For inquires regarding submissions please email us at
siena-contributions2024@aimgroup.eu

INTRODUCTION

ISOCARP’s 60th World Planning Congress Diamond Anniversary Series is not a typical congress, but rather a SPREAD-OUT CONGRESS:
• spatially (global north and global south),
• temporally (throughout the year with multiple events), and
• thematically (from classic urban planning and design to contemporary and future planningissues).

The WPC60 Diamond Anniversary Series will feature several events, including the 1st International Conference for New Cities: Planning New Regenerative Cities, in New Clark City, Philippines (10-13 September 2024), and the ‘grand finale’ 60th World Planning Congress: Reinventing the (In) Visible Cities in the historic city of Siena, Italy (9- 12 October). Before, between, and after these major events, ISOCARP will host complementary events to celebrate the WPC60 Diamond Anniversary.

The 60th World Planning Congress, under the banner of “Reinventing the (In)Visible Cities” will be held within Siena’s historic walls and seeks to chart a course towards sustainable urban development. Inspired by Calvino’s visionary work in “Invisible Cities”, delegates are encouraged to imagine the unseen and strive for urban utopia. The Tracks of the Congress are as follows:
1. Cultural Heritage for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Futures. Explore how preservation and utilization of cultural heritage can serve as a catalyst and/or powerful driver for sustainable urban development of resilient cities and regions.
2. Innovation, creativity, legacy: Cities of/for Tomorrow. Discover innovative solutions for revitalizing cities and metropolitan regions, improving their mobility and efficiency, shaping their dynamic future and directing their evolution. Investigate creative and inventive technological, social and spatial solutions and planning approaches which support equity, inclusiveness, cooperation and collaboration, as well as digital upgrading, urban management and the efficiency and modernisation of urban systems.
3. Urban Memories and Inclusive Regeneration. Explore the preservation of intangible urban memories and inclusive regeneration practices, empowering communities and fostering social inclusion.
4. Sustainable Urban Density. Examine approaches to sustainable urban density, balancing population growth with green spaces and sustainable design principles to create livable and resilient urban environments.
5. Circular Urbanity. Discover strategies for implementing closed-loop systems and zero-waste planning in cities, fostering resilience and sustainability while minimizing environmental impact.

This year’s Series also incorporates a Virtual Precongress. The Virtual Pre-Congress will include papers submitted for the 60th World Planning Congress in Siena, Italy (9-12 October) only.

In-person tickets for the 60th World Planning Congress also include access to the Virtual Pre-Congress.

Contributors are welcome to present their work in-person. There will be no virtual presentations in the venue as they will be limited to the Virtual Pre- Congress. In these Submission Guidelines you will find information about the types of Submissions that are accepted this year and other instructions.

We hope that these Guidelines for authors will help to make this opportunity a reality, and to welcome all planners – from global north and south, east and west, practical and theoretical, technical and artistic, famous and unknown, generalist and specialist, teacher and learner!

1. Guidelines by Submission Category

1.1. Case Study Report + Track Presentation
Case Study Reports contribute to Planning Practice and/or Policy by providing evidence and evaluation of work – a specific project, plan, policy or design – that can either be already completed or in the implementation phase. Case Study Reports will be included in the Congress Proceedings.

Submission 1: Abstract
Please upload your Abstract of 300-600 words, keeping the following structure:
a. Case study background (50-100 words)
b. Case study relevance to the congress themes (100- 200 words)
c. Contribution to planning or policy making practice (150-300 words)

Submission 2: Case Study Report (in case of acceptance)
• 2000-3000 words, including report text and references.
• Highly encouraged: Inclusion of visuals and any graphics that advance clarity of the report findings and methodology. Also, highly encouraged to include lessons learned if applicable.

Final Submission 3: Presentation
• Please upload your presentation on the congress platform before the due date
• Please submit your presentation titled in the following format: Track number, ISO number, Surname (Example: T1-ISOC253-Smith)
• A Presentation Template will be available on the congress platform
• The recommended number of slides is 10-20

1.2 Case Study Track Presentation without Report
Contributors are welcome to present their Case Study, without the obligation to submit a full Case Study Report. Please note that in this case, the presentation will not be included in the proceedings or any other post-congress publication.

Submission 1: Abstract
Please upload your Abstract of 300-600 words, keeping the following structure:
a. Case study background (50-100 words)
b. Case study relevance to the congress themes (100- 200 words) c. Contribution to planning or policy making practice (150-300 words)
c. Contribution to planning or policy making practice (150-300 words)

Submission 2: Presentation (in case of acceptance)
• Please upload your presentation on the congress platform before the due date
• Please submit your presentation titled in the following format: Track number, ISO number, Surname (Example: T1-ISOC253-Smith)
• A Presentation Template will be available on the congress platform
• The recommended number of slides is 10-20

1.3 Research Paper + Track Presentation
Research Papers should represent an academic contribution to a specific field, discipline and/or topic within one of the Tracks (selected at submission). Final Research Papers will be assigned a DOI number (Digital Object Identifier), will be included in the Congress Proceedings and the ISOCARP searchable paper platform-after the congress.

Submission 1: Abstract
Please upload your Abstract of 300-600 words, keeping the following structure:
a. Study background (50-100 words)
b. Research objective, central question or statement or problem addressed (50-100 words)
c. Research and data collection methods (50-100 words)
d. Main findings and their significance for theory or practice (150-300 words)

Submission 2: Research Paper (in case of acceptance)
• 3000-5000 words, including manuscript and references.
• Tables, Figures, and other Visual material such as maps, photographs are highly encouraged for clarity of the article.
• Research funding acknowledgements and information should be included where applicable

Final Submission 3: Presentation
• Please upload your presentation on the congress platform before the due date
• