(Liverpool University Press, 2009) Rosenfeld, Orna
The brand ‘AESOP’ stands for excellence in planning education in Europe. The 23rd AESOP congress in Liverpool certainly stood loyal to this legacy. However, for those young academics joining the AESOP family this year, the event will be remembered not only by its expected traits, but also for its unanticipated qualities. Across its 18 tracks, the 23rd congress gathered participants from far beyond the European planning schools that AESOP represents. Planning academics came from as far as China, Malaysia, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, USA, Tanzania and New Zealand (just to mention a few). Learning about planning issues from these countries along with European ones was the most unexpected and enriching experience. Considering our cultural diversity, even less expected was the immediate sense of belonging and the almost nonchalant ease in cross-national communication created at the event. Apart from individual presentations, some other congress events facilitating interactive knowledge exchange were of particular value. Meetings of the AESOP working groups, the Young Academics Network events and the PhD Workshop held immediately before the congress in the University of Manchester provided places for such gatherings. They made us realise that no matter how different our backgrounds and local contexts may be, no matter what languages we speak, dealing with similar issues and facing similar challenges gives us a sense of unity.