JOB OPPORTUNITY: Project Communication Officer at ISOCARP Institute

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JOB OPPORTUNITY: Project Communication Officer at ISOCARP Institute

The ISOCARP Institute is the research spin-off of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), based in The Hague, the Netherlands. With over five decades of accumulated knowledge and expertise in urban and regional planning, ISOCARP as a non-profit organisation with individual and institutional members in 85 countries worldwide, initiated the Institute as a Center for Urban Excellence – a think-tank empowering individuals, organisations, and institutions to achieve better human settlements. The Institute’s core function is to conduct research and promote knowledge transfer, offer advice and short-term consultancy services, as well as design, and deliver capacity development and continuing education programmes. The institute is involved in several EU research projects, offers technical assistance globally, as well as engaged in capacity development projects with other international partners.

Job Profile

We are seeking for a full-time Communication and Graphic Design Officer in capturing the impact of the organization for all internal and external communications. The Communication and Graphic Design Officer will support and assist us in the management of our multiple projects, with exposure in social media, website management tasks, infographics and other multimedia graphics.  To apply for this position, you need to have very good knowledge of WordPress and graphic design programmes – Adobe Creative Suite programmes such as, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Adobe Premier, etc. 

The ideal candidate is a motivated, independent and creative individual who is able to balance different tasks and responsibilities effectively and collaborate with the ISOCARP Institute team.

Responsibilities 

Communication and Dissemination

  • Supporting the general project implementation specially on the management of communication and dissemination materials; 
  • Assist the management, programmes and operation teams in formalizing their presentation, designing handouts and booklets; 
  • Preparing eye-catching and engaging visual materials, handbooks, infographics and manuals; 
  • Assisting in both managing the ISOCARP Institute and ISOCARP Society in organizing and updating content libraries/repositories; 
  • Update and disseminate informative materials and recent events across our project social media channels – Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. 

Graphic Design

  • Design and implement all types of graphic design work including reports, publications, posters, brochures, flyers, logos, banners, and multi-media creatives; 
  • Design promotional materials for disseminating within the organization and throughout the country as well as external stakeholders; 
  • Ensure project branding, style, and tone are implemented across all channels; 
  • Translate complicated technical terms into compelling and communicative visualisations.
  • Website Management
  • Plan, implement, manage, monitor and upgrade the organisation’s and the project’s websites; 
  • Update appropriate website content aligned to the organization’s strategy and events; 
  • Improve user experience of the websites regularly. 
  • In addition, you:
  • Bring action and hands-on mentality and enjoy working in a young, dynamic, and international environment; 
  • Are a team player, with the ability to engage with stakeholders; 
  • Can coordinate several projects simultaneously; 
  • Assisting in the acquisition and research of projects, including: stakeholder engagement, desk research, compilation of relevant research materials, and proposal writing. 

  • Requirements

  • A highly motivated candidate with a (recent) Master’s degree in Communication Sciences, Graphic Design or other relevant discipline; Comms Internships and volunteering jobs during the studies are highly valued; 

    Passion for learning about urban development, sustainability and citizen engagement; 

    You are creative and talented in web design, infographics, and visual materials: knowledge of Adobe software, MS Office and WordPress is a MUST; 

    Knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript;  

    You are autonomous and proactive in building and setting up (new) operational processes from scratch; 

    You have documentation skills and data management; 

    You have excellent command of the English language, both verbal and written. Other European languages are an asset; 

    We are looking for someone who can join us as soon as possible. Therefore, those candidates located in the Netherlands will have priority (we accept candidates from all different nationalities).  

What we offer

30 hrs/week; 

Work in an exciting, multi-disciplinary international team; 

The opportunity to develop yourself through varied assignments; 

A competitive salary; 

Flexibility in distributing your working hours, working from home; 

Hands-on-experience in real EU-projects in a friendly, encouraging working environment. 

How to apply:

Please apply using this job application form

Deadline to apply: 30th November 2021 

If you have questions about this vacancy, please send an e-mail to Ms. Gisela Garrido Veron (Project Manager): garridoveron@isocarp-institute.org 

https://www.isocarp-institute.org/ 

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SSPCR 2022: call for sessions and side events now open

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SSPCR 2022: call for sessions and side events now open

Submit by November 15th, 2021

SSPCR-2022-Header

On behalf of the JUSTNature project team and Eurac Research, ISOCARP Institute would like to share the ‘The Call for Proposals for the 2022 edition of the Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions (SSPCR 2022) is now open. From today until the 15th of November 2021, it will be possible to send proposals for sessions. The deadline for the submission of proposals for side events is set on the 10th of January 2022.

