AESOP NEWS SPECIAL EDITION : AESOP Prize Papers in Planning Presented at the Bergen Congress, July 1999

Abstract

This publication brings together the Prize Paper and three Highly Commended Papers selected within the framework of the AESOP Prize for the Best Planning Paper published in Europe. The Prize was established to celebrate excellence in planning scholarship, to promote awareness of high-quality academic work across Europe, and to support the integration of diverse intellectual and planning traditions.

The volume includes four papers published in leading European planning journals, covering key thematic areas of the discipline: planning history, urban design and design control, policy implementation, and conceptual debates on society, space and environment. Together, the papers reflect the breadth of planning research in Europe during the late 1990s and illustrate different methodological and theoretical approaches within the field.

In addition to presenting the selected papers, the publication documents the AESOP Prize nomination and assessment process, outlining the role of journal editors, AESOP Council members, and the Nominating Committee. As such, the booklet serves both as a record of academic recognition and as a historical document illustrating how planning research excellence was identified and evaluated within the European planning community.