The 57th ISOCARP World Planning Congress 2021 in Doha, Qatar
The 57th ISOCARP World Planning Congress on the theme “Planning Unlocked: New Times, Better Places, Stronger Communities” was successfully celebrated on November 8-11, 2021. A two-day Virtual Pre-Congress preceded the in-person Congress on October 28-29 and hosted only fully online sessions. We want to thank the speakers, presenters, congress team, organisers, sponsors, and congress delegates who contributed to making this year’s Congress an extraordinary international event.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
The hybrid format made this year’s Congress unique. It provided both a safe in-person gathering of city and regional planners in Doha, Qatar, and an online platform to join the virtual sessions from all over the world. The programme included 53 sessions, workshops, and social events with more than 280 papers and case studies and was attended by 650 registered delegates, 386 of whom were in-person participants.
The in-person Congress started with the Opening Ceremony held November 8, during the World Town Planning Day. Ibrahim Jaidah, CEO at Arab Engineering Bureau (AEB), and Eleanor Mohammed, President of Commonwealth Association of Planners, delivered their keynote presentations during this first day of Congress. A significant Congress’s highlight is the Women-in-Planning event, the first time in ISOCARP’s history, and the intensive location-based workshops held in different parts of Qatar. The Closing Ceremony held on November 11 hosted the final remarks and the announcement of the 58th World Planning Congress 2022 in Brussels, Belgium.
The congress was hosted by the Ministry of Municipality of the State of Qatar
Discovering Qatar
The attendees got the chance to experience Qatari culture, hospitality, and a history-based yet modern urban atmosphere. The congress included the particular concepts and aspects of local culture in its program and daily events, creating a bridge between the delegates representing various cultures and lifestyles as well as local and cultural environments.
