SPECTRA CE EU at the World Planning Schools Congress...

SPECTRA Centre of Excellence EU participated in the World Planning Schools Congress 2026, held at Aalto University in Espoo and Helsinki, Finland, from 29 June to 3 July 2026.

Organised under the theme “Peripheral Visions – Rethinking Planning,” the congress brought together planning scholars and practitioners from around the world to discuss contemporary challenges affecting cities and regions. The programme addressed topics including the climate crisis, geopolitical instability, technological transformation, social justice, biodiversity, migration, and the growing role of Big Data and generative artificial intelligence in planning processes.

An important contribution to the congress was the roundtable “Rebuilding Universities – Rebuilding Cities: HEIs as Drivers of Urban Transformation and Post-War Reconstruction.” Organised within the STICS project, the roundtable focused on how higher education institutions can support urban transformation, territorial recovery, institutional capacity building, and post-war reconstruction, particularly in the Ukrainian context.

The roundtable brought together representatives of SPECTRA CE EU and partner institutions, including Nataliia Yehorchenkova, Oleksii Yehorchenkov, Maroš Finka, Sandra Lamy Schwarz, and Ľubomír Jamečný. Their contributions supported a multidisciplinary discussion on the role of universities in rebuilding cities, strengthening institutional capacities, promoting knowledge transfer, and developing future-oriented living labs.

SPECTRA CE EU also contributed to the congress programme through a presentation by Oleksii Yehorchenkov in Track 13, “Technologies – AI in Planning.” His presentation, entitled “AI Supportive Tools for Decision-Making and Planning Support: Case Study of the STICS Project,” introduced the application of artificial intelligence and digital tools to support planning, improve decision-making processes, and facilitate the development of innovative solutions within the STICS project.

In addition, Nataliia Yehorchenkova and Ivan Balykin, a scholar at SPECTRA CE EU within the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic, presented the joint poster “Digital Memory Landscapes: Social Media, Algorithmic Systems, and the Reshaping of Memory Politics in Ukraine.” The poster examined how digital platforms, algorithmic systems, and disinformation infrastructures influence memory politics in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The congress provided a valuable platform for presenting research activities, exchanging knowledge, strengthening professional networks, and exploring new cooperation opportunities in spatial planning, project management, artificial intelligence, higher education, and recovery-oriented development.

Participation in plenary sessions, thematic tracks, roundtable discussions, and networking events further strengthened SPECTRA CE EU’s international visibility and connections with the global planning community.