The International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) is a non-governmental global association of professional city and regional
planners.
ISOCARP was founded in 1965, and its first president was the co-founder Prof. Sam van Embden (1965–1975). By 2024, ISOCARP connects individual and institutional members from more than 90 countries. Pietro Elisei is the current president of the board, working alongside 11 other members of the executive committee from around the world, with a head office located in
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
, Netherlands. ISOCARP is formally accredited as an NGO by the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
and the
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
and has formal consultative status as a recognized NGO with
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
.
About
ISOCARP aims to help improve cities and planning practices by supporting a global and active network of practitioners in their exchange of experiences, training, education, and research. ISOCARP also seeks to promote the profession of planning and to enhance public awareness and understanding of planning issues at a global level. ISOCARP organizes several activities, as the annual World Planning Congress, a series of publications, awards for best practices, training programs, and workshops for professional support in planning.
In 2016, ISOCARP announced a "research spin-off" of the main association titled "Centre for Urban Excellence". While aiming to serve as an "Urban Think Tank," the primary objectives for this institute are to strengthening cross-border collaboration globally, upholding professional excellence in planning, advancing sustainable planning, and increasing awareness of major development trends and promoting best practices.
World Congress
Since 1965, ISOCARP's most prominent event is the annual World Planning Congress. The congresses take place worldwide, with a different theme each year related to topics of global significance.
Key activities
In addition to the annual congress, ISOCARP conducts workshops for Young Planning Professionals (YPP) and Urban Planning Advisory Teams (UPATs), organized for cities and regions all over the world. YPP workshops are held on a national level to address conflicts with a group of select professionals under age 35. UPATs assist sponsoring organizations by offering the expertise of ISOCARP members to work on complex planning projects and policy initiatives. Previous workshops took place in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
,
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
,
Gaza and the
West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
.
Publications
ISOCARP is the publisher of themed research journals to support the creation and dissemination of knowledge for better planned cities and territories.
The ''ISOCARP Review'', published since 2004, is the society's annual flagship publication. Its other central publication is the ''International Manual of Planning Practice'', published in 2015. Other publications and project reports cover the several activities and initiatives of the society.
References
External links
Official website{{Authority control
Urban planning organizations