Elisabeth Belpaire, Switzerland/Belgium
President (2024-2027), Executive Committee Member

 

Elisabeth Belpaire is an engineer architect, an urban and spatial planner and brings over 25 years of experience; architecture, urban planning, design and governance in Belgium, France, Switzerland.

Elisabeth Belpaire is an engineer architect, an urban and spatial planner and brings over 25 years of experience: architecture, urban planning, design and governance in Belgium, France, Switzerland; sustainable development and disaster risk reduction with UN-Habitat in Vietnam, management of post-conflict programmes and creation of a new strategic integrated planning system in Kosovo; development of a regional capacity building instrument addressing housing & informal settlements with South-East Europe governments and partners; regeneration of West Bank historical centres; design of a Foundation’s strategy for cities to support healthy childhood development; inputs to the public space department of Bogota and to 15-min neighbourhood concept; contributing to Global State of National Urban Policy Programme and the Mentor Student Research Lab on the public spaces of tomorrow ; co-initiator of ISOCARP ‘Community of Practice on Urban Health’ . Her talk s in Chicago, London, New -Zealand and at TEDx Geneva, bring attention to the health and well-being of our young, and how cities can enable them to thrive, especially since too often they fall through the crack s of city planning and management.

Elisabeth holds a M.Sc. in Engineering Architecture from Gent University and an Advanced M.Sc. in Urban and Regional Planning from Leuven University in Belgium.

Frank D’hondt, Greece/Belgium (2019-2025)
Secretary General, Executive Committee Member

Frank is a freelance city & regional planner, with 30 y. of global experience in designing & conducting participatory strategic planning processes. He advises urban & rural communities and their national & local governments on achieving sustainable urban and territorial development.

Frank is founding member and director of the Territorial Capital Institute, a knowledge-based platform to exchange theory and praxis of integrated territorial development and placemaking, drawing upon his experiences on localising the New Urban Agenda and the International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning.

Frank has worked 15 years in the European Union, mainly on cross-border and transnational planning issues, followed by another 15 years outside the EU, including Kosovo, Palestine, Nepal, Afghanistan, Arab Emirates, Kenya, Myanmar, China, Japan, the Caribbean, Timor-Leste, The Gambia and Somalia. Frank is specialised in national urban policy, metropolitan planning, post-conflict/disaster planning and participatory visioning and placemaking. With UN-Habitat, Frank published a book on ‘Visioning as Participatory Planning Method’ and drafted the handbook for the implementation of the International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning (IGUTP).

Frank contributed to several ISOCARP World Congresses, co-organised and reported UPATS in Gaza, Palestine and Whan, China, and also contributed to several ISOCARP Review publications.

Contact Frank via secretarygeneral@isocarp.org or connect via Youtube, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

The Board is the governing body of ISOCARP. It develops policies and proposes these at the Annual General Meeting of the ISOCARP Members. Members elect Board members for three years. The President serves one term, all other Board Members are able to serve for two terms. The President, Secretary General and three other members of the Board form the Executive Committee (ExCom), charged with the daily general management of the society:

Executive Committee:
Elisabeth Belpaire – President
Frank D’hondt – Secretary General
Markus Appenzeller – Treasurer
Tijana Tufek Memišević
Wafa Al-Daily

Markus Appenzeller, Netherlands/Germany (2023-2026), Treasurer, Executive Committee Member

Practitioner, educator, and thinker with 20+ years of experience in urbanism, architecture, and landscape design worldwide. Focus on transformative changes of cities, climate, and the way we collaborate.

Markus Appenzeller (*1972)Urbanist – Educator – Writer

From the onset of his career, Markus has been working on the edge of architecture, landscape and planning. Working for the Office of Metropolitan Architecture and KCAP Architects & Planners, he was leading large scale urban planning as well as architectural projects in Europe, America, Africa and Asia. 2012 he founded MLA+ as a multidisciplinary architecture, planning and consultancy practice with offices in Rotterdam, Berlin and Shenzhen. Markus has developed special expertise in urban regeneration, climate adaptive urban planning and design in fast growing cities and urban regions.

MLA+ is focusing on the big questions of our time: transformative changes of our cities, climate change and the way we collaborate in city making. Past and current projects include: The Olympic Legacy Masterplan for London, a city development strategy for Ekaterinburg, Water as Leverage in Semarang, Indonesia, Xaiomeisha Coastal Protection Plan in Shenzhen, China and the extension of Greater Accra Region in Ningo Prampram, Ghana.

Besides his professional activities, Markus is active as an educator and adviser. After teaching at Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, Urban Transformation School in St. Petersburg and Moscow School of Architecture, in 2017, he has been appointed as dean of the urbanism program at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture.

Markus has published numerous texts on urban planning and design topics, most recently on planning in the post—soviet space, on the City of Shenzhen, on the London Olympic Legacy and on current spatial debates on his blog The Daily Urban Dose.

Tijana Tufek Memišević, United States/Bosnia and Herzegovina (2023-2026), Executive Committee Member

Dr. Tijana Tufek Memisevic is an international expert in sustainable urban development and urban climate resilience. She combines practical industry knowledge with global academic experience, having taught at universities in Sarajevo, Cracow, and Chicago. Her work spans applied research, policy advising, and cross-sector collaboration aimed at advancing practical strategies for sustainable development.

Dr. Tijana Tufek Memisevic is an international expert in sustainable urban development and urban climate resilience. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from the Cracow University of Technology and a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Sarajevo. She combines practical industry knowledge with global academic experience, having taught at universities in Sarajevo, Cracow, and Chicago. Her work spans applied research, policy advising, and cross-sector collaboration aimed at advancing practical strategies for sustainable development.

She serves as Sustainable Urban Development Advisor at the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development and teaches courses on green cities and urban sustainability at DePaul University in Chicago. She is also actively engaged in climate and sustainability initiatives within the American Planning Association (APA).

As a Board and Scientific Committee Member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), she leads the organization’s global Awards and Publications program and contributes to initiatives on regenerative urbanism, climate action, and disaster risk reduction. She has spearheaded international platforms fostering interdisciplinary research exchange and publication in the Western Balkans. Her work bridges academia, practice, and policy to advance climate-smart, inclusive, and future-ready cities.

Mahak Agrawal, New Delhi, Delhi, India

Mahak Agrawal is an urban planner, climate scientist, public policy and sustainability expert, with deep experience advancing sustainability, equity, and climate resilience across sectors and continents. She is the initiator of All Bits Count (ABC)—a creative climate action project launched at the UN Summit of the Future
and UN Climate Change Conference COP29—and serves on the Steering Board of the ITA-AITES Committee on Underground Space (ITACUS) and the Board of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP). She is also a LinkedIn Top Green Voice, TEDx Fellow, and former United Nations fellow.

In 2024, Mahak was nominated by the Government of India to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a climate science and urban sustainability expert. She has twice served as an expert reviewer for the IPCC and continues to shape global discourse through scientific publications and international speaking engagements, including at the United Nations.

Mahak holds dual master’s degrees: an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy as a Shardashish Scholar and Environmental Fellow at Columbia University in the City of New York, where she led pioneering research on the future of food systems; and a Master’s in Urban Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. Her expertise spans climate and environmental policy, ESG and carbon management, urban resilience, and inclusive development.

Over the years, Mahak has advised and collaborated with leading global institutions, including the OECD, UNEP, World Bank Group, European Climate Foundation, Institute of Transport Economics (Norway), and multiple ministries of the Government of India. She was nominated for the Gates Foundation’s 2021 Goalkeepers Global Goals Award for her efforts in accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals in India through public health and urban policy innovations.

In addition to her professional work, Mahak co-creates sustainable art with her mother, merging science, humour, and creativity to inspire climate action at the everyday level.

Shi Nan, China (2023-2026)

Dr. Shi Nan has over 30 years planning experiences specialized in policy analysis and master planning. Shi Nan is the Executive President and Secretary General of Urban Planning Society of China (UPSC), the national academic and professional organization of China.

Dr Shi Nan is the Vice President and Secretary General of the Urban Planning Society of China, Vice Director of the National Steering Board for Planning Education, National Commission for Planning Education Accreditation and National Board for Certified Planner System. His 30-year career in the planning area has focused on policy analysis and city master planning, which has seen him actively involved in major planning and research projects including Revision of National Planning Act of the People’s Republic of China, National Standard for Planning Terminology, Innovation in Master Planning, etc. In addition, Dr Shi Nan has worked with major international organizations such as the World Bank, UN-Habitat, the UNDP, British Council and Rockefellers Foundations, and is the elected Vice President of the International Society of City and Regional Planners.

A respected author of several books, including THE STATE OF CHINA’S CITIES, SOME OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING CHINA’S URBAN DEVELOPMENT,  Dr Shi Nan’s column for the respected academic journal the CITY PLANNING REVIEW, of which he is the chief editor, is the most popular planning literature in China. Dr Shi Nan is a professor at universities including Renmin University of China, Harbin Institute of Technology, Nanjing University, Tongji University, and the National Training Center for Mayors of China. His professional background includes Senior Planner at China Academy of Urban Planning & Design, Advisory to the City of Guangzhou, Xi’an, Dalian, Harbin, Shijiazhuang etc. He is a Council Member of China Association of Science and Technology.

Contact details:

+86-10-5832-3851 (T)
+86-10-5832-3850 (F)
+86-13801125011(M)
shinan@china.com
weibo.com/shinanchina

Wafa Al-Daily, United States (2023-2026), Executive Committee Member

Dr. Wafa Al-Daily is a senior urban planner, a researcher, a lecturer, and an international development expert with a demonstrated working history for about two decades in academia, government agencies, NGOs, CBOs, local communities, and the private sector in the USA and the MENA region.

Dr. Wafa Al-Daily is a senior urban planner, a researcher, a lecturer, and an international development expert with a demonstrated working history for about two decades in academia, government agencies, NGOs, CBOs, local communities, and the private sector in the USA and the MENA region. She is experienced in urbanization, metropolitan planning, management and governance, urban recovery, smart/sustainable development, e/governance, DRRM, and informal settlements. She also has extensive management experience in international education and program administration and partnership development, global initiatives, capacity building, grants writing and implementation, and strategic planning. She is passionate about inclusive planning and has dedicated part of her professional career journey to supporting underserved and marginalized populations. Her experience spans a variety of groups, including women, youth, immigrants, people with disabilities, and indigenous peoples in both the USA and the MENA region.

Dr. Al-Daily is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of EHAAR International, LLC. (a consultancy firm with a social and humanitarian mission that focuses on urban development and urban recovery issues). She is the Lead of the International Metropolitan Fellowship Arabia Chapter and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Metropolitan Fellowship. She is an affiliated member, fellow and researcher of a number of centers and institutes, including the Center for Cooperative Problem Solving and Institute for Policy and Governance at Virginia Tech University in the USA, International Metropolitan Fellowship in Spain, American Planning Association in the USA, International Society of City and Regional Planners in the Netherlands, Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Germany, Gulf International Forum in the USA, and NAFSA Academy for International Education) in the USA. She has worked in a consulting capacity with a number of organizations, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), URBAConsulting/World Bank Group (WBG), Social Fund for Development (SFD), and Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).

Dr. Al-Daily was a recipient of prestigious awards and fellowships including the American Association of University Women International Fellowship and Who’s Who Among Students in the American Universities and Colleges. She was nominated for the President’s Award for Excellence and the Alumni Award for International Outreach at Virginia Tech University in 2020.

Dr. Al-Daily is a certified practitioner of Kirton Adoption-Innovation (KAI) Inventory Problem Solving and Cognitive Style, and a facilitator of intergroup dialogue and human relations. She earned a Ph.D. in Planning, Governance and Globalization from Virginia Tech (USA), a Master of City and Regional Studies from Rutgers University (USA), a Non-degree Diploma in Urban Planning and Community Development from Rutgers University (USA), and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from Sana’a University (Yemen). You can contact Wafa Al-Daily via aldaily@isocarp.org