Call for Candidates

Urban Planning Advisory Team (UPAT)
‘New Airport – Next City – Smart Bodø’, City of Bodø, Norway, 28 May – 03 June 2017

Introduction

The city of Bodø is the administration centre in the County of Nordland and is the largest city in the county with 50 000 citizens. Bodø is experiencing a rapid growth in the population and is now transforming into a larger modern Norwegian city. In February 2014, the city council adopted the overall strategic plan – Bodø 2030. The vision for Bodø 2030 is “an attractive capital in the North”. This strategy contains six different focus areas where one focus area is “sustainable city development”.

Within in the focus area sustainable city development, the city of Bodø has stated their climatic goal: Bodø is an innovative low emission city, where the citizens feel safe for nature related dangers. With this statement, Bodø will play an active role in both reduction of climate gas emission and in adaption to a future climate. Both innovation and development of new technology will be at central element in this work.

The national government has decided to end the military air activity in Bodø within the next seven to ten years. The runway is from the early 1950’s and has a maximum of ten years left before it has to be replaced by a new runway. This means that it has to be built a new runway in Bodø within 2025.This gives opportunities to think future city development in a completely new perspective.

Bodø has developed two different scenarios for city development with the two possible solutions for future airport in Bodø. The first alternative is a new parallel runway 80 meter from today’s runway. The other option is building a new airport one kilometre to the east of today’s airport. By building a new airport in the area that is today occupied by the military activity gives Bodø around 360 hectares for city development. An area big enough to house 25 000 citizens and gives the city large new business areas.

By moving the airport and building a complete new city in near relation with the historic city centre, Bodø also get the opportunity to build a smart city for the future. In this work the vision of building the smartest city in the world was born. How does a city look like in 2065? What kind of technology is used in a future city? How is future buildings formed? What kind of energy sources are used in future cities?

Scope of Work: Smart Bodø

The city of Bodø is developing a smart city project called Smart Bodø. This project is looking at the whole society perspective in city development. By this, Bodø wants to connect public health, education, welfare, environment, culture, governance, business development and technology development together. The focus of Smart Bodø is divided in two parts. One focus is the future city that we will develop from 2025 and onward. The first focus is to develop a city where climate gas emission is minimized. The second focus is how the existing city can become a smart city the next ten years. With these efforts, Bodø wants become one of the frontrunners in the transition to the low carbon society.

The ISOCARP UPAT Team will assist the city of Bodø in the visioning and implementation process for the urban development of Bodø. The UPAT Team members will utilize their knowledge and experience to:

  • Provide professional assessment of the Smart Bodø concept;
  • Assess how the airport site can serve as an input factor and catalyst in the development of local solutions that create regional, national and global value;
  • Assess the proposed expansion of Bodø and in which way the existing city can be best connected and integrated with the new areas that will be developed;
  • Assess the functions and programs should the different parts of the city (historic centre, secondary retail centre and new city) hold in a polycentric model;
  • Assess the urban processes or physical measures that should be started or applied today to prepare for the city expansion;
  • Assess the implications of the new area for the current day-to-day planning and development;
  • Write recommendations for a strategy for sustainable and productive future use and land management
  • Write recommendations for strategies and solutions for the developing of Smart Bodø programme that contributes to innovation and the development of local solutions;
  • Carry out comparative research between best practices in comparable cities.

The UPAT Team members working jointly with the city of Bodø will:

  • Prepare and present initial findings and recommendations of the UPAT Team to the city officials on the last day of the workshop;
  • Contribute to an article (3,000 – 5,000 words) about New Airport – Next City – Smart Bodø for inclusion in the 2017 ISOCARP Review (number 13) and for presentation at the 2017 ISOCARP Congress in Portland, Oregon;
  • Write and publish a dedicated issue of the ISOCARP PLAN Magazine (number 5, 60 pages) with the findings and recommendations of the UPAT Team;
  • Organize a UPAT seminar at the 53rd ISOCARP Congress, October 2017 in Portland.

Terms of Reference

The role of the UPAT Team is to work closely and collectively with the city of Bodø as colleagues for one week to review and deliver recommendations, designs and practical solutions for the New Airport – Next City – Smart Bodø concept.

Team Organization and Selection

The UPAT Team will comprise a total of seven ISOCARP and associated members of HPF: the Team Leader, the UPAT Rapporteur, two senior planners, two young planning professionals and the Vice President UPATs. The team will be complemented with two young planning professionals from Norway.

