October 31, 2008

International Planning Leaders Convene in Zhenjiang

More than 50 NGOs meet to develop statement on the impact of urbanization

CHICAGO — Top international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that focus on urban planning will convene October 31 through November 2, 2008, in Zhenjiang, PRC, for the Global Planners Network Congress. The Congress will address critical planning issues such as urbanization, poverty, and climate change.

The event is hosted and supported by the Government of Zhenjiang City and Jiangsu Province. Speakers include Dr. Anna Tibaijuka, Director of UN-HABITAT; Ms. Xu Jirong, Party Secretary of Zhenjiang; and Chinese officials from various national agencies and Chinese NGOs.

Roundtable discussions will help shape the future direction of planning and urbanization globally. The Zhenjiang Communiqué,the main outcome from the Congress, will outline the agenda for planning in the future and raise critical issues that impact everyone by working with existing planning organizations and building capacity where little currently exists. The Zhenjiang Communique will be discussed at the World Urban Forum 4 in Nanjing.

The Global Planners Network believes governments and NGOs need to share common goals that address the significant challenges of global urbanization. The Congress will focus on three themes:

• Urbanization – More people live in cities now than ever before and over the next 20 years urbanization will continue at a rapid pace. (Organized by the American Planning Association and their Chinese partners.)
• Poverty – From food to energy costs, more and more people are falling behind economically and the issues of urbanization cannot be addressed without economic solutions. (Organized by the Royal Town Planning Institute with support from the Commonwealth Association of Planners and UN Habitat.)
• Climate Change and Hazards – more and more of our populations are living in coastal regions that will be affected by rising sea levels and changes in climate patterns. (Organized by the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Planning Institute of Australia.)

About Global Planners Network

Global Planners Network (GPN) comprises national planning organizations that strive to build global capacity to undertake effective planning. The network provides a forum for members to exchange planning ideas, approaches, and planning practices. The American Planning Association was a founding member of GPN. Visit www.globalplannersnetwork.org to learn more about GPN.

GPN was established in 2005 prior to the World Planners' Congress. Thirteen national institutes signed the Vancouver Declaration that commits planning professionals around the world to work together to address the challenges of rapid urbanization, the urbanization of poverty, and the hazards posed by climate change and natural disasters. The Vancouver Declaration was presented in 2006 at the World Urban Forum 3 in Vancouver.

Contact

Jeffrey Soule, American Planning Association; jsoule@planning.org