The 17th International Planning History Society Conference will be held in Delft, The Netherlands, from 17 to 21 July 2016. The conference theme is ‘History-Urbanism-Resilience’.
Over many centuries, cities around the world have demonstrated an astounding resilience as they have prepared for, responded to and recovered from natural and man-made disasters. In view of current challenges from earthquakes and tsunamis, from climate change and sea level rise, from migration and demographic transformation to war and terrorism, this conference invites papers that engage with the theme of resilience and the diverse tangible and intangible structures that support it.
The organizers particularly welcome contributions that investigate urban form, urban visions, comprehensive planning, adaptive design, governance structures or policy making as related to danger, destruction and rebuilding in the modern era. This includes research on physical rebuilding, as well as economic restructuring, governance, and related social, ethnic, migratory, religious, and issues and implications.
The Netherlands is an ideal location to address this topic. Spatial planning, regional planning and urban planning have a long history; in fact, many Dutch cities wouldn’t exist without extensive preventive planning strategies many of which can be adapted in the face of rising sea levels. Delft for example, the conference venue, is two meters below sea level.
The organizers also invite proposals on other topics relevant to the modern history of urban, regional and environmental planning generally.
The organizers encourage papers with a comparative and cross-disciplinary approach by historians, academic and practicing planners, geographers, environmentalists, preservationists, public policy makers, and graduate students.
In addition to individual proposals, proposals for themed sessions and round tables are welcome.
Only peer-reviewed papers by presenters attending the conference will be included in the conference proceedings.
For more information on the submission process, please download the conference flyer or visit the conference website.
