ARL International

Welcome to the knowledge and communication platform of the ARL - Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association , where you’ll find comprehensive information on the Academy’s international expertise.

ARL Congress 2026

European Regional Policy in Times of Transition

1–2 October 2026 in Cologne, Germany

Programme available & registration now open - find all information at ARL Congress 2026 | ARL-Net

Latest News

11/06/2026

First Live Meeting of the International Working Group on No Net Land Take in Europe

The ARL International Working Group In Pursuit of Net Zero Land Take in Europe held its first in-person meeting on 23–24 April 2026 in Ghent, Belgium.

01/06/2026

Survey: Spatial planning seen by planners

Spatial planning seen by planners: Spatial planning seen by planners
Are you (or have you been) working in the field of urban design, urban development or spatial planning? Share your experience!

27/05/2026

Call for Contributions: Visualising Health Equity for Urban Planning

Cities & Health, in partnership with the Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association (ARL), announces a new Special Issue dedicated to the transformative role of visualisation in tackling health inequities through urban planning.

Deadline now: 30 September 2026

19/05/2026

Your ideas for spatial transformation

Call for working groups and transfer formats

19/05/2026

Wide landscape view with dry grassland and a clothesline with hanging laundry in the foreground, and industrial silos and conveyor structures in the background. A red diagonal overlay on the right displays the text “ARL Congress 2026”.

ARL Congress 2026 on European Regional Policy in Times of Transition

Registration Open

We are inviting researchers, policymakers and practitioners to our 2026 congress: European Regional Policy in Times of Transition

📍 Cologne, Germany
📅 1–2 October 2026

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Who we are

The ARL – Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association is the central platform and professional voice of spatial science research and practice. As a social research infrastructure, we bring together recognised experts on socially relevant topics.

We provide our members and all participants in our network with the human and financial resources necessary for inter- and transdisciplinary cooperation, the synthesis of spatial knowledge and the effective transfer of results. In this way, we tackle current issues of sustainable spatial development in an integrated, multidisciplinary and practice-orientated manner.

This inter- and transdisciplinary approach characterises all our activities, events and publications with the aim of stimulating forward-thinking change and actively shaping the process of spatial transformation.

The ARL is a member of the Leibniz Assoctiation.

The Academy