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President's Report 2007: Laura
Kolbe, Helsinki (20 June 2007)
Preamble
Old and New President, and Retiring and New Executive
Officers
New Delhi (2006), Chicago (2008) and forthcoming conferences
Other Conferences and IPHS
Spring 2007 Special meetings in Uppsala, London and
Letchworth
Membership Review
Journals: Planning History/Planning Perspectives
Prizes
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Officers, 2004-2006
Council Members (Elected Members 2005-2008 and 2007-2010
In Conclusion
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Previous Reports
Preamble
The IPHS is an academic society. It has a global network, which
is able to offer a worldwide platform for discussions about current
practice to protect, enhance, promote knowledge of and generally
take forward key sites in planning history.
It has been 1,5 years since the IPHS Council last met on the eve
of the 13th biennial conference in New Delhi .During these 18 months,
there has been much effort in trying to set in place the somewhat
unclear management tradition and economic of our small but truly
global academic society. This period has been also marked by a review
of membership and publication activities and securing a venue for
the 2010 Conference. The main aim has been to renew IPHS activities,
membership service and publication program.
This Presidential report is my first to Council as President of
the International Planning History Society for the term 2007-2010.
It is presented in a situation when all ready can be seen the results
of far-reaching changes in the situation in which the Society operates.
These changes were mainly initiated under the previous President,
Professor Rob Freestone.
Old and New President, and Retiring and New
Executive Officers
The 2006 conference organized by Javier Monclus, Malcolm Burns and
Manuel Guardia was a
Professor Robert Freestone's term as President ended at the
IPHS New Delhi Conference. Freestone retired from President's post
after many years of service to the Society. The Society thanked
Freestone in New Delhi by underlining his great role for the society
during the last decade. He made an outstanding contribution as Conference
Convenor in one of the great IPHS conferences in Sydney 1998. Rob
Freestone's speciality is planning history, in global and local
context. He continues to be the leading figure within Australian
urban and planning historians, well networked also to New Zealand.
Rob Freestone was the President of IPHS during years 2003 - 2006.
During this time, on his initiative, major changes have been planned
within the Society, and were to be realized during the last year.
Rob has been an energetic planner of these changes, and great motor
to realize them. On behalf of the Society I want to thank Rob for
all the years he gave to Society, first as a Council Member, then
as Secretary General and later as the President. On behalf of the
Society I also want to thank Rob Freestone for all the years he
gave - and will give as active member - to the Society.
The New Delhi Conference marked a bigger transition in management
roles, with many long serving figures standing down. Progressively
through 2006 Professor Helen Meller took on the Treasurer duties
of the Society. Professor Stephen Ward, a former President, also
flagged his intention of retiring as Secretary-General. Some major
efforts have been made to find a suitable replacement - the situation
is now on a more secure basis. The new convenor for electronic communication,
Dr. David Pomfret started his period in 2007. He took the role of
Communications Convenor, being also webmaster for Society's new
internet home page www.planninghistory.org and coordination of the
IPHS-Connect list serve. Both these communication media have been
vital in the transition year of 2007. Pomfret also took a role as
editor of the former Planning History section (now IPHS section)
of Planning Perspectives. The mantle of Conference Convenor was
passed from Professor Binayak Rath to Professor Christopher Silver.
Prof. Peter Larkham continued as Membership Secretary.
New Delhi (2006), Chicago (2008) and forthcoming
conferences
The 2006 conference organized by Professor Binayak Rath and his
team was a successful scholarly gathering in a memorable city. Chicago
Conference 2008 was already under preparation. Expressions of interest
to host the 2008 biennial conference were invited in late 2005 and
Chicago was selected as the host city for 2008 conference. The co-convenors
are Professor Christopher Silver (University of Florida) and Professor
Robert Bruegmann (University of Illinois at Chicago). The aim was
to run the conference immediately following the joint American Collegiate
Schools of Planning/Association of European Schools of Planning
Conference which is scheduled for 6-11 July 2008. Several central
organizational and scholarly issues were discussed during the year
2007 in a group formed by Silver/Bruegmann and Freestone/Kolbe,
the latter representing the Society. The theme of the conference
is going to be: Public Versus Private Planning: Themes, Trends and
Tensions.
Immediately after the New Delhi conference, a confidential e-mail
debriefing was coordinated by the President to identify the cities
of future conferences in Europe and Asia (China). Informal discussions
were held with several interested parties. In May 2007 the President
spent half-a-week in Budapest and Istanbul, hosted by academic colleagues,
to sort out the possibilities to have a conference in one of these
cities. Discussions were most fruitful in Turkey, where the university
facilities were on more stable ground. Successful negotiations continued
throughout the year 2007 with the possible conference host, Istanbul
Technical University (ITU)'s Department of Urban and Regional Planning
and Urban and Environmental Planning and Research Centre. The proposal
to host the conference in Istanbul July 2010 was received and commented
on in spring 2008 by the Selection Committee chaired by the President
and comprising Robert Freestone, Christine Garnaut and Arturo Almandoz.
