Urban Growth: Planning Cities at Speed and Scale – a Global Perspective

Urban growth, driven by population increases and migration to cities, presents a global challenge for rapid and large-scale city planning, particularly in Asia and Africa, where nearly 90% of urban population growth is expected by 2050. This growth necessitates the development of inclusive, safe, and resilient cities, requiring strategic planning, infrastructure development, and solutions for housing, traffic, and environmental sustainability to accommodate billions of new urban residents.

This roundtable should discuss different strategic approaches and policies in China, GCC, and North Africa to discuss large-scale transformative urban planning programs. For this purpose, panellists will give focused input followed by a moderated discussion.

Future Foresight and Scenario Planning Trends in the North America, Europe and the Middle East

Foresight planning is a process of systematically analyzing alternative futures and options to identify trends, opportunities, and challenges, which helps planners make evidence based, informed, long-term decisions and build urban resilience. It moves beyond simple prediction to prepare for a range of possible scenarios, rather than anticipating a single outcome. The goal is to proactively shape the urban future by expanding insights of what's possible and preparing for potential disruptions.  

The Trend Report for Planners of the American Planning Association APA aims at using the urban future when preparing for uncertainty and navigate change. Spatial Foresight is a Luxembourg based think tank in the area of European territorial policies and research. Its fields of activity bring together territorial development and policy processes with foresight-oriented approaches. Using foresight these approaches will facilitate a better understanding of how to best capitalise on territorial development potentials. In a similar way the Future Trends and Signals System captures signals of change noticed across UNDP, and identifies the trends emerging – helping us make stronger, more future-aware decisions.

This roundtable discusses futurist approaches in the North America, Europe and Middle East to identify recent trends in urban and regional development. These trends can be used for Foresight Planning as a strategic approach that helps organizations and governments anticipate and prepare for predicted and unpredicted future events by considering multiple plausible futures rather than just one forecast.

From Vision to Action: Women's Leadership in Planning Cities and Regions

Urbanism has often been defined by high-profile male voices, from Andreas Duany's New Urbanism to Jeff Speck's walkable urbanism. These movements have advanced healthier, more livable places, and their influence is undeniable. But a provocative question lingers: where are the women?

Jane Jacobs stands as an iconic and powerful figure, her insights reshaping how we think about neighborhoods and communities. Yet her prominence also exposes an uncomfortable truth: the stories of countless women who have planned, managed, and led cities and regions remain largely invisible in mainstream narratives.

This roundtable challenges that imbalance. It asks why women's leadership in planning cities and regions, though vital, innovative, and long-standing, has been sidelined in the very movements that define our profession. At the same time, it celebrates today's women leaders who are stepping into action, pioneering inclusive approaches to climate resilience, equity, social justice, and governance.

By connecting these voices to the ISOCARP Congress theme, "Cities and Regions in Action," the session underscores that cities and regions in motion must also reflect societies in motion, societies where women's leadership is recognized not as an exception, but as a driving force.

This session explores the transformative role of women in planning and managing cities and regions, placing their leadership at the center of professional practice and urban transformation. It will bring together established leaders and emerging voices who will reflect on their personal leadership journeys, share lessons learned, and highlight successful initiatives that have left a lasting impact on the planning profession.

The roundtable will showcase how women leaders have advanced inclusive governance, resilient urban design, and socially responsive policies in contexts as diverse as heritage preservation, climate adaptation, sustainable mobility, and participatory planning. Each panelist will reflect on how her leadership role has influenced institutional practices and inspired the next generation of planners, while also identifying the barriers that continue to limit women's presence in decision-making spaces.

By drawing on these lived experiences and professional milestones, the session will not only celebrate achievements but also set out a roadmap for future action: cities and regions where inclusivity, equity, and resilience are embedded as core principles. Participants will leave with concrete insights into how gender-responsive leadership can strengthen urban governance, accelerate progress toward the SDGs, and redefine planning practice for more inclusive and just cities worldwide.

