Revising the AESOP Core Curriculum – for the 21st century

In 1995, AESOP issued its ‘Statement on European Planning Education’Footnote1 – with the objective of establishing common principles that would foster high-quality planning education provision across Europe. These common principles were encapsulated in a set of requirements forming a Core Curriculum for planning education. Adopted by the AESOP community, these principles served as the basis for the admission of new AESOP member institutions and to promote quality in planning education.

However, as planning is a very dynamic field, planning practice and the profession have changed considerably since 1995. Awareness of issues related to climate change and sustainable development has increased; national and local democracies have evolved; and the digital revolution is profoundly impacting the process and the tools of planning, to mention a few important changes. Furthermore, the Bologna agreement (1999) has changed the academic landscape, offering new possibilities and imposing new constraints on the organisation of planning education. For these reasons, in 2021, AESOP’s ExCo decided to embark on updating the principles eschewed in its Core Curriculum.