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The Conflict in Ukraine and the Potential of Urban and Territorial Cooperation to Contribute De-escalating it
Ulrich Graute • 25 January 2022
The conflict in Ukraine and the potential of urban and territorial cooperation to contribute de-escalating it
It sounds crazy to propose urban and territorial cooperation in support of peaceful and sustainable development in Ukraine while at the same time Russia is amassing troops which soon could invade Ukraine and launch a major war.
In reality, it’s not crazy and the basic idea is simple: Where there is communication and cooperation there is no war. And, where people on the ground cooperate with their neighbors across borders of regions and nation states something better than war develops: their own future. Using an example of the past and the Western Balkans the post demonstrates that urban and territorial cooperation don’t substitute diplomacy but can contribute to a peaceful development scenario. No illusions. The path there is not easy but still more promising than that of a war.
This post takes a perspective outside of the box of security experts and global politics which is more focused on military challenge and stability. The current danger of war and its aggressor is described elsewhere and shouldn’t be ignored. Nonetheless, it is important to dig deeper and to search for alternatives contributing to long term stability and peace. And that won't work without cooperation of cities and territories.
A peaceful scenario for conflicts like the one in Ukraine needs the input from outside of the small community of security and foreign policy experts and lobbyists
When conflicts between countries heat up the public dialogue often narrows
down to the perspective of a rather small and mostly male group of security experts and lobbyists. Where creativity and empathy would be necessary the cold analysis of defence experts and some political gamblers moves into the frontline.
For citizens its increasingly difficult to distinguish truth from fiction. And it doesn’t help if those governments sceptic towards sending weapons to the conflict zone don’t have better ideas than donating a field hospital to Ukraine. Yes, this flat idea comes from the German government.
Obviously, to develop an alternative scenario to that of a war in Ukraine it needs fresh inspiration from outside of traditional foreign and defence politics. And you won’t believe it but practitioners in urban and territorial cooperation are among them and they have already gained experience in response to international conflict.
Europe prepared cross-border and transnational cooperation of cities and regions in the midst of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999
It was the most bizarre and maybe one of most important conferences I attended so far: The INTERREG III conference held on 9th and 10th April 1999 in Grado (Italy).
Organized by the European Union with the support of the Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Grado close to the Italo-Slovenian border the three interregional organizations in Europe – the Assembly of European Regions (AER), the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) and the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) – adopted in Grado a common position on the Community Initiative, Interreg III . Somebody must have forgotten to cancel the conference since in those very days the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. But everybody came: There were participants from all across the European Union, from Yugoslavia and all other parts of the Western Balkan. The airspace over Italy was blocked for commercial flights but standing outside of the conference venue in Grado I could see at the sky the bombers originating from NATO airfields on their way to Belgrade and Novi Sad.
The war wasn’t much discussed at the conference. It was almost a tabu but you could see people starting to cry at the lunch or dinner table after receiving phone calls from home. The war was present but didn’t split the audience. Instead, all participants longed for a prospect of peaceful cooperation in the region and the wider Europe. I remember how Prof Borislav Stojkov, the outstanding spatial planner from Belgrade lamented that he was born in Serbia when it was part of a Mediterranean country but as consequence of the division of Yugoslavia he is now living in a landlocked country. In this situation European interventions like the Community Initiative INTERREG offered hope and an opportunity to build cross-border, transnational and interregional bridges. Important, at the time of the conference the hunger for these bridges of cooperation was bigger than the interest in related funds. The close presence of the war guaranteed that the conference never lost track of the deeper purpose of such cooperation. And it was the region Friuli-Venezia Giulia that helped to keep up the mood up with its generous hospitality (for meals participants were shuttled to numerous restaurants and vineyards across the Italian-Slovenian border region).
Certainly, neither the conference nor INTERREG with its funds and administrative requirements could overcome all problems in the region. It still needs diplomatic work and progress. However, the conference in Grado in the middle of the last of the Yugoslavia wars marked a starting point for cooperation in a divided region. And without such starters there would be just the war.
Connectivity and cooperation as a new form of change through rapprochement’?
