Poster Exhibitions and Discussion forums

We call for submission of abstracts and proposals for two Poster Exhibition / Discussion Forums [PE+DF]. This Symposium's sphere of activities combines two modalities: an exhibition mode and a participatory mode.

i. PE+DF 1: Models and experiences in Teaching and Training of Urban and Environmental Planning (in original languages)

Exhibition mode

This activity aims at addressing questions related to (a) the theory and practice of the production of relevant knowledge about the different components of urban - environmental systems, (b) the promotion of autonomous learning and understanding and (c) the building-up of intervention and operation capacities in actual urbanism and planning contexts.

We invite members of educational and teaching institutions (at undergraduate and graduate levels) as well as training of public sector officials and technicians to submit abstracts on

• their educational approaches and strategies,
• the epistemological assumptions and foundations, the theoretical and conceptual, educational, pedagogical and philosophical principles on which their education activities are based,
• the types of knowledge and skills they want to develop in planners and operators that are being trained, especially the ability to formulate policies and strategies for urban development in and implement them on the field as well as in the relationship with local and regional actors,
• teaching models of different disciplinary and interdisciplinary content involved,
• methodological and technical instruments, concepts and educational modes which foster the introduction, incorporation and application of advanced Information and Communication Technologies,
• the tasks, activities and resources that accompany the practices of students as well as the predominant teaching activities.

In the ideal, abstract and proposals will  specify design and implementation problems and how to cope with them, those  which derive from the relationships between actors trained in different disciplines, the learnings generated over time, the changes in the thematic contents, the teaching strategies and teaching/learning modalities induced by the transformation of contextual conditions.

ii. PE+DF2: Models, experiences and learning in Urban and Environmental planning Practices (in original languages). 

Exhibition mode

This activity intends to address and share questions related to the effectiveness of different conceptions and methods of diagnostics, design and formulation of plans, designs of organizational models, linkages between stakeholders, assessment and learning linked to planning and urban and environmental management at various scales

We are hereby inviting members of public agencies at all jurisdictional levels, civil society organizations and groups,  Third Sector,  academics and consultants involved in plans and projects of urban and environmental development to submit abstracts on experiences and practices of planning in which the following dimensions are detailed, connected and explained:

• Objectives of the intervention
• Social actors involved
• Organizational modalities
• Logic of development and building-up of intervention capacities
• Identifying and overcoming difficulties and errors
• Modification of strategies
• Analysis of the impact of the changing of contextual conditions or of alliances and conflicts between stakeholders

Attempts to go beyond the good initial ideas, deepening in "real-life" experiences of urban-environmental planning and management, in the approach to and the processing of (endogenous or exogenous) issues that had not been initially considered but were present and had to be resolved, and in the change and transformation of planning endeavors will be prioritized.

Participatory mode (Discussion forums (i) and (ii)

In all cases, accepted proposals and abstracts will result in the production of Posters, which will be permanently exhibited during the 3 days of the Symposium in two exclusive halls.

Interested participants may visit exhibitions at any time during the Symposium. These areas are conceived as a platform for exploring, comparing, taking notes, analyzing contents, facilitate meetings and exchanges with and between authors, establish shared agendas, explore opportunities for further contacts and common or joint projects in the future.

Both in the first of the topics addressed in this activity (Teaching and training of Urban and Environmental planning) as in the second (Urban and Environmental planning Practices), the participatory mode consists of two independent discussion forums, each of which will be displayed over two consecutive sessions of two hours each on different days. Each session will be organized / coordinated by two experts, who will guide the participants' discussions around a reduced set of questions or critical issues arising from the analysis of the set of selected experiences. During the forums, participants will identify, sort and synthesize main lines of reflection, conclusions, recommendations and proposals along of content, didactic, organisational, sharing, design and other issues. Coordinators shall draw up a report of that session for registration and eventual publication.