee (2005-207). Since 2005, she has been a member of the Council of Representatives of AESOP and initiated the collaboration between ISOCARP and AESOP. She is a member of ICOMOS-Turkey since 1998. Currently, she is a Board member and Vice-Chair of Europa-Nostra-Turkey and Council member and President of GPEAN, Global Planning Education Association Network.

Prof. Enlil has a large number of publications, including several books. As an invited speaker, she has lectured extensively and delivered speeches in Europe, U.S.A. China and Australia.

Tijana Tufek-Memisevic, United States/Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dr. Tijana Tufek Memisevic is a Bosnian American architect, researcher and consultant in sustainable urban development. Tijana supports the research community in engaging with professional organizations, local authority, and civic society to work towards sustainable, inclusive and resilient cities. She is a member of the ISOCARP Board and the Scientific Committee.

Dr. Tijana Tufek Memisevic is an architect, researcher and consultant in sustainable urban development. She is the principal of a multidisciplinary design and research company in Chicago and a licensed architect in BiH. Dr. Tijana Tufek Memisevic obtained her master’s degree from the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina and her Ph.D. from the Cracow University of Technology in Poland, where she is currently engaged as Visiting Lecturer.

With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Tufek Memisevic has worked in various capacities encompassing architectural practice, consulting on urban planning policy, teaching at international universities in Sarajevo and Cracow, publishing research in scientific journals, editorial work, and leading research initiatives in sustainable urban development with national and international institutions. She has effectively spearheaded and coordinated numerous international scientific symposia and workshops focused on smart, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities. Additionally, she is a Board member of the Bosnian Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS), a member of the American Planning Association (APA) and international member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) where she served on the Committee for the Environment for Northeast Illinois in 2022.

She is the chair of the BHAAAS Sustainable Development Program which provides researchers and academics with the opportunity to collaborate and publish peer-reviewed research in sustainable development through an interdisciplinary approach, creates a platform for local and global stakeholders to engage with civic society and local authority in the Western Balkans, while fostering dialogue and knowledge exchange.

She is a member of the ISOCARP Board and Scientific Committee and has actively demonstrated strong support for the Society’s mission and goals through multiple engagements throughout the years.

Wenjing Luo (Helen Lambert), China

Wenjing Luo is appointed as member of ISOCARP’s Scientific Committee, with focus on Strategical Planning and Knowledge-based Urban Developments.

Wenjing Luo is appointed as member of ISOCARP’s Scientific Committee, with focus on Strategical Planning and Knowledge-based Urban Developments. 

As a national registered urban planner working in Wuhan Planning Simulation Lab under the Natural Resource Department of China and Wuhan Planning Vetting Centre. Wenjing Luo has participated a large number of planning practices summing up to almost 100 and taken charge of diverse types of projects on a broad variety ranging from urban strategic planning, master plan, industrial planning, planning consultation to sustainable urban design, regulatory planning and urban renewal. More than ten years of working experience has developed her expertise skills of urban planning in different scales as well as the neighboring field such as urban economies. She has dedicated herself not only in the field of knowledge-based districts, but also the response of urban planning towards the digital transformation, which can be applied to other cities or countries. This is one of the reasons that she would like to popularize her experience from Wuhan to other cities or even abroad. 

More than ten years of working experience has developed her social skills between local inhabitants, governments, developers and other stakeholders. As a member of the Young Planning Professional Committee of ISOCARP at present, she has been selected upon her application in the YPP workshop Guangzhou 2016, the UPAT workshop Ningbo and the YPP workshop Kristiansand 2018. In 2019, Wenjing Luo was selected as the co-rapporteur with Peter Newman and Stephen Goldie for the ISOCARP Congress. 

At present, she is taking charge of the carbon computing model of territory spatial planning and Spatial Planning Observation Network in Wuhan. Based on her research work and planning practices, she has published almost 30 pieces of academic papers in English and Chinese till now and set up a solid research foundation in the areas of knowledge-based urban development. 

 

 

 

 

 

Wenjing Luo is appointed as member of ISOCARP’s Scientific Committee, with focus on Strategical Planning and Knowledge-based Urban Developments. 

As a national registered urban planner working in Wuhan Planning Simulation Lab under the Natural Resource Department of China and Wuhan Planning Vetting Centre. Wenjing Luo has participated a large number of planning practices summing up to almost 100 and taken charge of diverse types of projects on a broad variety ranging from urban strategic planning, master plan, industrial planning, planning consultation to sustainable urban design, regulatory planning and urban renewal. More than ten years of working experience has developed her expertise skills of urban planning in different scales as well as the neighboring field such as urban economies. She has dedicated herself not only in the field of knowledge-based districts, but also the response of urban planning towards the digital transformation, which can be applied to other cities or countries. This is one of the reasons that she would like to popularize her experience from Wuhan to other cities or even abroad. 

More than ten years of working experience has developed her social skills between local inhabitants, governments, developers and other stakeholders. As a member of the Young Planning Professional Committee of ISOCARP at present, she has been selected upon her application in the YPP workshop Guangzhou 2016, the UPAT workshop Ningbo and the YPP workshop Kristiansand 2018. In 2019, Wenjing Luo was selected as the co-rapporteur with Peter Newman and Stephen Goldie for the ISOCARP Congress. 

At present, she is taking charge of the carbon computing model of territory spatial planning and Spatial Planning Observation Network in Wuhan. Based on her research work and planning practices, she has published almost 30 pieces of academic papers in English and Chinese till now and set up a solid research foundation in the areas of knowledge-based urban development.