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Department of Spatial Planning
Studierende sitzt am Arbeitsplatz und schaut auf den Laptop. © Aliona Kardash​/​TU Dortmund

Two lab members presented at the 2026 World Planning Schools Congress

Liudmila Slivinskaya and Bersu Aktaş Taban at the WPSC 2026 © Liudmila Slivinskaya, Bersu Aktaş Taban​/​TU Dortmund
Bersu Aktaş Taban and Liudmila Slivinskaya participated in the 6th World Planning Schools Congress (WPSC 2026), held in Helsinki, Finland.

Bersu Aktaş Taban and Liudmila Slivinskaya attended the 6th World Planning Schools Congress (WPSC 2026), held in Helsinki, Espoo, and Tampere, Finland, from 29 June until 4 July. The congress brought together planning scholars and practitioners from around the world to discuss current challenges and future directions in planning research and education under the theme "Peripheral Visions". The event was jointly hosted by Aalto University, the University of Helsinki, and Tampere University.

Liudmila presented in the Track "Theories – Cases" a conceptual reflection following an empirical study from her doctoral research project on placemaking in prefabricated housing estates. She talked about how re-thinking monofunctional spaces of housing estates as meaningful places rich in potential activities can reframe planning from functional utilitarian use towards meaningful engagement with public spaces in the city. Bersu presented in the Track "Law" a case study prepared in collaboration with Ayça Ataç-Studt (from the BBV research group of our department) on the role of urgent expropriation in the implementation of large-scale transport infrastructure projects in Türkiye. She discussed how judicial review influences land acquisition processes and highlighted the importance of integrating legal considerations into project planning and implementation. 

Beyond presenting their research, Bersu and Liudmila actively contributed to the congress programme by participating in mobile workshops, roundtable discussions, and thematic group meetings. The World Planning Schools Congress is organised by the Global Planning Education Association Network (GPEAN), an international alliance of planning school associations that promotes collaboration in planning education and research across world regions. The congress is held every four years and is considered one of the most important global forums for planning scholarship. The 2026 edition was hosted in partnership with the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP), the leading network of planning schools in Europe, which supports academic exchange, research cooperation, and innovation in planning education.