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In a significant coup for The University of Western Australia, the third World Planning-Schools Congress (WPSC) in a decade will be hosted by UWA in July 2011.

The theme of WPSC 2011 is "Planning's Future - Futures Planning: Planning in an Era of Global (Un)Certainty and Transformation".

The international congress will bring together up to 1,000 planning scholars from nine associations across the globe, representing Africa, the USA, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Brazil, Asia, French-speaking nations, New Zealand and Australia.

Associate Professor Paul Maginn, Chair of WPSC 2011 and UWA's Urban and Regional Planning Program Coordinator, said urban and regional planning issues were high on the policy agenda of State and Federal Governments in Australia with the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and the Commonwealth of Australian Governments (COAG) both expressing the need for more concerted and co-ordinated planning in Australian capital cities in order to deal with future population growth, climate change, economic competitiveness and social diversity.

"These are issues for all countries. In fact, President Obama has recently set up an Urban Affairs Unit within the White House," Professor Maginn said.

"Given the increasing prominence of ‘the urban' within political and policy arenas in developed and developing nations around the world, I will be seeking to capitalise on this to bring high-profile academic and policy keynote speakers to Perth for the congress".  Professor Maginn also said that WPSC 2011 was particularly keen to encourage attendance by academic colleagues from Africa and Asia.

"The greater Perth metropolitan region will serve as a meta-case study area for a number of field visits. These will explore a range of physical, economic, social, environmental and political planning challenges and opportunities facing one of the fastest growing cities in Australia," Professor Maginn said.

WPSC 2011 will ultimately be a collaborative venture involving inputs from various planning schools within the Australia and New Zealand Association of Planning Schools as well as professional planners from State and local governments and private practices in Perth.

For more information, visit the AESOP planning website.

Media references

Dr Paul Maginn (+61 8) 6488 2711/(+61) 421 545190
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716