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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[1] (1965–1975). By 2024, ISOCARP connects individual and institutional members from more than 90 countries.[2] 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, Netherlands.[3] ISOCARP is formally accredited as an NGO by the United Nations and the Council of Europe and has formal consultative status as a recognized NGO with UNESCO.[citation needed]
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.[4]
In 2016, ISOCARP announced a "research spin-off" of the main association titled "Centre for Urban Excellence".[5] 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[citation needed].
Since 1965, ISOCARP's most prominent event is the annual World Planning Congress.[6] The congresses take place worldwide, with a different theme each year related to topics of global significance.
In addition to the annual congress, ISOCARP conducts workshops for Young Planning Professionals (YPP)[7] and Urban Planning Advisory Teams (UPATs),[8] 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, China, Australia, Mexico, Kenya, Gaza and the West Bank.
ISOCARP is the publisher of themed research journals to support the creation and dissemination of knowledge for better planned cities and territories.[9] 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.
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