ISOCARP’s 60th World Planning Congress Diamond Anniversary Series   

 1st International Conference for New Cities | Planning New Regenerative Cities  

New Clark City, Tarlac Province, The Philippines , 10-13 September 2024  

We are delighted to announce ISOCARP’s 60th World Planning Congress Diamond Anniversary Series! This year, we won’t just have the typical single congress, but rather a SPREAD-OUT CONGRESS:   

  • spatially (global north and global south),   
  • temporally (throughout the year with multiple events), and   
  • thematically (from classic urban planning and design to contemporary and future planning issues). 

The WPC60 Diamond Anniversary Series will feature several events, including the 1st International Conference for New Cities: Planning New Regenerative Cities, in New Clark City, Philippines (10-13 September 2024), and the ‘grand finale’ 60th World Planning Congress: Reinventing the (In)Visible Cities in the historic city of Siena, Italy (9-12 October). Before, between, and after these major events, ISOCARP will host complementary events to celebrate the WPC60 Diamond Anniversary. Stay tuned! 

Introduction to the 1st International Conference for New Cities: Planning New Regenerative Cities

In a digitalising world with circular economy, expectations for sustainably humanised and healthy cities and environments are increasing. For urban and regional planners, there is an opportunity and professional responsibility to take a more robust approach to cities through new settlements or redevelopment strategies. Although coined 14 years ago by the World Future Council, a German non-profit foundation, regenerative cities are more contextual to be discussed or revisited, especially when we are now under triple planetary crisis and in fast digital transformation. What we can learn from the past, on-going, and near future city development will enrich the current stock of knowledge to navigate our future.  

In New Clark City, about 100km northwest of Manila’s megalopolis in the Philippine Tarlac region, ISOCARP and the Local Organising Committee welcome the entire international planning community to explore the challenges and opportunities of planning for sustainable new cities that are healthy, inclusive, compact, regenerative and embed circular economy, carbon-neutral energy supplies, and nature-based solutions, while fostering sustainable connectivity and complementarity with existing cities in the region, and with Manila Metro in particular. 

A particular focus is to explore New Clark City as inspiring practice of regenerating a former military base – aspiring to new concepts of brownfield development. The conference will also explore climate adaptive resilience planning approaches for new (and existing) cities vulnerable to climate change – from drought to floods – and natural risks such as volcanic and seismic activity. Last but not least, the conference will highlight the cultural diversity of the hosting region, as inspiration to blend past traditions, present practices and future innovations into smart new city planning and development, through inclusion of the indigenous population of the Aetas who had historical stewardship of domains part of the New Clark City development  area. 

While the conference location is hinting to a regional focus on new city development in the fast-urbanising Asian part of the Global South, ISOCARP’s 60th World Planning Congress Diamond Anniversary Series will ensure a historical perspective by connecting New Clark City with grand old new city planning concepts such as Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City (1902), as well with the latest planning developments in and around the medieval Italian town of Siena, hosting the grand finale of the 60th World Planning Congress Diamond Anniversary Series.   

New Clark City Urban Conversations

The conference will also generate a unique opportunity to strengthen regional collaboration among planning professionals/ISOCARP members in the Asia-Pacific region and provide a platform to exchange place-based mitigation for cities and communities severely impacted by recent wars and conflicts, e.g. in the for of a Session on  Post-Conflict Urban Recovery and Resilience-Building, exploring the complex challenges of rebuilding fragile cities in the aftermath of conflict and war, with a focus on promoting long-term resilience and preventing future instability, including topics such as:   

                      1. Conflict-Sensitive Planning: Approaches that prioritize peace-building, reconciliation, and addressing root causes of conflict in urban design and infrastructure development.  
                      2. Trauma-Informed Urbanism: Creating inclusive, safe, and healing spaces that support the well-being of populations affected by conflict.  
                      3. Economic Revitalization & Employment: Strategies for regenerating local economies, providing livelihoods, and fostering social cohesion in post-conflict settings.  
                      4. Governance, Institution Building, and Security: Establishing robust urban governance systems, promoting transparency, and strengthening public participation and security for lasting stability. 
                      5. Climate Resilience in Fragile Contexts: Interlinking climate adaptation with post-conflict recovery to mitigate future risks.  

ISOCARP’s 60th World Planning Congress Diamond Anniversary Series   

New Clark City, Tarlac Province, The Philippines | 10-13 September 2024  

Planning New Regenerative Cities