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JUSTNature Kick-Off Meeting

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JUSTNature Kick-Off Meeting

September 15-16, 2021

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On the 15th September 2021, the JUSTNature project was officially kicked-off! JUSTNature is an EU-funded project under the Horizon 2020 framework which aims to support a just transition towards low-carbon cities through Nature-based Solutions (NbS). More information about the project can be found here. 

The Kick-Off Meeting took place online over two days and brought together 19 European partners, including the ISOCARP Institute as well as public administrations, universities, and field experts. Together, the partners introduced the various components of the project and laid out the steps ahead for the coming months. The Kick-Off Meeting was facilitated by the project’s coordinator: EURAC (IT), who ensured fruitful discussions and provided interactive breaks for partners. The meeting also offered a platform for the project team to exchange and become better acquainted with one another. 

The ISOCARP Institute took part in the Kick-Off Meeting and presented its upcoming contribution for communication and dissemination. As a partner of JUSTNature, it will also be involved in other tasks related to research on co-governance and cross-learning activities.  

The Institute is excited to be a part of yet another interesting Horizon 2020 project. We are looking forward to the development of JUSTNature and a productive collaboration with the other project partners. 

JOB OPPORTUNITY: EU Project Assistant at ISOCARP Institute

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JOB OPPORTUNITY: EU Project Assistant at ISOCARP Institute (Den Haag, NL)
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The ISOCARP Institute is the research spin-off of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), based in The Hague/Netherlands. With over five decades of accumulated knowledge and expertise in urban and regional planning, ISOCARP as non-profit organisation with individual and institutional members in 85 countries worldwide, initiated the Institute as a Centre 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 building and continuing education programmes. The Institute is involved in several EU research projects, technical assistance globally, engaged in capacity building projects with international partners, and more.

What we look for

We are looking for a full-time staff member interested in urban issues to assist us on delivering our projects. The project assistant will support and assist us in the management of our multiple projects, both, within the EU and at a more international level.  To apply for this position, you need to have at least 2-3 years of experience in EU projects. 

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.

Requirements

You hold a master’s degree in Social Sciences or other discipline and a strong interest in the urban spectrum;  

You have minimum 2 years working experience in EU project administration and support, financial experience is a very strong asset. 

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

You have documentation skills and data management; 

You are curious, open-minded, and experienced in the communication with high-level institutional partners; 

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

We offer an energetic and international working environment in a team of young professionals, with a competitive salary and flexible working conditions. The position will be based in The Hague (NL) but can be commenced in a flexible scheme due to restrictions of the pandemic. 

The deadline for application is Sunday, 13 June 2021. Applications will be reviewed upon arrival. 

International applicants:

We accept applications from non-EU citizens. However, we are looking for someone who can join us as soon as possible. Candidates located in the Netherlands will be given priority (we accept candidates from all different nationalities and backgrounds).  

Read the full profile here

Final Session WAVE – Erasmus+ project on Water Areas Visions for Europe

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Final Session WAVE – Erasmus+ project on Water Areas Visions for Europe

The final session of the WAVE training took place last Friday 28th May 2021. The training, part of the Erasmus+ programme, aims at supporting and establishing partnerships with universities, NGOs, schools and other stakeholders to create integrated knowledge for sustainable landscapes in Europe.

The Erasmus+ program does not only encourages high education students to gain applied experience, but it also strengthens European universities’ collaboration, sharing knowledge, research, and education methods.

The final session was hosted by Ms. Ellen Fetzer from the School for Landscape Architecture, Environment, and Urban Planning at HfWU Nürtingen-Geislingen. With around 128 international participants, the last session concludes with the final presentation of goals and visions on water landscapes and visualizations on possible futures by the WAVE seminar participants. 

The course introduced the Living Labs that will serve as a knowledge base for students and stakeholder engagement. The Living Labs are located in the partner cities in Constanta (RO), Bucharest (RO), Naples (IT), Tartu (EE), Brussels (BE), Freising (DE), and Nürtingen (GE).

The WAVE Erasmus+ project catalyzed the creation of a wide range of diverse perspectives on water landscapes. With the support of the ISOCARP Institute over the last two months, the project served as an insightful exercise to visualize and engage with the complexity of natural river patterns and water systems toward integrated nature-conscious strategies on the territory.