The expertise and experience of ISOCARP and associated members of HPF selected for this project need to match with the nature, scale and complexity of the New Airport – Next City – Smart Bodø concept and with the requested deliverables.

The Vice President UPATs will send out Call for Candidates to members of ISOCARP and associated members of HPF on 22 March 2017. The deadline for the applications is 21 April 2017. Candidates with the following expertise and skills will be encouraged to apply:

  • Research and planning of airports, transportation hubs, urban transportation and transit-oriented development;
  • Smart City concepts, strategic urban planning and sustainable urban design;
  • Research and analyses of cities, global trends, case studies of best and worst practises;
  • Research and review of spatial planning policy documents;
  • Writing clear and comprehensive spatial planning and vision documents and economic feasibility assessments;
  • Translation of vision into principles, scenarios, strategies and directly applicable practical solutions;
  • Work experience in Scandinavia or in arctic regions is recommended, but not required.

The city of Bodø will provide all necessary and relevant information, data and maps related to the work of the UPAT Team. The UPAT team will visit and study the planning area in great detail. As a large part of the planning area in Bodø is a NATO air force base in full operation, the selected UPAT team members will be screened by NATO intelligence in de weeks before travelling to Bodø.

 ISOCARP and the city of Bodø may want to organise a second UPAT workshop with (partly) the same team members in the winter of 2017-2018 as a follow-up of this UPAT workshop in May-June 2017. New team members will be selected from the list of applicants of the first UPAT workshop.

Assignment

The selected team members will be requested to arrive for the UPAT Workshop in Bodø on Saturday 27 May 2017 or Sunday 28 May 2017 at the latest. The UPAT Workshop starts on Sunday 28 May 2017 with a tour in the city of Bodø. During the week, the UPAT Team will visit the planning area and meet representatives and officials of the city of Bodø. Local representatives and officials will be available to exchange ideas and respond to questions throughout the workshop week. The UPAT Workshop will end with a presentation of the preliminary results on Friday 02 June 2017. The selected team members will be free to depart from Bodø on Saturday 03 June 2017.

The Team Leader, the UPAT Rapporteur and the team members will all contribute to the presentation, the article for the ISOCARP Review and the PLAN Magazine. The UPAT Team’s findings will be presented and discussed during UPAT Seminar at the 53rd ISOCARP Congress 24-27 October 2013 in Portland, Oregon.

The UPAT Team will bear in mind that the article for the Review and the PLAN Magazine will need endorsement from the city of Bodø and need to be written according to the publication requirements of ISOCARP. The two documents will have to meet the expectations of professionalism and excellence of ISOCARP and Bodø. The PLAN Magazine should comprise all UPAT working documents and materials produced by team members and should be written and edited in English.

Contribution and Expenses

Participation in the Urban Planning Advisory Team is open to full ISOCARP Members only. Their participation in and contribution to the New Airport – Next City UPAT workshop in Bodø is in principle voluntary (there will be no professional or per diem fees). However, for this exceptional UPAT workshop ISOCARP has negotiated a fee for the UPAT Team members who actively participate in the UPAT workshop in Bodø and in producing the article for the ISOCARP Review and the PLAN Magazine.

The city of Bodø will provide accommodation, meals and local transportation during the UPAT Workshops. The city of Bodø will also provide the working and meeting facilities, access to the Internet, local information, maps and all necessary supplies required for the UPAT Workshops and to produce a comprehensive presentation, the article for the ISOCARP Review and Plan Magazine.

An allowance for international travel expenses will be provided (cf. actual cost supported by tickets and boarding passes) based on a travel distance policy. UPAT participants will receive a maximum travel allowance for flight and visa costs of up to € 1.000 if their trip originates in Europe and up to € 1.500 if their trip originates from outside Europe. In either case, applicants will receive whichever is the lower of the two figures – actual expense and the maximum limit. Travel expenses will be reimbursed against submitted original receipts, tickets, boarding passes, etc. Selected applicants will be strongly advised to make their travel arrangements and to apply for a visa as soon as possible and to take advantage of the best available airfares.

Risks

The ‘New Airport – Next City – Smart Bodø’ UPAT will be carried out under the responsibility of the city of Bodø and ISOCARP. Traveling in Norway is comfortable and Bodø is a safe city. However, in principle, the UPAT team members will travel and stay in Norway at their own risk. The city of Bodø and ISOCARP will do their very best to safeguard the safety, integrity and well being of the UPAT team members.

Logistics

  • The location of the UPAT will be in Bodø, Norway.
  • Expected arrival date of the participants to Bodø for the UPAT Workshop is Saturday 27 May 2017, Sunday 28 May 2017 at the latest.
  • Immediately after the selection, the city of Bodø will provide the UPAT team members official invitation letters that they may need to apply for their visa.
  • Transportation will be provided to and from the airport.
  • A detailed program will be provided to the selected team.
  • The city of Bodø will arrange and pay for the hotel, meals, working and meeting facilities and local transportation for the UPAT Team.
  • Selected team members are requested to bring their laptops and digital cameras.
  • UPAT Team members are requested to take a personal travel insurance to cover their risks.
  • Departures of the team members will have to be scheduled for Saturday 03 June 2017.
  • Immediately after the selection in mid April one or two UPAT team members will need to carry out research and initiate writing the article for ISOCARP 13. The complete article will need to be submitted by the deadline of 30 June 2017.
  • All UPAT Team members will be expected to contribute to the PLAN Magazine that needs to be ready for publication on 25 August 2017.
  • The selected team members will be invited to participate in the UPAT Seminar at the 53rd ISOCARP Congress in Portland, Oregon, 24-27 October 2017.

Calendar

Call for Candidates 22 March 2017
Deadline – Reception of Applications 21 April 2017
Selection and announcement of Results 28 April 2017
Arrival of UPAT Team in Bodø for the UPAT Workshop 27-28 May 2017
New Airport – Next City – Smart Bodø UPAT Workshop 28 May – 02 June 2017
Departure UPAT Team from Bodø 03 June 2017
Essay for the ISOCARP Review 13 ready for Editorial Team 30 June 2017
Fifth PLAN Magazine ready for publication 25 August 2017
UPAT Seminar at the 53rd ISOCARP Congress in Portland 24-27 October 2017

 

Provisional Time Schedule Bodø UPAT Workshop

Day  Time Activity
Saturday All day Arrival of participants
Sunday 09:00 Arrival of participants
12:00 Welcoming Lunch with a speech from the Major of Bodø and the President of Nordland County
14:00 Introductory presentations
16:00 Tour of Bodø starting with a small boat trip
20:00 First reflections
Monday 09:00 Tour of Bodø, Junkefjellet and Air Force station
12:00 Lunch with a speech from North University
13:00 1. Working Session
16:00 – 20:00 Feedback / Discussion
Tuesday  09:00 Inner City Tour of Bodø
12:00 Working lunch with a speech from a real estate development company
13:00 2. Working Session
16:00 – 20:00 Feedback / Discussion
Wednesday 09:00 3. Working Session
12:00 Working lunch with a speech from the editor from the regional newspaper
13:00 4. Working Session
16:00 – 20:00 Feedback / Discussion
Thursday 09:00 Elaboration/ Conclusions
14:00 Elaboration/ Conclusions
16:00 – 20:00 Feedback / Discussion
Friday 08:00 Final adjustments Elaboration/ Conclusions
10:00 Presentation of Conclusions to Bodø officials
14:00 Feedback / Discussion deadline Review and Magazine
18:00 Farewell Dinner
Saturday All day Departures

How to apply

Applications must include a letter of intent addressed to the Vice President UPAT program, Martin Dubbeling, outlining the reasons why you would like to be part of the advisory team and your innovative ideas related to the areas of interest to this UPAT. With this letter of intent, include a one page Curriculum Vitae (resume) that highlights your relevant experience.

  • We kindly remind you that UPATs are only open to full members of ISOCARP and members of the Habitat Professionals Forum. Members of the ISOCARP Executive Committee are not allowed to apply. The selection outcomes will be communicated to successful applicants by e-mail by the deadline set in the calendar.
  • The Vice President UPATs will communicate openly and transparently to all applicants during the selection process.
  • Applications and CV (resume) should be sent to Martin Dubbeling, Vice President UPATs: dubbeling@isocarp.org, with a copy to the ISOCARP Secretariat: isocarp@isocarp.org.
  • If you have any questions or suggestions about the Call for Candidates for the New Airport – Next City UPAT workshop in Bodø, please send an email to Martin Dubbeling, Vice President UPATs.