SSPCR has come to its fourth edition and it is now recognised as one of the key platforms where researchers and professionals can discuss solutions to the issues of today and rethink the way we live. The 2019 edition gathered more than 200 participants from 38 countries, with 143 oral presentations and 19 posters.

SSPCR 2022 will take place from the 18th to 22nd of July 2022 in Bolzano (Italy), a place in the heart of the Dolomites where the traditions of the past intertwine with the challenges of the future.

SSPCR 2022 warmly welcomes contributions from different research fields, including urban and regional planning, environmental and social sciences, economics, transportation, engineering and energy-related studies, computer science and geomantic, as well as from the professional community.

Proposals for sessions and side events must be sent by email to the address sspcr@eurac.edu using the official template. Further information is available in the call for proposals.

ISOCARP Institute Special Session on Innovative Solutions for Climate Resilient Cities and Communities: From Research to Practice

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ISOCARP Institute’s Special Session on Innovative Solutions for Climate Resilient Cities and Communities at 57th ISOCARP World Planning Congress

November 10th, 2021

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On Wednesday, November 10th , ISOCARP Institute organized a special session about innovative solutions for climate-resilient cities and communities in connection with the 57th ISOCARP World Planning Congress. The Congress took place in Doha, Qatar, and brought together professional planners, architects, researchers, and policy-makers from around the world.  

Particularly, this session integrated into “Track 4: Resilience and Adaptability” of the Congress and discusses key elements regarding the shaping of strategies to enhance climate resilience in cities. Insights will be drawn from the ongoing Horizon 2020 EU projects in which the Institute is involved: +CityxChange, VARCITIES, and JUSTNature. 

The session targeted the general audience of the Congress and welcomed professional planners, practitioners, researchers, Young Professional Planners (YPPs) and government officials. 

The format of the session combined a panel discussion with an interactive exercise: a World Café. This promoted cross-learning and knowledge transfer between participants and speakers. 

The speakers discussed innovative solutions for climate resilience and provided insights from relevant EU projects. Participants were encouraged to reflect on opportunities and challenges faced by these projects and collaboratively apply a problem-solving approach.  

The session focused on the advancements driving forward the transition to low-carbon and resilient cities and communities. It considered innovations such as positive energy blocks and nature-based solutions, but also important elements to achieve successful long-term implementation, such as public engagement, political acceptance, and social justice. 

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Online workshop and conference: Mass Housing and Climate Change, Challenges and Solutions (EUD, Strelka KB, ISOCARP Institute and WUC)

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Online Workshop and Conference: Mass Housing and Climate Change, Challenges and Solutions, organized by the EU Delegation to Russia, Strelka KB, ISOCARP Institute and the World Urban Campaign (UN-Habitat).

 September 18-20, 2021

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In Russia, approximately 70 million people live in mass housing units, the vast majority of which was built during the Soviet time, with little consideration for climate change and sustainability. This housing stock is in dire need of refurbishment today. However, Russia is not an exception. Mass housing units were erected both in Western and Eastern Europe in the second half of the 20th century, as well as on all continents. The stock of mass housing worldwide is so huge that it cannot be replaced in the foreseeable future for ecological, economic and social reasons; and it keeps on growing today. Mass housing units should be considered an opportunity for developers, architects and planners, as good solutions bear the potential to be reproduced worldwide. Their modernization could have a significant impact in the fight against climate change. 

The EU Delegation to Russia, together with urban consultancy Strelka KB, ISOCARP Institute and the World Urban Campaign, are organizing both an online workshop (18-19/10) and an online conference (20/10) on the theme of mass housing regeneration in the context of climate change.

The practical workshop is designed to bring forward solutions to regenerate mass housing units in the context of climate change. Participants will have the opportunity to work on a theoretical case study using the actual data from four locations in the world. 

The conference will bring professionals from the EU, UN-Habitat, ISOCARP, Strelka KB and others, who will share their experience on the challenges and solutions to address the inadequacy of mass housing in a changing climate. It will feature, among others:

– Didier Vancutsem, Director at the ISOCARP Institute 

– Christophe Lalande, head of the housing division at UN-Habitat 

– Hilmar von Lojewski, councillor at the German Association of Cities (Städtetag) 

– Christophe Hutin, architect 

– Michaela Kauer, Director of the Brussels Liaison Office of the City of Vienna and coordinator of the EU Urban Agenda Housing Partnership

– Ekaterina Maleeva, project director at Strelka KB

– Alexandra Chechetkina, managing director at Strelka KB

The results of this event will be further presented online at the COP-26 on November 10th.