The Institute is eager and looking forward to the second generation of this project in the fall and hopes to build on the findings and research that emerged over the course of the last two months with the WAVE Erasmus+ Project.

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ISOCARP Congress – Institute Special Session “Digital Infrastructure for Smart Services and Public Value”

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ISOCARP Congress – Special Session “Digital Infrastructure for Smart Urban Services and Public Value”

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One of the main activities of ISOCARP is the organisation of the annual World Planning Congress which focuses on a planning theme of foremost international interest. Attended by some 500-750 delegates, ISOCARP World Planning Congresses are small enough for a personal interchange of ideas on a given theme, yet big enough to encompass a broad professional and international range. The Congresses are open to ISOCARP Members, but our Society warmly welcomes non-members (individuals, parties or organisations). The Congress provides a platform for establishing professional as well as personal contacts with colleagues from all around the world.

The 56th ISOCARP World Planning Congress “Post-Oil City. Planning for Urban Green Deals” is held virtually from 8 November 2020 to 4 February 2021. ISOCARP Institute is proud to host the Special Session “Digital Infrastructure for Smart Urban Services and Public Value ” on 9 December 2020, 1.30 pm CET.

The session will reflect on how cities can support the ecological transition by providing more sustainable urban services (i.e. energy, health, mobility, etc.) and improving the quality of life of citizens. This session is relevant especially for those cities which are introducing smart and green pilot projects in their local contexts, and seek for collaboration with local communities and actors to achieve a successful implementation. Direct experiences from the EU projects where ISOCARP Institute is involved will be presented.  

Full programme

Format of the session 

The session is conceived to be as much as possible engaging and interactive. The keynote speaker presentation will provide meaningful insights and inspire the rest of the session. The presentation of two projects where ISOCARP Institute is involved are meant to encourage the debate and the comparison with other projects and local initiatives. The third part of the session is entirely dedicated to the exchange of ideas and experiences, supported by engaging online tools. 

Programme 

  • 13.30 – 13.40 | ISOCARP Institute introduction

    13.40 – 14.00 | Keynote Presentation: Assembling sustainable smart city transitions 
                              Luca Mora, Professor of Urban Innovation, Business School of Edinburgh Napier University

    14.00 – 14.10 | Q&A Session

    14.10 – 14.25 | ISOCARP Institute projects presentation: (+CityxChange, VARCITIES)
                             Dirk Ahlers, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (for +CityxChange)
                             Denia Koloktsa, Professor (Associate) of Technical University of Crete (for VARCITIES)
                             Pietro Elisei, President-elect ISOCARP

    14.25 – 14.55 | Online Workshop  (discussion, sharing experiences, team brainstorming)

    14.55 – 15.00 | Closing

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Moderators

  • Didier Vancutsem – Director of ISOCARP Institute
  • Federico Aili – ISOCARP Institute

Keynote Speaker 

Luca is an Associate Professor of Urban Innovation at the Business School of Edinburgh Napier University, where he is also leading the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Subject Group. Luca is also Professor of Urban Innovation at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), where he is collaborating in delivering the €32 million Horizon 2020 project FinEst Twins. Over the course of his professional career, Luca has committed himself to improving the quality of knowledge production and dissemination processes related to urban and regional innovation management in the digital era. His research is interdisciplinary in nature and links urban studies, innovation studies and computer science. Luca’s main research interests include: technology-driven urban and regional innovation dynamics; technology-driven urban sustainability processes; smart city development projects and strategies; Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3); and strategic planning for smart cities and RIS3. Luca is offering a strong support to the emerging scientific and technical developments of urban and regional innovation management. He has a sustained track-record of producing high-quality publication outputs and has contributed to delivery several research and consultancy projects, mainly supported by EU funding schemes (7FP, Horizon 2020). These projects have resulted in the production of new knowledge and innovative products and processes which are helping industry, government, universities and civil society to exploit their collective intelligence and generate the collaborate ecosystems required for developing smart environments that enable urban infrastructure to operate in a more sustainable manner.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.