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

Call for Abstracts until 1 March 2026

Latest News

02/03/2026

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”. On the left side it says: "extended call: march 15 2026".

2026 ARL Congress: Deadline for abstracts extended to 15 March

Deadline for abstracts extended to 15 March 2026!
We invite scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to submit abstracts for the ARL Congress 2026, taking place on 1–2 October 2026 in Cologne (Maternushaus).

26/02/2026

New Edition Released: ARL Country Profile Poland

Poland’s spatial planning system has recently undergone significant reforms, particularly affecting municipal planning and land-use decisions. The ARL Country Profile of Poland offers a concise overview of the planning system, recent reforms, multilevel governance, and key challenges such as regional disparities, urban–rural divides, and demographic change.

24/02/2026

Strengthening Exchange and Cooperation across the Baltic Sea Region

The ARL at the Final Conference of the Planners’ Forum Project in Tallinn

The final conference of the Planners’ Forum project, held on 11–12 February 2026 in Tallinn, marked both the conclusion of the project phase and the official launch of the Land-based Planners’ Forum.

13/02/2026

A future for the European patchwork. Cohesion through spatial planning since 1990'

Now published by Campus Verlag!

In times of challenging transformations at all spatial levels, the insights provided in this book are highly relevant.

10/02/2026

Planning the Future for Youth in Europe’s Shrinking Areas

ARL Lunch Talk
19.03.2026, 13:00-14:00 CET, online

The Lunch Talk aims to bring together scholars from different fields of expertise and to reflect on both, the perspectives of shrinking areas and those of young people.

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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