62nd ISOCARP World Planning Congress – 2027

ISOCARP is delighted to announce that the 62nd ISOCARP World Planning Congress (WPC62) will be hosted in Wellington, New Zealand, from 27 to 30 April 2027, bringing a global community together to focus on vital topics in city and regional planning, including sustainable urban development, equity, regenerative practices, technology, and climate change.

Around 500 city planners, policymakers, academic researchers, and urban innovators are expected to attend the world congress, which will take place at Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The Congress will be delivered in partnership with our co-host, the City of Wellington, alongside valued partners including WellingtonNZ, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Business Events Wellington, and Tourism New Zealand Business Events.

As one of the world’s leading gatherings of urban and regional planning professionals, the ISOCARP World Planning Congress provides a unique platform for exchanging ideas, showcasing innovative practices, and addressing the pressing challenges shaping cities and regions today. WPC62 will bring together planners, urban designers, policymakers, academics, researchers, and development practitioners from across the globe to engage in meaningful dialogue and collaborative learning.

Set against the backdrop of New Zealand’s vibrant capital city, the Congress will offer participants an opportunity to explore Wellington’s distinctive urban character, sustainability initiatives, and forward-thinking approaches to planning and development. Elisabeth Belpaire, President of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), says: “New Zealand offers a globally significant vantage point from which to rethink the future of cities and regions”.

“At a time of accelerating biodiversity loss, climate change, social and geopolitical uncertainty, hosting the 62nd ISOCARP World Planning Congress in Wellington places the Pacific at the centre of the conversation – where questions of resilience, regeneration, indigenous knowledge, and spatial equity are not abstract, but lived realities. This is precisely the kind of grounded, forward-looking context that the global planning community must engage with now.”

ISOCARP warmly invites urban professionals, public officials, researchers, and development partners to join us in Wellington for an inspiring exchange of ideas, strategies, and experiences.

Further information on the Congress theme, programme, registration, and participation opportunities will be announced in the coming months.

Save the date: 27–30 April 2027.

We look forward to welcoming the global planning community to Wellington for WPC62.