One of the inspirations for this post comes from Para Khanna. Khanna is an Indian American specialist in geopolitics and globalization but his passion is the future of global civilization. He argues in his bestselling book ‘Connectography’ (2016) that connectivity in the form of transportation, energy and communications infrastructure has brought about a "global network revolution" in which human civilization becomes reorganized according to cities and supply chains more than nations and borders. Also important, 2019 he analyzed in ‘The Future is Asian’ the shift in global power location from the West to Asia.
In response to the conflict in Ukraine and challenges by Iran and North Korea the Singapore based social scientist Khanna published on 21 January 2022 a paper title ‘Invade Russia, Iran and North Korea – With Connectivity’ . In the paper he discusses security challenges and defense efforts and proposes a Grand Strategy of Connectivity:
Parak Khanna doesn’t expect that Russia, Iran and North Korea would ever become like the West but that engagement can minimize conflicts. With respect to Russia, he analyses Russian challenges related to a growing influence of China and to demographic and ecological challenges for Russia. And he sees these challenges as entry points where cooperation on a level playing field could open the door for a new cooperation. Certainly, urban and territorial cooperation and development can be important facilitators when it comes to subjects like transport, energy and infrastructure and to a cooperative approach which at the end is not too far away to the older approach of ‘change through rapprochement’.
In response to the conflict in Ukraine and challenges by Iran and North Korea the Singapore based social scientist Khanna published on 21 January 2022 a paper title ‘Invade Russia, Iran and North Korea – With Connectivity’ . In the paper he discusses security challenges and defense efforts and proposes a Grand Strategy of Connectivity:
China’s grand strategy is as much about advancing its connectivity as modernizing its military. Its checkbook diplomacy thwarts Western soft power at every turn. If the West is serious about not ceding any more ground, it needs to offer real alternatives. As the U.S. girds for a new Cold War with China, its strategy must resemble that era’s: winning countries over through incentives ranging from trade and investment to immigration and education. China puts its money where its mouth is. The West must do the same.
Parak Khanna doesn’t expect that Russia, Iran and North Korea would ever become like the West but that engagement can minimize conflicts. With respect to Russia, he analyses Russian challenges related to a growing influence of China and to demographic and ecological challenges for Russia. And he sees these challenges as entry points where cooperation on a level playing field could open the door for a new cooperation. Certainly, urban and territorial cooperation and development can be important facilitators when it comes to subjects like transport, energy and infrastructure and to a cooperative approach which at the end is not too far away to the older approach of ‘change through rapprochement’.
1. Shifting the attention away from the tunnel perspective of war to a more positive and constructive
scenario
Looking at urban and regional development in a territory affected by conflict is usually nothing global strategists are interested in but it has the important effect that it shifts the attention not only to the people potentially affected by war but also to the opportunities for an alternative scenario.
Just imagine for a moment stakeholders would organize a major Black See workshop where people from all countries around the Black Sea would come together and discuss challenges and opportunities which cooperation along and across Black Sea offers to their future development. In a similar way, cities like L’viv, Kiev, Kharkov, Volgograd, Saratov etc would meet and discuss economic, environmental, social and cultural opportunities of a city network in the region. These are small steps but if you want to understand the potential of the region you have to go local, start visioning and developing future scenarios. The first steps are likely to be small but they could lead to a peaceful and promising scenario not only to reduce conflicts but also to stimulate new links and cooperation.
Just imagine for a moment stakeholders would organize a major Black See workshop where people from all countries around the Black Sea would come together and discuss challenges and opportunities which cooperation along and across Black Sea offers to their future development. In a similar way, cities like L’viv, Kiev, Kharkov, Volgograd, Saratov etc would meet and discuss economic, environmental, social and cultural opportunities of a city network in the region. These are small steps but if you want to understand the potential of the region you have to go local, start visioning and developing future scenarios. The first steps are likely to be small but they could lead to a peaceful and promising scenario not only to reduce conflicts but also to stimulate new links and cooperation.
EU, UN and national agencies developed tools and guidelines on how to organize such cooperation.
2. Giving the affected people a voice and identifying win-win options
In the current debate about the crisis in Ukraine the people living there have no voice and at the international stage not even the Ukrainian government is included in direct talks between Russia and USA on Ukraine. And those politicians and experts who think that it would be waste of time to go local should admit that they don’t really care for the people.
