OUR WORK
With an outreach of 85 countries, ISOCARP Institute participates in a variety of external projects under different programmes (UN-Habitat, European Union), and collaborates with world renowed organisations such as, World Health Organization, United Nations, UN-Habitat, UNOPS, Strelka, etc.
Current Projects

+CityxChange
EU H2020 Project
+CityxChange is a smart city project granted funding by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. It brings the two aspiring Lighthouse Cities Trondheim (NO) and Limerick (IE) together with distinguished five Follower Cities to underline their ambition to achieve sustainable urban ecosystems that have zero emissions and establish a 100% renewable energy city-region by 2050.

VARCITIES
EU H2020 Project
VARCITIES is an ambitious project that puts the citizens and the “human communities” at the centre of future cities’ vision. The project officially started in September 2020 and it will last until February 2025.
Seven Pilot Cities will test and implement a series of innovative nature-based actions that support creativity, inclusivity, health, and happiness.

JUSTNature
EU H2020 Project
JUSTNature is a nature-based solutions (NbS) project granted funding by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
Based on the principle of the right to ecological space, It brings seven City Practice Labs (CiPels) to underline their ambition to achieve just transition toward low carbon cities.

WAVE
Erasmus+
Water Areas Vision for Europe (WAVE) aims to create integrated knowledge and visions for sustainable water landscapes in Europe. WAVE Living Labs Constanta (RO), Bucharest (RO) , Naples (IT), Tartu (EE), Brussels (BE), Freising (GE), and Nürtingen (GE) will bring educational institutions and communities together to collaborate. During the WAVE project the universities will partner with local NGOs, schools, stakeholders, and other beneficiary groups to initiate the resolution of water related landscape challenges specific to their local contexts.

UP2030
Horizon Europe
Urban Planning and design ready for 2030 (UP2030) is a climate-neutral and smart cities project aiming to provide “guidance” for cities to reach their climate-neutral goals. The project involves a total of 46 participants, including 12 countries from the European Union.
information will be available soon

DUST
Horizon Europe
Democratising jUst Sustainability Transitions (DUST) project will develop and operationalise novel participatory instruments for proactive and strategic citizen engagement in sustainability transitions at the regional scale. The project addresses a defining societal and democratic challenge for Europe, especially in structurally weak regions dependent on energy-intensive industries, which will be most affected by transitions towards a more sustainable future.
Future Projects
PlusChange
Horizon Europe
information will be available soon
Completed Projects
Urban Planning Advisory Team
As part of the Wuhan Placemaking Week, an expert team took part in a Design Charette about the development of ‘New Hanzheng Riverside Avenue’. Covering a 900-meter-long riverfront coastline at the confluence of Hanjiang and Yangtze rivers, the municipality’s vision was to recreate an urban core, characterised by global trading, finance & tourism. The team designed new strategies for intervention across scales, bringing back the old spirit of the two rivers and making it a new place of meeting and exchange.
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Urban Planning Advisory Team
Invited by the eThekwini Municipality, a team of experts supported the local team in packaging parcels of government land to facilitate investments by means of Public Private Partnership and other models of cooperation. The task of the UPAT was to focus on two strategic precincts, assisting in the design of the implementation process, and develop financial cooperation models for their urban transformation. One precinct was the centre, where the objective was to transform it in the primary civic precinct of the city, a mixed-use area with a variety of cultural facilities.
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Urban Planning Advisory Team
The old town of Guangzhou has a rich heritage with districts, islands, parks, waterways, buildings and a large variety of backgrounds, stories and identities. Nevertheless, many of these places are currently isolated and would require a better context and better connections. The Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute (GZPI) invited the UPAT to collaborate in the assessment and connection of the historic urban resources of the city, accelerating the functional dispersal, and to optimisation and upgrade along the corridors.
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Expert Advisory
The ‘Integral Guidelines for Urban Territories – A set of principles for the integrated development of urban areas’ is a guidance document published by STRELKA KB, Moscow in December 2018, aiming to define the main approaches to design the development of residential and mixed-use areas for Russia, in correspondence with the needs and demands of residents, while taking into account the peculiar characteristics of development in Russian cities and the best international practices in the transformation of the urban environment.
EU H2020 Project
In order to achieve more sustainable and resilient societies, Nature-Based Solutions are an important topic on the EU Research and Innovation policy agenda. The ThinkNature project is part of Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and has received funding under grant agreement No 730338. The objective of the ThinkNature project is the development of a platform that supports the understanding and the promotion of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS).
ISOCARP Institute Academy
Online training on Sustainable Urban Planning & Development for nearly 200 participants from South and Southeast Asia. The initiative is part of the EU co-funded Climate Resilient and Inclusive Cities (CRIC) project, which works towards sustainable cooperation between Europe and Indonesia, as well as other South East Asian countries. Organised in 6 session, the training covers topics such as SDGs, NUA, Economic Prosperity, Environmental Sustainability, Social Inclusiveness, and Good Governance.
Urban Planning Advisory Team
ISOCARP Institute and ISOCARP Society recently helped organize, facilitate, and carry out a UPAT Design Planning Workshop in Chapala, Mexico, on the topic of waterfront urban development. Working together with international group of ISOCARP members, municipalities, and civil society groups from around Lake Chapala, the team address the various challenges along Chapala’s shoreline and develop comprehensive solutions. The purpose of the UPAT was to develop a relevant, realistic, and sustainable masterplan with key strategies for managing the lake and its surroundings, helping the area to realize its full potential while celebrating its heritage.
Information will be available soon.
EXPERIENCE
Our Capabilities
The Institute’s prime strengths include supporting cross-border collaboration globally; upholding professional excellence in planning; offering trainings advancing sustainable planning; increasing awareness of major development trends and promoting best practices; all while serving as a “Urban Think Tank” facilitating the generation and dissemination of knowledge for better cities.
We contribute actively to the urban research community through our work on EU Research Projects, publications, academic exchange, and strong network of academic professionals. More
We support public and private institutions through a variety of programmes, including the Urban Planning Advisory Teams (UPATs), technical assistance and review, building upon over 55 years of knowledge generation. More
