AESOP-IFHP Lecture Series

The Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) and the International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP) have launched a joint activity within the framework of the Decade of Planning (more about Decade of Planning): a series of lectures in 2012-2013 by well-known planners and other ‘urban thinkers’, both academics and practitioners. The idea is to attract not only the planning community but also a wider audience of politicians, community leaders and organizations, business and the media to promote planning as a discipline that can contribute to the quality of life, help find new tools of governance of the urban structures and function as an effective mediator between the many stakeholders.  
The aim is to find possible answers to present-day and emerging challenges that face planning and planners as a modern discipline in a new role in our contemporary complex and dynamic society. Big name speakers will attract media attention and give us the possibility of presenting planning in more positive, constructive and attractive way.  
The first two years of lectures will form part of the activities being organised within the framework of both the Silver Jubilee of AESOP (2012) and the Centenary of IFHP (2013).

Already confirmed are:

Klaus Kunzmann on ‘Europe: 25 Years of Planning Education and Policies that Impact’, January 28^th, 2012, Cappenberg Castle (near Dortmund, http://www.schlosscappenberg.de; the Cappenberg Schloss is the 'birthplace' of the AESOP);

TO WATCH VIDEO FROM THE LECTURE 1 PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Andreas Faludi on 'Twentieth Century Foundations of European Planning', June 2^nd, 2012, Université Paris IV Sorbonne.

TO WATCH THE LECTURE 2 PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Danuta Hubner on Space and Place as Integrating Factors in Policy-Making: New Models of territorial Governance in Europe. 5^th October 2012, ISURU, Brussels.

TO WATCH THE LECTURE 3 PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Peter Hall on Squaring the Circle: How to Reconcile Apparently Impossible Contradictions in Contemporary Urban Policy, 17 January 2013, The Crystal, London.

TO WATCH THE LECTURE 4 PLEASE CLICK HERE

Juval Portugali, on The Future is Not What It Used to Be: Complexity, Cognition and the City - Implications to Planning, 5 April 2013, Univeristy of Amsterdam

More here.

Next lectures to be announced soon.

The connecting element running through the whole series is for the speakers to fill in on aspects of a new vision for planning by taking lessons from the past. Of course, each lecture will be following by a discussion with the audience led by a professional moderator. There is a (case by case) option for sending out the lecture live on the web to capture an even wider audience.  
The idea is that universities, being AESOP members, would provide a suitable venue for the majority of the lectures. They would help with attracting the lecturers and with spreading information and publicity between students and academics. They could also help with attracting a greater audience to include policy-makers and practitioners and media for the events. 

The Lecture Series does have great potential to be continued as an on-going feature of the Decade of Planning beyond AESOP's Silver Jubilee and IFHP’s Centenary Year.