Comments came also from Executive Officers.
Other Conferences and IPHS
One specialist meetings were held in 2007 with the support of the
IPHS. On 13-15 September 2007 Visual planning and urbanism in the
mid-twentieth century, a workshop on the work and life of Thomas
Sharp was held in Newcastle (UK), being organised by Council Member
John Pemberton Many Council members and Executive officers participated
in the 12th National Conference on Planning History in Portland,
Maine 25-28 October 2007, arranged by the Society for American City
and Regional Planning History (SACRPH). Members of Council and Executive
officers participated in several national, regional and local planning
and urban history conferences.
Sprig 2007 Special meetings in Uppsala,
London and Letchworth
In spring 2007 two special meetings were held between the President
and the Treasurer of the IPHS. The first was in Uppsala, at Swedish
Collegium for Advanced Study and the other in London. The purpose
of these meetings was to discuss issues related to membership subscriptions
including payment arrangements with Taylor and Francis, and reminder
notices, prizes and editorial aspects on Planning Perspectives (PP),
conference planning, and the future of the new International Planning
History Society (IPHS) section in PP.
The President and the Treasurer visited of 17 May 2007 Letchworth,
the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation (LGCHF) and had a
meeting with Mr. Alan Howard, Director of LGCHF. The aim was to
discuss the future co operation. During the years 2005-2006, the
LGCHF sponsored an International Research Fellowship in partnership
with the University of Westminster. The financial agreement was
£5 000 from LGCHF and £1 000 from University of Westminster. The
selection of Fellowship was done together with University of Westminster
(Dr. Maurits van Roojen). Two fellows have been selected: Dr Dorota
Wlodarczyk (The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden) in 2005 and
Professor Dennis Hardy (Middlesex University, England) in 2006.
After the discussions with Mr. Howard, a suggestion was made by
IPHS representatives on how to develop mutual understanding between
the IPHS/the LGCHF. A Pro Memoria was prepared by the President
on conditions on how to develop the International Research Fellowship;
to give a new name (Letchworth Fellowship) and to encourage promising
young scholars. Later, in autumn, it was clear that no results were
to be seen with LGCHF. The situation is still open.
Membership Review
In August 2005 a review of membership was initiated and the process
was finalised during the year 2007. The main tasks were to check
current details of members, nominate possible future members, investigate
reasons for membership lapsing, and identify channels through which
society membership could be promoted. It was timely in view of the
arrangement proposed with Taylor and Francis in 2007.
From 2007 proposed new annual membership fees are:
General membership - 35 pounds
Student membership - 25 pounds
Institutional membership - to be determined
Journals: Planning History / Planning Perspectives
(PP)
The greatest change occurred during the years 2007 within the Society's
publication program and profile as well as within membership fees.
The evaluation of the position of the IPHS info bulletin Planning
History finished in 2006 and a recommendation for new publishing
policies were made by the former President Freestone. A number of
members of Council were consulted on this issue. More intensive
discussions since September 2006 have seen a firm proposal coming
from Taylor & Francis to incorporate Planning History into Planning
Perspectives from 2008. Helen Meller as the editor of Planning Perspectives
and IPHS Treasurer has played a central role in the negotiations
between IPHS and Taylor & Francis. The main results of this
new arrangement were:
1. Planning History bulletin ceased as publication after the last
number in December 06.
2. It re-emerged as part of Planning Perspectives in January 2008
(a 16 page section).
3. A separate editor was appointed for this section.
4. In the changeover period, members of IPHS received a copy of
Planning Perspectives in
January 2007. To obtain further numbers in the 2007 volume, members
were asked to pay their subscription during spring 2007.
5. The annual IPHS membership rate included now the subscription
(£35 for normal members and £25 for students). This was an increase
but it was considered to deliver considerable value for money. The
institutional rate was also determined in 2007.
6. The IPHS logo started to appear on the journal title page.
Prizes
The following prizes were announced at the 12th IPHS Conference
in New Delhi in 2006.
1. Best book on planning history 2004-2005
* Anne Marie Broudehoux, The Making of Post-Mao Beijing, Routledge,
2004
In addition, following the Council decision in 2002 to introduce
a complementary prize acknowledging the language and culture of
the conference host, there is a new award for the best book in English
addressing the planning history of South Asia and/or related to
the region where the conference takes place.
