AlpPlan (alpine spatial planning network) is a European Working Group (EWG) in the Alpine region, resulting from a cooperation of the Interreg Alpine Space project OpenSpaceAlps and the Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association (ARL). The realisation of the objectives set by the Alpine Convention and their coordination by means of spatial planning form an important framework for the activities of the network.

The overall objective of AlpPlan is to promote cooperation and coordination in the field of spatial planning in the Alpine region, especially from a cross-border perspective. Through mutual exchange and cooperation, the network is committed to contributing to sustainable territorial development from an ecological, economic and social perspective. The benefit of the network is seen particularly in the fact that AlpPlan brings together both scientific expertise and practice-oriented application perspectives. In doing so, the network takes on a role that accompanies political strategies and processes in an advisory function, but generally offers an independent and open exchange between the members. 

AlpPlan is committed to ensuring close cooperation with appropriate institutions. This includes in particular the working bodies of the Alpine Convention and the action groups of the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP).

The activities of the network include for instance:

• Conferences and workshops, targeted at current topics of alpine territorial development
• Elaboration of scientific and application-oriented publications
• Cooperation with European Cooperation projects (e.g. within the Interreg Alpine Space programme)

The AlpPlan Steering Committee (SC) consists of:

• Chairperson: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Hubert Job (Chair of Geography and Regional Science, Julius-Maximilians-University, DE)
• Deputy Chairpersons: Sergeja Praper Gulič (Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, SI), Philipp Vesely (Salzburg Institute for Regional Planning and Housing, AT)
• Secretary/organisational assistant: Constantin Meyer (ARL – Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association)
• ARL Headquarter: Prof. Dr. Andreas Klee (ARL – Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association, Head of the Central Department)

For any requests about the AlpPlan network, please get in touch with us via e-mail: alpplan@arl-net.de

The following Focal Persons have been appointed to advise the Steering Committee and act as a link to the planning and research community as well as international networks:

• Benoît Fanjeau (Regional and Territorial Planning Service, Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, FR)
• Živa Novljan (Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention)
• Luisa Pedrazzini (Office for European Territorial and Environmental Cooperation, Regione Lombardia, IT)
• PD Dr. Marco Pütz (Research Group Regional Economics and Development, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH)
• Dr. Arthur Schindelegger (Research Unit Land Policy and Land Management, TU Wien, AT)

• Rules of Procedure for ARL European Working Groups (EWG)

Title Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash