The ISOCARP2015 congress comes at a time of unprecedented global urbanization. Voices from the global level down to the ground – in both the public and private sector – are calling for a ‘planning’ approach to address the complex challenges that this brings. The congress is therefore an opportune time to open up to the world, work together and learn from each other. The 51st ISOCARP International Planning Congress “Cities Save the World: Let’s Reinvent Planning” will take place from 19 to 23 October 2015 in the Netherlands where ISOCARP was founded 50 years ago and in Belgium and Germany.

True to its exploratory spirit, ISOCARP is staging a congress with a difference for its 50th anniversary. Cities are increasingly seen as the engines of national economies and the 2015 Dutch hosts are attributing them the driving seat at the congress. Twelve cities in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany will host 2-day interactive workshops on topical themes to them and to planners worldwide. The conclusions and lessons learnt of the workshops will be debated at the plenary in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

This year the congress will be different, not only in terms of having interactive workshops in 12 different cities in The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, but also in terms of presentation in the workshops.

There will be no full presentations of papers or projects. This means that the submission authors will be incorporated ‘live’ in the face-to-face exchanges, in the discussion. Authors have to be prepared that the congress team asks them to elaborate on their contribution to suit the specific workshop, but in principle the written contribution is a means to enliven the discussion. The written contributions of authors who attend the congress will be compiled in Congress Proceedings (with ISBN).

Workshop cities in alphabetical order:

• Amsterdam: How to build the city in a cooperative way?
• Antwerp: How to rework the productive city?
• Brussels: How to reconcile local expectations with strong international challenges when renewing a city?
• Delft-The Hague: How to create a sustainable knowledge region?
• Deventer: How to implement a (national) legal framework through local integrated planning?
• Dortmund: Ruhr Region, Germany: How to leverage economic growth from spatial projects?
• Eindhoven: How to react when traditional industries move away?
• Groningen: How to sustain water and energy resources?
• Maastricht: How to overcome national borders?
• Rotterdam: How to develop unprecedented port-city synergy?
• Schiphol -Amsterdam: How to connect in a globalized world?
• Wageningen: How to feed the world’s metropolises?

Planning professionals from all over the world are welcome to make a professional  contribution to one of the 12 workshops and participate in the plenary debate on ‘rethinking planning’.  They may submit papers, research results, but also practical experiences, pilot projects, spatial strategies, plans, or case studies.

You are welcome to join the discussions on the ISOCARP2015 interactive Platform.