Land-based Planners’ Forum project is a starting point for shaping the Forum’s future cooperation model. Together with around 40 invited stakeholders and experts, we will jointly elaborate the next steps – test formats, identify key topics, and agree on future cooperation for continuing the Land-based Planners’ Forum in the Baltic Sea Region.

The Land-based Planners’ Forum aims to create an informal and inclusive network that brings together spatial planners from different governance levels for open dialogue and shared learning. The Forum will support planners in building capacity, fostering collaboration, and promoting sustainable development across urban and rural areas. Additionally, it seeks to strengthen the coherence and impact of spatial planning in the Baltic Sea Region in order to address pressing issues such as climate change, geopolitical shocks, and social and spatial resilience.

This event marks the final phase of the Land-based Planners’ Forum project, but it also opens the way for launching the Forum itself and, most importantly, for building future cooperation among spatial planning professionals across the Baltic Sea Region beyond the project lifetime.

Please see here short informative material on activities we already carried out and results we gathered in 2025.

About the event:

• Date: 11–12 February 2026
• Time: full day and a half day
• Suggested travel: arriving on 10 February and departing on 12 February after 13:00.
• Venue: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Suur-Ameerika 1, 10122 Tallinn, Estonia
• Organisers: VASAB Secretariat, Estonian Association for Spatial Planners, Nordregio, Stockholm University, ARL – Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association
• Target audience: spatial/territorial planners working in local, regional or national public authorities across the Baltic Sea Region, as well as existing cooperation networks focused on spatial planning issues.

Agenda highlights – why to attend:
• Main agenda points will focus on jointly elaborating options, formats and themes for future cooperation – the future Land-based Planners’ Forum.
• Another important aspect will be exchange and networking, with expected participants from seven countries: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Sweden.

Registration and participation:

As places are limited, this event is by invitation only. However, if you would like to contribute, please inform the VASAB Secretariat at:  egija.stapkevica@vasab.org  and margarita.volosina@vasab.org by 19 December, 12:00 CET..

Project is financed with the contribution of the Swedish Institute.