The International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) is a member-led association working at the global level towards a vision of cities being more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Since 1965, the society has been bringing together 850 individual members and institutional members from more than 90 countries. Through annual international congresses, the publication of numerous papers and the organization of workshops and seminars, the Society has been gaining expertise that lead to the foundation of the ISOCARP Research Institute in 2016. In order to expand and support the activities of the Society, the Institute has been initiated as a platform and research branch for generating and disseminating knowledge for better cities. It acts as a bridge between planning experts, institutions and individuals, thanks to the facilitation of information access and research communication, into a new “Urban Think Tank” that promotes advanced sustainable planning, awareness of major development trends and best practices.

The Institute’s actions are organized in three main pillars : the practical implementation of urban solutions in an integrative participatory planning approach; the academic communication aiming to disseminate the urban knowledge of ISOCARP through educational and training programs; and the research pillar to capitalize and expand ISOCARP’s knowledge. The projects led are involving a large range of fields related to urban development. Its contributions to EU and global research programs include three main projects since the start of the Institute activities in 2018, each being led over a 5 years period.
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