Temporality in planning thought – a new turn? Short report on the round table at the AESOP Annual Congress on 10 July 2024 in Paris

Abstract

This short report summarises the round table discussion held at the AESOP Annual Congress on 10 July 2024 in Paris, focusing on the theme “Temporality in planning thought.” The event gathered planning scholars and practitioners to reflect on whether a “temporal turn” is emerging in planning theory. Chaired by Thorsten Wiechmann, the round table featured contributions from Simin Davoudi, Raine Mäntysalo, Miriam Jensen, Gérard Hutter, and Andy Inch, each offering different perspectives on why temporality matters in planning—politically, conceptually, and practically. Key themes included time as power, strategic variability, temporal conflicts, and the emotional dimensions of future imaginaries. The discussion did not aim to define a fixed research agenda but emphasised the need for continued dialogue and project-based networking to better integrate temporal thinking in planning research and education.