Land-based Planners’ Forum

The Planners’ Forum project aims to tackle critical challenges in spatial planning across the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), shaped by recent crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and geopolitical tensions. Its strategic goal is to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of land-based spatial planners in the BSR by:

  • Enabling adaptation to both predictable and unexpected future scenarios;

  • Supporting resilience in urban areas and sustainable growth in rural regions, fostering greater coherence across the BSR;

  • Improving relevant policies and aligning with evolving EU frameworks.

In short, the development of the Planners’ Forum for land-based spatial planning is about to begin.

 

Many pressing challenges require innovative, flexible planning approaches and stronger cooperation across governance levels. However, the BSR currently lacks a structured, informal platform where land-based spatial planners, particularly those at local and regional levels, can share best practices and insights.

To fill this gap, the Planners’ Forum seeks to create an inclusive network that brings together spatial planners from various governance levels for open dialogue and shared learning. This forum will help planners build capacity, foster collaboration, and promote sustainable growth across urban and rural areas. Additionally, it aims to enhance the coherence of spatial planning in the BSR, aligning with EU and regional strategies such as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and VASAB’s Vision 2040.

Through the Planners’ Forum, the project will identify specific needs, challenges, and gaps faced by planners across all levels (national, regional, local, and private spatial planning consultants), ensuring their perspectives are included in macro-regional policy discussions. By fostering multi-level cooperation and integrating local challenges into broader regional strategies, the forum will contribute to more resilient and sustainable spatial planning throughout the Baltic Sea Region.

 

Tasks within the Planners’ Forum project:

Work Package 1: Identifying Stakeholder Needs and Challenges
Led by Nordregio, this package includes stakeholder mapping and surveys to pinpoint the specific needs and challenges of local and regional spatial planners in the Baltic Sea Region.

Work Package 2: Knowledge Sharing
Led by VASAB, this package focuses on creating a comparative analysis of spatial planning systems across the region. Webinars will be held to present the feasibility study results and highlight best practices.

Work Package 3: Building a Spatial Planners Community
Led by Estonian Association for Spatial Planners, this package aims to establish a robust community of spatial planners in the BSR. A key event will be a stakeholder engagement meeting in Tallinn to develop proposals for ongoing cooperation and a macro-regional working mechanism for land-based planners.

 

 

Expected Results:

  • Clear identification of challenges, gaps, and needs of spatial planners at various governance levels.
  • Identification of relevant stakeholders to enhance collaborative planning.
  • Development of an initial macro-regional cooperation platform to build the Planners’ Forum into a strong community of spatial planners in the BSR.
  • Input for further cooperation opportunities, such as a larger project concept to pilot or test the cooperation model/platform.

Funded by: Swedish Institute 

Project’s lifetime: October 2024 – March 2026
Project lead partner: Nordregio
Project partners: Stockholm University, ARL – Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association, Estonian Association for Spatial Planners, VASAB Secretariat

 

VASAB Contacts

Egija Stapkēviča, Deputy Head of VASAB Secretariat
Phone: +371 28377878
E-mail: egija.stapkevica@vasab.org

Margarita Vološina, Spatial Planning & Communication Expert
Phone: +371 26480283
E-mail: margarita.volosina@vasab.org