WPSC – APSA Congress 2022

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World Planning Schools Congress (WPSC)

WPSC BRAZIL2jpg-01
WPSC BRAZIL-01

The History: The Planning Schools Joined Hands in Shanghai in 2001​

The initiative to organize World Planning School Congresses came up with the formation of a global network by national and regional associations of planning schools and institutes around the world in 2001. Since then this network, the GLOBAL PLANNING EDUCATION NETWORK – GPEAN assigns the organization of each World Congress to one or more schools of one of its members. In five and five years, this event aims to bring together scholars and professionals from all continents to present experiences, discuss proposals and critical analysis and encourage a debate on the current planning problems in different parts of the world.

The Shanghai Statement creating the Global Planning Education Association Network (GPEAN) was signed by ten planning school associations at the closing ceremony of the 1st World Planning Schools Congress at Tongji University in 2001.

In July 2001, four planning school associations representing urban and regional planning schools on four continents convened the first World Planning Schools Congress in Shanghai. In all, 650 scholars from over 250 schools in more than 60 countries met for five days to exchange research results, teaching experiences, and ideas about the future of the urban planning profession. Leaders of the four associations, Asian Planning Schools Association (APSA), Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP), Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP), and Australia and New Zealand Association of Planning Schools (ANZAPS), took the opportunity to convene a meeting of leaders of all the world’s planning school associations. They were joined by six other associations representing schools in Africa, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Latin America, and the francophone world, in two days of meetings discussing the potential for future cooperation. 

Although the ten associations reflected wide differences in organization, activities, and politico-economic contexts, they shared belief in the substantial potential for cooperation to advance planning education and scholarship.  At the conclusion of the meetings, they agreed to cooperate on an ongoing basis with what became known as the Shanghai Statement:

“Representatives of national and international planning education associations gathered at Tongji University in Shanghai and agreed on the goal of increasing mutual communication in order to improve the quality and visibility of planning and planning education.  To achieve this, it was agreed to establish a global planning education association network and committees to plan to hold the second World Planning Schools Congress and to develop an inclusive communications network.”

The Shanghai Statement was signed in English and Mandarin by the association delegates at the closing ceremony of the WPSC at Tongji University on 14 July 2001.  A year later, nine of the associations sent representatives to an organizational meeting of the network in Volos, Greece, held in conjunction with the annual congress of AESOP. A proposed charter prepared in Volos was ratified and signed by the associations on 31 December 2002, establishing the Global Planning Education Association Network (GPEAN), today a network of 11 associations, those already named, plus the Association of African Planning Schools (AAPS), Association of Canadian University Planning Programmes (ACUPP), Latin-American Association of Schools of Urbanism and Planning (ALEUP), National Association of Urban and Regional Post-graduate and Research Programs (ANPUR, Brazil), Association for the Development of Planning Education and Research (APERAU, francophone), Association of Schools of Planning of Indonesia (ASPI), and Turkish Association of Planning Schools (TUPOB).

Currently, GPEAN has an active role in discussions on teaching, research, and practice of urban and regional planning on a global scale as a result of that initiative. The network’s activities have included four world planning schools congresses, six edited issues of its book series, “Dialogues in Urban and Regional Planning,” published with Routledge, joint work with UN-Habitat, the International Society of City and Regional Planners, and the Global Planners Network, and in the various academic and professional activities in which its associations’ members participate. With its 11 associations, GPEAN brings together urban and regional planning schools from more than 80 countries, as can be seen in the map below. This week, GPEAN commemorates the 20th Anniversary of the Shanghai Statement, which was the cornerstone for its creation.

World Planning Schools Congress (WPSC)

In 2016, the IV WPSC will be held in Rio de Janeiro. As responsible for this edition of WPSC, the GPEAN designated the Institute of Urban and Regional Research and Planning – IPPUR – at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ -, a member of the Brazilian Association of Research and Graduate Studies in Urban and Regional Planning – ANPUR with the collaboration of colleagues of the Graduate Programs in Geography of the Federal Universities Fluminense and Minas Gerais (UFF and UFMG), of the UFRJ Graduate Program in Urbanism and of the UFMG Centre of Regional Development and Planning (CEDEPLAR).

A GPEAN Steering Committee composed of three members from three different continents accompanies, guides, and supports the work of the Local Organization Commission.

GPEAN organizes a World Planning Schools Congress (WPSC) every five years, with a view to bringing together planning educators and scholars from the 11 regional associations of planning schools.

So far, four WPSCs have been organized:

  • In 2001 in Shanghai, China
  • In 2006 in Mexico City, Mexico.
  • In 2011 in Perth, Australia.
  • In 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.