Giving the affected people a voice is not only an act of dignity and empowerment. It also has the positive side effect that it allows exploring the full potential of cities and territories. National statistics or analytic work by secret service agencies usually don’t focus on the potential for innovation of a region or how it can be fostered. Not engaging the people on the ground risks major and possibly costly misjudgments. Instead, engaging citizens in visioning, diagnostic and policy development can lead to win-win scenarios for all stakeholders.
3. Cities and rural areas as the stage for all development
What makes the place-based approach of cities and territories so important is that the territory is the stage for all economic, social and environmental development. Thus, beginning with urban and territorial development makes it easier to launch a comprehensive and integrate development approach.
A classic Roman phrase says ‘If you want peace, prepare for war’ (Si vis pacem, para bellum). Unfortunately, the phrase didn’t generate a world of peace. Instead, the last two thousand years were full of wars with the peak phase including two World Wars in the 20th century. Today, the world is in multiple crises. Peace, prosperity and sustainability won’t happen by chance. They need to be prepared and they require many efforts and perseverance to build up over time. That’s why we have to prepare peace and sustainability now - if we want to reach it in future. And maybe Russia and Ukraine find through such cooperation the long term security they both ask for. One thing is sure: Adding another war is just not affordable, not for them and not for the world.
The author chairing a first conference on sustainable territorial development in the Black Sea Region. Odessa, Ukraine, 11-12 November 1996
Policies and Governance for Resilient and Sustainable Cities and Regions
It was a tremendous privilege in my life to meet Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter for the first time in 1984 (picture) and then again in the summer of 1985 during my internship at Koinonia Farm near Americus, Georgia (USA). Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president of the U.S. from 1977 to 1981, died on December 29, 2024, at his home in Plains, Ga. Jimmy Carter was a lifelong farmer who worked with his hands building houses for the poor well into his 90s. I didn't agree with him on all issues (the early 1980s were the time of a new US missile deployment in Germany ordered by Jimmy Carter and a large peace movement against it) but he took the time to discuss it with me and others at Koinonia Farm. That alone was amazing. Even more mind-blowing was that he continued hands-on work on peacebuilding and house renovation for the poor around the world with Habitat for Humanity International well into his 90s. If in my career providing hands-on support became more important than climbing my own career path, this was also due to the example Jimmy Carter gave in the decades after his Presidency. I learned a lot from him about working for peace with humbleness, love, and perseverance. Read more in the New York Times about why Jimmy Carter was known as much for his charity and diplomatic work later in life as he was for his single presidential term, which ended in 1981. https://lnkd.in/d9qxSmTM *. *. *. *. * Note: This post was first published on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/graute_learning-to-work-hands-on-for-peace-from-activity-7279396908270309376-BBjV?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
In 2024, for the first time since 2000, the Parties to the United Nations Rio Conventions on biodiversity, climate change, and desertification faced a very busy 3 months, moving from large Conferences of Parties (COP) in Cali (Colombia) for biodiversity in October to Baku (Azerbaijan) for climate in November to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for desertification in December. On top of this Triple-COP, there was the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and the UN Summit of the Future in September in New York (USA) while UN-Habitat held its World Urban Forum in Cairo (Egypt), and let’s not forget the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5) which ended last weekend in Busan, South Korea. No real breakthroughs were reported but I noticed many promises to double future efforts. There is a lot that can be critically reviewed about the events, eg what’s the purpose of moving approximately 100.000+ delegates, UN staffers, and other participants worldwide if the necessary political will to agree and resources available are insufficient and the outcomes are limited accordingly? But such a critique would be a bit unfair since I don’t know how many new ideas and initiatives were born during those official meetings, side events, and informal chats that might bloom up in upcoming years despite of the multicrises we’re living in. What needs to be criticized is that the UN System is not progressing on its task to implement its many mandates more “synergistically” by targeting policies, programs, and initiatives to jointly address the goals of the Rio Conventions, SDGs, etc. Instead, the conferences referred to each other but worked mainly within their silos. This is not appropriate in a world full of interrelations and interdepensies. Well, no individual or group can follow up on every aspect, and swarm intelligence of conferences with thousands of participants each seems to be no functioning alternative. But what else could be done? To give an example: How about building an AI-based Large Language Model (LLM) trained with the UN Charter, all UN declarations, national and subnational resolutions, regulations, and programmes? AI Agents for the different conventions and agendas should then be asked to coordinate and propose “synergistic” proposals across policy levels. Of course, the use of artificial intelligence should be wisely supervised by a team of AI experts and professionals from all affected fields. I wouldn’t expect AI applications to solve all problems but to better inform decision-makers and UN agencies on integrated scenarios. This could help to increase efficiency, avoid duplicating efforts, and increase the overall problem-solving capacity of the UN. I would be happy to support such work with my governance and development experience across all policy levels. Picture source: https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/cop-nature-climate-adaptation-mitigation
Since the first climate COP in 1995, the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency has been representing local and regional governments at the processes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The LGMA also represents ISOCARP - International Society of City and Regional Planners and Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments. ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability acts as the Focal Point of LGMA. The 2015 Paris Agreement marked a turning point, recognizing the essential role of these governments in enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions NDSs and driving transformative climate action. The LGMA is atively present in Baku with a robust agenda, numerous partners, and an esteemed delegation of political leaders representing local and subnational governments. At the center of the presence is the Multilevel Action & Urbanization Pavilion as the global stage for the city and region climate agenda during COP29. The Pavilion brings into focus not only the challenges and needs, but also the accomplishments and commitments of local and subnational actors on climate action. The Pavilion is open from 12 to 22 November in the Blue Zone, Area E, Pavilion I15. We are looking forward to welcoming you at the High-Level Opening on 12 November at 10:00 AM. Please find the agenda of LGMA attached. Please visit also the Youtube channel of ICLEI Global for daily updates https://lnkd.in/dddDCKtA Ulrich Graute - ISOCARP Online Delegate at COP29 and Chair of the ISOCARP Scientific Committee
Report on the Urban Conversation on Ethical Use of AI in Urban Planning at the 60th World Planning Congress in Siena, Italy on 11 OCTOBER 2024
Date: 11 October 2024 Time: 10:45 - 13:15 Room: Accademie. Fisiocritici Session background and a short description of the Content Cities form the heart of human development and innovation, with 80% of global GDP generated within them and according to the United Nations approximately 56% of the world’s population now live in cities, and likely to reach nearly 70% by 2050. At the same time, the urban world is on a journey to revitalize cities, build new cities for growing populations, to dismantle inequalities, and to create a sustainable urban legacy for future generations. The growth and demands of cities are rapidly changing and looking (or exploring) for new systems and planning tools. In this situation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides a transformative potential in managing and planning cities. It can support, analyze, and predict the impact of policy changes, demographic shifts and development plans. AI facilitates a valuable foundation for productive dialogue and constructive debate between municipal authorities, and the public and private sector. AI enables the People-focused city through systems integration and collaborations. Simultaneously, the application of generative AI in the public domain brings a number of risks and pitfalls. To assure an ethical use of the new wave of innovation in planning it is necessary to strike a careful balance between risk mitigation and harnessing its capabilities for public good and resilience. The central concept of modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the intelligent agent. As of today, we have limitations to building one general-purpose AI program that does everything, instead AI developers build different types of agent programs for different types of problems and contexts. AI researchers agree that the new wave of innovation will impact all spheres of life and require more actors for future developments of AI. The discussion on the use of AI cannot be left alone to IT programmers and code developers. In this context, the objective of the conversation is to bring together planning practitioners and experts from city-making to discuss the use and potential impact of AI in urban planning and management and the related leadership of ISOCARP in the global dialogue on AI governance and capacity building of planners. Recent examples eg from Australia and Saudi Arabia will be presented along with panel discussions. Session Organizers Dr Ulrich Graute, Chair of the ISOCARP Scientific Committee, Berlin Dr Sunil Dubey, The UNSW Cities Institute, Sydney. 1. Introduction to the theme of the session by Ulrich Graute 2. The making of inclusive, prosperous and sustainable cities and the new challenges and opportunities provided by AI and Data 2.1 The case of Australia - Key note by Dr Sarah Hill, CEO Greater Sydney Commission and Western Parkland City Authority (New South Wales Govt, former) ‘Planning New Cities and Inclusive economic development’ - Western Sydney Aerotropolis – Australia’s 22nd Century City Making through Community, Creativity and Innovation. 2.2 The case of Saudi Arabia (10 min) Progress, Peace & Prosperity 2030 – How Saudi Cities are transforming using data and power of Ai. Dr Sunil Dubey 3. Roundtable Moderation: Ulrich Graute Guiding questions include AI in Urban Planning: Navigating the Intersection of Technology and Values – AI as a technical tool and/or as co-pilot in planning New Cities and inclusive economic development. Including AI in existing planning systems and processes and the requirement eg of a regulatory framework and capacity-building. What shape will AI have on future cities? ISOCARP and the new wave of technological innovation. Panelists: Sarah Hill, Executive Project Director (Public Investment Fund PIF, Saudi Arabia) Eric Huybrecht, Congress Director ISOCARP’s 60th WPC, Institute Paris Region Elisabeth Belpaire, ISOCARP President-Elect Ulrich Graute, Chair of ISOCARP SciCom Sunil Dubey, Smart Cities thought leader. Website of the 60th ISOCARP World Planning Congress https://isocarp.org/activities/60th-wpc-siena-2024/ Website of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK) AI in urban planning: risks and opportunities https://acss.org.uk/publications/ai-in-urban-planning-risks-and-opportunities/
