Agenda général

2012 World Town Planning Day : November 6th -7th Conference

World Town Planning Day is the annual celebration of town planning. This year is the fourth  year of this initiative. An international online conference in celebration of World Town Planning Day is used each year as an appropriate way to honour the spirit of this important annual occasion while also building our knowledge of best practices and emerging issues within the planning profession.

This year the WTP Day online conference is being planned on the theme ‘Smart Communities Connect. It will be held on 6th – 7th  November.  The detailed programme is still being finalised but the draft is attached. The Conference is organised around virtual sessions (via the internet) and no travel is required to attend.. 

WTP Day is being coordinated by a committee is chaired by Laura Buhl (of the American Planning Association) and administrative support is provided by the RTPI through Judith Eversley. The website link to the event is http://www.planningtheworld.net/ where people can register to be kept informed of the arrangements etc..

The partner organisations supporting the event are as follows:

American Planning Association's International Division
Commonwealth Association of Planners
Canadian Institute of Planners
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
European Council of Spatial Planners-Conseil européen des urbanistes
Federación Iberoamericana de Urbanistas
Hong Kong Institute of Planners
Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design
International Federation for Housing and Planning
New Zealand Planning Institute
Planning Institute of Australia
Royal Town Planning Institute
South African Council for Planners

CALL FOR PAPERS

World Town Planning Day Online Congress 2012:

Smart Communities Connect

6-7 November 2012

The Online Congress Committee calls for papers for the 2012 Congress on the theme Smart Communities Connect.

• Change is an opportunity in spatial planning. Technological developments have a huge spatial impact - think of the changes brought about by the industrial revolution, railways and canals, then the popularization of the motor car and air travel. The equivalent today is our ability to connect with people through mobile phones, the internet and other systems and networks. 
• These advances are both a challenge and an opportunity to the planning and design professions. We need to keep up with the advances, meet the challenges and ensure that the spaces and places we design make the most of the opportunities. 
• This on-line congress will bring together ideas from around the world about how advances in technology shape our environment.  We hope to offer insights to help improve the built environment - our cities, towns, rural communities – and the natural environment. 
• The purpose of this congress is to bring together ideas from around the world.  We are keen to attract papers that provide a perspective from outside the traditional realm of ‘planning and design’ as well as papers that draw on multi-disciplinary material.

We invite you to contribute to the fourth on-line congress for World Town Planning Day.  Please join us and share ways to use technology to encourage connections within society and make our communities more ‘livable’.

Detailed themes for which we invite papers:

1.Spanning the Urban-Rural Divide

The expansion of mobile and internet connectivity in rural and agricultural areas has the potential to close the gap between urban and rural communities – but will it deliver?  We ask:

What is the access to technology for business in rural and agricultural areas?

How can we meet the challenge of providing the necessary infrastructure in rural areas?

Has new technology closed the gap and delivered improvement?

 2.Who is Planning for Smart Places?

In the last 5 years we have seen a significant growth in programs such as ‘IBM Smart Cities’, ‘Cisco Connected Urban Development Blueprint’, ‘Siemens Smarter Cities’.  We ask:

            What is the nature of these programs? 

How are we as planners assisting in designing these programs? 

Are we keeping up as a profession?   

 3.Infrastructure: How Smart Can It Get?

The advancements are so rapid: can we help each other keep up, select the best and mitigate the worst effects? 

What infrastructure is required to be ‘smart’?

Is it expensive? 

Will it blight our public spaces, or can we minimize its negative impact?

 4.Politics, Leadership & Strategic Governance

With the growth in social networking, the voice of the people is louder, has greater influence, and can spread rapidly. 

Are our current governance structures and leaders well equipped to incorporate these advancements or will they have to re-position themselves in more fundamental ways?

Can technology give a voice to our communities to help them improve as they wish?

Can practising planners use new technologies to deliver?

Are there unintended consequences or unforeseen challenges associated with these expanded forms of connectivity and communication when it comes to politics, leadership and strategic governance in our communities? 

5.Mobility & Access

New technologies can free some of us from the necessity to travel to work, to shop or to entertain ourselves; equally it can greatly improve the travelling experience when we do have to move.

Will technology change the way we move through our communities? 

How will technology improve our traffic and transport systems? 

Will increased access to Wi-Fi technology change the nature of our public transport systems?

6.The Use of Data Captured from our Smart Communities

GPS and tracking of mobile phones and internet activity generates ‘Big Data’ – a threat, but also an opportunity.

Can planners use this information to learn from people’s behavior?

Can mobile technology be used to increase community engagement? 

 7.Virtual Communities, Social Implications on Places/Spaces

Virtual communities are growing: face-to-face is no longer the only way to meet.

Can we still have vibrant public spaces?

What will be the impact of participation in society and communities being unlimited by distance?

This year the program allows for 18 papers, for which Abstracts are now invited.

The themes above may inspire you or you can offer an Abstract on a further aspect of the congress topic.

We will favor papers that are thought-provoking, creative, relevant and seek to stimulate delegates’ interest throughout the congress program. 

Each presentation will last 20 minutes and there will be 10 minutes for questions, as well as an opportunity at the end of the conference to have a more general discussion on topics raised at the congress. 

Key dates:

• •Abstracts for papers due 8 July                    [as per current work program]
• •Acceptances will be notified 22 August        [as per current work program]
• •Full paper due 18September                                   [4 weeks after notification of acceptances]
• •PowerPoint presentation 30 September       [less than 2 weeks after receipt of full paper, to give us the whole of October to chase!]

How to submit an abstract

Please email the following information and documents in Microsoft Word (.doc) format to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it "> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it :

• •Name of presenter/s
• •Title of session
• •Theme to which it relates (if any – see list above)
• •Session abstract, maximum 200 words
• •Résumé or CV of each presenter
• •Organization e.g. employer, school, other institution as relevant
• •Email address, telephone number, mailing address