Survey Responses
A Two-question survey | 2026 January
Q1. What is one way the International Division can improve meaningful knowledge sharing among planners around the world?
Q2. What is a planning-related project, area of policy or practice has inspired you, or that you would like to learn more about this year? (And what cities or countries are leading the way?)
Responses
Nazmus from Dhaka, Bangladesh:
"Interaction globally, and localized conferences or workshops with the collaboration of Planning stakeholders"
"I had engaged in Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 for a long-term plan for deltaic areas like Bangladesh in collaboration with the Netherlands. Now I have engaged in master plan preparation of urban areas, e.g., municipalities in Bangladesh, with a concept of green urban neighborhoods attaching localized wisdom. "
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Carsten from Dortmund, Germany:
"Promoting networking by low-threshold exchange formats like chatrooms. Using the annual National Planning Conference for in-person reunions"
"As the former director of a municipal mobility management unit, affordable, sustainable mobility to me is one of the pillars of urban development. And that is not conclusively related to prestigious projects or fancy metropolis - engaged planners and citizens can also succeed in the hinterland! I'd be pleased to join an exchange with mobility planners and transport managers from the US! "
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Patricio from Tempe, AZ, USA
"One meaningful way the International Division can improve global knowledge sharing is by shifting the focus from abstract “best practices” toward contextual, lived urban knowledge. Many planning conversations today address symptoms such as congestion, affordability, or climate stress without engaging deeply with the underlying ways cities were historically shaped to support daily life."
"The International Division could foster learning by creating platforms that document how people have lived well over time through walkable urban form, human-scale density, transitional spaces, and close relationships between landscape, infrastructure, and community. Learning from both contemporary cities and ancestral or traditional settlement patterns would help planners reconnect with long-term wisdom that modern planning often overlooks. This approach would encourage planners to share not only solutions, but also values, habits, and ways of inhabiting place."
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Carla from Vancouver BC, Canada and San Francisco, CA. USA
"The International Division has the opportunity to bridge geopolitical divides and move on challenges in housing, transport and digital transformation. "
"China’s Smart Cities, EVs and High Speed Rail, Singapore Housing and MRT system Field Study"
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Aileen from Chamblee, GA, USA
"Partnering with other divisions for travel. I'm also in Latinos & Planning and we discussed meeting with international planners on their turf to share knowledge and experience their built environment."
"Rewilding and the biophilic cities movement. There are a number of cities throughout the world that are leading the way."