Privacy Communicting with AI raises privacy concerns A CV is personal documents including private information you may not want to share with everybody. Therefore, the sending of your CV to somebody (eg as part of an application or business offer) is usually considered as confidential. Using generative AI, for instance ChatGPT, to work on your CV, website or LinkedIn profile should be carefully considered because the info you share about yourself with ChatGPT stays with ChatGPT even if you delete it from your account after you finished your conversation. Nonetheless, I decided to take it easier using AI because my profile and CV is no secret in anyway. Through dozens of publications since the 1990s, speeches at many conferences worldwide, as blogger with an own website (www.ugraute.de) and a LinkedIn profile with close to 6000 followers you can find everything what’s written in my CV somewhere on the internet. And, most importantly, I carefully review everything that AI suggests to me, I review and finalize texts before I use them. While I cannot fully exclude misuse of information, the responsibility for the content of my website and CV remains with me. And I still use a CV version not aided by AI for business offers and applications. AI as a second eye - When should you consider using AI to review your CV and profile? After 16 years of mostly (but not only) working for the United Nations I am now shifting more attention beyond the UN to the private sector, national and local authorities, other international organizations, NGOs etc. All UN agencies have their own mandates, interests and priorities. As UN staffer and later as UN consultant I learnt the rules of the institution and lived with the limitations they generate for management and goal achievement. However, the UN, with its historical baggage of countless mandates, inadequate structures and resources and some overly cautious employees, at times stands in its own way. I want to continue supporting global cooperation using my global perspective, my skills in project and program management, cross-cultural communication, policy analysis and stakeholder cooperation. However, it is time to refocus and look at my skills and achievements from a different, a non-UN perspective. This is where AI comes into play as an additional opportunity to support the reorientation of my or your career. AI supports my own reflections on my interests and strategy and it does it in a very inspirational way. I recommend the same to others but, if possible, it should be only an opportunity in addition to exchange with friends, colleagues, books, trainers, coaches etc. How did I use Chat GPT to review my website and CV? ChatGPT is a conversational tool, and it’s for free in its basic version. You can login here: https://chatgpt.com/auth/login. After opening an account and login you find a box where you can enter you question (called prompt). You push Enter and get an answer within seconds. If the answer is not inspirational, correct or satisfying you just go on submitting a new or modified prompt. This way conversations with ChatGPT becomes conversational and easy. In this process ChatGPT gets to know you better and learns from your prompts. Prompting, ie formulating the right questions is key to get useful answers out of the conversation and it’s worth to spend some time training how to prompt. In my case, an earlier prompt submitted to ChatGPT had produced already this suggestion: “Adjust your communication style to match the language and expectations of non-UN clients, avoiding overly technical or UN-specific jargon.” That was the point when ChatGPT confirmed my own guess that I have to change communication when I look beyond the UN world. To further explore this, I submitted additional prompts including this one: “ChatGPT, please rewrite my CV in a style more appealing to private companies.” The answer after my own review and fine tuning produced the short CV version which you can find here: https://www.ugraute.de/bio-and-cv Could I have produced this without AI? Of course, I have produced two pages versions of my CV on my own. The point is, that many things which are super important at the UN as “ an animal of its own kind ” are not so relevant outside of the UN. In such situations it may take a lot of time to decide what to leave in and what to take out of your CV. A second eye like AI proposing specific cuts and a repackaging can be very inspirational and helpful to get a fresh and crispier look at your own experience and credentials. I also liked very much that ChatGPT explained its approach to me: “To make your CV more appealing to private companies, I'll focus on making the language more dynamic, emphasizing your key achievements, leadership roles, and strategic impact. I'll also streamline the format for clarity and brevity.” Of course, I reviewed the suggested version of my CV and other website texts revised by AI to confirm the correctness of the content. Overall, this review exercise is a test to use a new technical tool. It is certainly inspirational. Success remains to be seen but that is also the case when I review my CV for an application or if I review my website in a traditional way. I decided for an open approach to use AI and to talk about my personal experience in this post, because in this new wave of innovation, we are all learners and can help each other. As adviser, I like to share, teach, and keep learning, inside or outside of the UN.