The Resilient City: People and Places in Action

Urban areas around the world are increasingly facing complex challenges, from climate change and natural disasters to social inequities and rapid population growth. "The Resilient City: People and Places in Action" panel brings together thought leaders, practitioners, and community voices to explore how resilience can be embedded into the fabric of cities. This session focuses on practical strategies that empower communities and municipalities to adapt, recover, and thrive amid uncertainty. Through case studies and real-world examples, panelists will highlight the role of inclusive planning, innovative design, and collaborative governance. The discussion aims to bridge the gap between policy and practice, emphasizing the importance of people-centered approaches in building urban resilience. Urban planners and municipal leaders will leave with actionable insights to shape stronger, more adaptive cities for the future.

 As cities across the Gulf face intensifying climate risks such as extreme heat, water scarcity, and coastal vulnerability, a central argument-that resilience must address both environmental and social justice dimensions-is especially timely. With rapid urban development, economic diversification, and visionary national agendas like Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 shaping the urban landscape, this session invites participants to consider how adaptation can move beyond technical fixes toward inclusive, people-centered solutions.

Drawing on regional examples-from historic neighborhoods facing redevelopment pressures to low-income migrant communities in vulnerable urban peripheries-the discussion will explore how Gulf cities can build resilience while safeguarding cultural heritage, supporting economic inclusion, and enhancing community engagement. Panelists will also connect these local challenges to the broader momentum toward COP30, which positions cities and subnational actors at the center of climate implementation. Brazil's "Green Resilient Model Cities Program" and the COP30 "Action Agenda" both highlight the urgent need for local climate action grounded in equity and justice. In this roundtable, we ask: how can Gulf cities, often marked by rapid transformation and demographic diversity, ensure that their adaptation strategies are not only resilient, but also just? What governance shifts are needed to empower municipalities and communities to co-create more equitable urban futures in the face of climate crisis?

Placemaking as Infrastructure for Resilience and Liveability in Dynamic Cities 

As cities grow and transform at unprecedented speed, they face intertwined challenges of climate change, rapid urbanization, and social fragmentation. Traditional infrastructure alone can no longer safeguard resilience or guarantee liveability. Placemaking-when approached as critical urban infrastructure-offers a transformative lens: it builds adaptive capacity, strengthens social cohesion, and weaves environmental performance into the everyday fabric of cities. By shaping parks, streets, waterfronts, and public spaces as multifunctional assets, placemaking enables cities to manage heat, water, and ecological stress while fostering identity, inclusivity, and well-being. This session explores how dynamic cities can embed placemaking into their planning and investment strategies, positioning "place" not as a luxury, but as essential infrastructure for resilience and liveability.

This session explores how placemaking can be redefined as essential urban infrastructure, strengthening resilience and enhancing liveability in fast-changing cities. Through case studies and dialogue, it highlights how well-designed public spaces address climate risks, foster social cohesion, and create adaptive, people-centered environments.

Professionals at the Heart of Cities and Regions in Transition

Cities and regions worldwide are undergoing profound transitions driven by rapid urbanization, climate change, demographic shifts, technological disruption, and evolving governance models. At the center of these transformations stand the built environment professionals-planners, architects, urban designers, engineers, and landscape architects-whose expertise bridges vision and implementation. Their role extends beyond technical solutions; they shape inclusive processes, mediate between stakeholders, and translate global agendas such as the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and the New Urban Agenda into local realities. This panel brings together high-level leaders from across disciplines to explore how professional collaboration can drive sustainable, resilient, and equitable urban and regional futures. By highlighting global and local experiences, it underscores why professionals are not just service providers, but catalysts of change at the heart of urban transitions.

This roundtable explores examples of education across the built environment disciplines before opening a broader discussion on the state of the professions today. It emphasizes the urgent need for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration and considers how city and regional planning can serve as a facilitator in bridging diverse professional perspectives. The session aims to identify emerging needs, foster cooperation, and strengthen the collective role of built environment professionals in shaping sustainable, resilient, and inclusive cities and regions