In New Delhi the Best book on South Asian planning history, 2004-2005,
was:
* Jyoti Hosagar, Indigenous Modernities: Negotiating architecture
and urbanism, Routledge, 2005
The Society acknowledge the efforts of the Book Prize Committee:
Dirk Schubert (Chair), Helen Meller, Nihal Perera and Peter Larkham.
2. Best paper on planning history in Planning Perspectives 2004-2005:
* Helene Vacher, 'Extension planning and the historic city: civic
design strategies in the 1908-9 Copenhagen international competition',
published in Volume 19:3, 2004
This prize for the best research paper to appear in Planning Perspectives
was sponsored by Taylor and Francis. The Society is grateful for
the efforts of the Prize Committee: David Gordon (Chair), Michael
Hebbert and Joseph Nasr.
3. Best postgraduate student paper presented at the conference:
* Andrea Yuri Flores Urushima, 'Uzo Nishiyama's proposals for a
planned urban expansion of Japanese cities'
This prize for the best paper written and presented by a postgraduate
student was awarded for the second time. Society's thanks again
to the relevant prize committee: Mark Clapson (Chair), Christine
Garnaut, Mercedes Volait, Ravi Kalia, and Alicjia Smeltzer.
New prize committees were convened from 2007
Best book prize: Professor Dirk Schubert (chair), Dr. Nihal Perera
(Ball State University), Professor Helen E. Meller and Professor
Jose Luis Sainz Guerra (Universidad Valladolid)
Planning Perspectives Prize Committee: Professor David Gordon (chair)
, Dr. Carola Hein and professor Ian Morley and Dr. Helen Porfyriou
Best Conference Paper Prize, under Dr. Jenny Gregory's chair
Officers
President:
Professor Laura Kolbe (University of Helsinki, Finland)
Treasurer:
Professor Helen Meller (University of Nottingham)
Secretary-General:
Professor Stephen Ward (Oxford Brookes University)
Membership Secretary:
Professor Peter Larkham (Birmingham City University)
E-Communications Coordinator:
Dr. David Pomfret (University of Hong Kong, China)
Conference Convenor:
Professor Chris Silver (University of Florida, USA)
Council Members
Elected Members 2005-2008
Prof. Eugenie L. Birch (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
Research Fellow Christine Garnaut (Louis Laybourne Smith School
of Architecture and Design, University of South Australia)
Ass. Prof. David Gordon (Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario,
Canada)
Prof. Lawrence Vale (Urban Studies and Planning, MIT, USA)
Prof. Andre Sorensen (University of Toronto, Canada)
Dr. Maria Cristina da Silva Leme (Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo
Universidade de Sao Paulo)
Ass. Prof. Isabelle Gournay (University of Maryland, USA)
Ass. prof., architect Madalena Cunha Matos (Faculty of Architecture,
Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal)
Dr. Alicja Szmelter (Warsaw University of Technology, Poland)
Prof. Shun-Ichi J Watanabe (Science University of Tokyo, Japan)
Prof. John Pendlebury (University of Newcastle, UK)
Prof. Ian Morley (Chinese University of Hong Kong, China)
Elected Members 2007-2010
Prof. Arturo Almandoz (Universidad Simon Bolivar, Venezuela)
Prof. Michael Hebbert (University of Manchester, UK)
Dr. Nihil Perera (Baptist University, Hong Kong, China)
Dr. Vibra Arora (India Institute of Technology, India)
Architect, prof. Halina Dunin-Woyseth (Oslo School of Architecture,
Norway)
Dr. Fukuo Akimoto (Kyushu University, Japan)
Prof. Javier Monclus (Universidad Politecnica di Cataluna, Spain)
Dr. Joseph Nasr (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
Prof. Dieter Schott (University of Dortmund, Germany)
Dr Dirk Schubert (Technical University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany)
Prof. Sevin Aksoylu (Anadolu University, Eskisehir-Turkey)
Dr. Dianne Brand, (University of Auckland, New Zealand)
In Conclusion
I was handed over the Society which is equipped itself well for
future opportunities and challenges.
IPHS is at a turning point. There have been changes of personnel
and changes in the services supplied to members. At the end of 2007
(i.e. the current membership), the Society has only 146 full paid
members; earlier the number was over 400 members. There are still
large gaps in coverage, particularly in Africa, much of Asia including
China and South-Africa. We need to recruit new members. We must
explore new ways of reaching interested parties. The main tasks
will be to check current details of members, nominate possible future
members, investigate reasons for membership lapsing, and identify
channels through which society membership could be promoted. But
there are also a number of existing possibilities in the close future
which may encourage new growth for the Society.
Laura Kolbe
IPHS President
University of Helsinki
Finland
laura.kolbe@helsinki.fi
Previous Reports
IPHS President's Report 2006
IPHS President's Report 2004
IPHS President's Report 2002
IPHS President's Report 2000
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