Figure: Human-in-the-loop intervention. ‘The Ethical Concerns of Artificial Intelligence in Urban Planning’ Thomas W. Sanchez, Marc Brenman, and Xinyue Ye (2024)
Human Compatible - AI and the Problem of Control
A slide from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) presented at the opening of HLPF highlights that only 17% of the SDG targets are on track
Background and Objectives The Gerd Albers Award (GAA) is celebrating inspiring publications such as books and essays. It was established in 1999 in honor of Professor Gerd Albers, a co-founder and past president of ISOCARP, who placed a particular emphasis on the task of publishing as a means of elucidating both the current debate and practical achievements in the planning field. This reputable award is given for the high-quality academic publications written by ISOCARP members. Eligible entries Pertinent submissions include the following publications by ISOCARP members published in the period between July 1, 2023, and June 31, 2024: • Books and/or Book chapters • Journal articles • Published project reports Exhibition catalogues and/or unpublished reports are ineligible. Unpublished journal articles are eligible if the publisher’s acceptance letter is attached to the article submitted. Evaluation criteria Content: • Thematic introduction • Contribution to discussions on the topic • Consistence and coherence (conceptual background, methodological approach) • Target audience Design: • Clarity • Technical requirements • Production Language All languages are eligible, although the “official languages” of the Society are English, French, German, and Spanish. Non-English entries must have an extended abstract in English (min. 3 pages). Jury The jury consists of three members of the ISOCARP Scientific Committee and the A&P Program Director. The deliberations and votes of the jury are confidential. Prof. Sebnem Hoskara Dr. Ulrich Graute Dr. Dorota Kamrowska-Załuska Prof. Ali A. Alraouf (A&P Program Director) Substance of the Award The Award is bestowed in three categories: GAA ‘Best Book’, GAA ‘Best Article’ and Special Mention. The Award winners are announced during the official ceremony at the ISOCARP annual World Planning Congress. GAA ‘Best Book’ and GAA ‘Best Article’ get two years of free membership to ISOCARP, official ISOCARP award certification and its dissemination through the ISOCARP website, social media and newsletter. Special Mention gets an official ISOCARP award certification and its dissemination through the ISOCARP website, social media and newsletter. Who is eligible? • Scholars • Writers • Book Authors • Researchers • Urban and City Critics • Professors and Academics Prize • Recognition at the ISOCARP 60th Congress in Siena at the Awards Special Session. • Certificate. • ISOCARP Medal. • Waiving form the registration for a single representative of the winners. • One year Membership at ISOCARP for a single representative of the winners. Registration fee 150 Euros for each entry in the Best Book Award (a candidate can apply with multiple proposals). 50 Euros for each entry in the Best Paper Award (a candidate can apply with multiple proposals). Submission material ⦁ Contribution (book/chapter/article) in pdf format Application procedure 1. Submit your online application https://isocarp.org/gerd-albers-award-2024-submission-form/ 2. Pay the registration fee: 150 Euros for Best Book Award and 50 Euros for Best Paper Award 3. Please, send your application to Ali Alraouf, ISOCARP Board member (alialraouf@isocarp.org) and ISOCARP HQ (awards@isocarp.org). Kindly specify the email subject: GAA 2024 Candidature. Deadline for submission August 15, 2024 Submit your application here https://isocarp.org/gerd-albers-award-2024-submission-form/