To participate to the workshop, please register here:

MASS HOUSING AND CLIMATE CHANGE ONLINE WORKSHOP REGISTRATION (typeform.com)

To participate to the conference, please register here:

MASS HOUSING AND CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION (typeform.com)

For further information, please find the link to the official website of the event:

Strelka KB: Masshousing and climate change. Challenges and solutions — Homepage (strelka-kb.com)  

 

The project has been supported by the European Union Delegation in Russia.

 
 

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Urban Design Charrette Weifang China

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Urban Design Charrette in Weifang (China) 

August 3, 2021

Urban Design Charrette in Weifang China

The Design Planning Workshop occurred from 4th to 10th July 2021. ISOCARP Institute selected a team of 5 (five) international member-experts to visit Weifang and work together with SEU team of planners, designers and students, and to achieve high-level results aimed to be published in China and abroad in 2021.  

SEU invited ISOCARP Institute to select a team of experts that assisted the team from SEU in the organization of the design, contributed to knowledge on urban design of the International City of Peace of Weifang through an urban design workshop. 

While the organization team and technical experts of SEU coordinated the workshop organization in Weifang with the international experts, including the Chinese technical experts, the involvement of the Chinese students of the SEU, the accommodation, and on-site activities, the ISOCARP expert team attended and visited the site with the local experts, worked and created urban design solutions for the City of Weifang, delivering innovative urban solutions and urban visions for the Weifang international centre of Peace.  

Together with the SEU team, the ISOCARP international experts developed design goals for the Ledaoyuan historical and cultural area, such as building the Ledaoyuan historical and cultural area into an Asian pivot for international humanitarianism and improve the international humanitarian network, reshaping the historical features of Ledaoyuan, promoting the overall coordination of the Ledaoyuan historical and cultural area and its surrounding area, and realizing the harmonious coexistence of history and existing. 

The international team successfully developed a renewal design and implementation path for the Ledaoyuan historical and cultural area that can be implemented. The findings were presented to the City of Weifang on the last day of the workshop, together with urban design solutions and recommendations.  

We thank the ISOCARP team members Björn von Randow, Alex Camprubi, Christian Nolf, Thomas Fritzsche and Christian Hartmann for their attendance, contributions and highly appreciated ideas.  

Click here to download and read the final report of the workshop.

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Urban Thinkers Campus “Climate Adaptation in Challenging Environments in the MENA Region”

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Urban Thinkers Campus “Climate Adaptation in Challenging Environments in the MENA Region”

UTC Objective: The main objective of this UTC is to discuss and explore solutions that are being tested to ameliorate the future of urban living conditions. The Campus explored and discussed solutions on how cities can better respond to changing climate conditions, using Dubai as an example of a city which due to its demanding climate conditions, has from the beginning had to plan in ways, which can offer valuable best practices to urban planners around the world.

The session lasted 3 hours and was via Zoom. We aimed to make this session as interactive and inclusive as it is possible.

Check out the agenda to learn more!

See the recording of the session here:

UTC Background: ISOCARP Institute together with Middle East Cities Center at the American University in Dubai University and other partners organized on the 22nd of June 2021 the UTC on Hot Cities in the MENA region. According to the latest IPCC simulations, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) has been identified as a hotspot for future temperature changes due to its arid environmental conditions. Heat extremes are expected to increase significantly in both frequency and intensity across the MENA region. Heatwaves will occur for 80 days of the year by 2050 and 118 days of the year by 2100. Combined with increased sandstorms associated with longer drought periods, predicted temperature rises would make large parts of the region uninhabitable. Extreme heat has been identified as a serious threat to human health, heightening an individuals’ susceptibility to exhaustion, heart attack and mortality.

Hot cities in the MENA region – with the reference to Dubai- are a current trend which will be highlighted and discussed during the UTC. Meanwhile we would like to expand the discussion on what other trends related to the Hot Cities trends are emerging? Among the main trends that we would like to touch upon and discuss possible solutions are: water scarcity, biodiversity loss, sea level rise, loss of coastal defence and storm surges. 

Check out some screenshots from the session: