The terms urbanization, deforestation, globalization, lack of public transportation, lack of heritage conservation, over energy consumption, ecological degradation, environmental extinction and so on are today’s realities which can be felt in every part of the world. Thus, they create a common experience in planning issues which may lead to a better understanding for planners from all over the world to exchange ideas and tackle the global problematic.

The European Urban Summer School (EUSS) for young professionals and academics, launched basically in 2010 by AESOP is hosted annually by one of the European Higher Education Establishments. This year Ecole Polytechnique de l’Université de Tours-Département Aménagement (EPU-DA) is organizing the 5th summer school from 1st to 8th September 2014 in Tours (France) to create a platform to discuss these issues.

This school with series of seminars and workshops is aiming to bring together young planners and academics to benefit from a worldwide creativity. The target is to create a platform for every participant to contribute to practical intervention in real time projects and exchange ideas in an international context with other students and professionals. It would be an effort to create a friendly environment in which every individual can discuss and transfer his/her knowledge to one another.

In addition, connecting planners to local authorities and emphasizing the positive effects of higher education systems, including students and professors, contributing to the success of urban projects managed by local authorities is another practical objective of this event.

International Young Planning Professionals Award (YPPA)

The Directorate responsible for planning at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment (I&M) is encouraging young planning professionals in Europe to provide new ideas on the forms, methods and possibilities in spatial planning needed to face present-day challenges facing our human settlements.

It is therefore using the European Urban Summer School (EUSS) as the main forum to organise an International Young Planning Professionals Award (YPPA), giving them the opportunity to present their proposals on planning methods, explaining why these ideas can be considered innovative and of a broader, more general application.

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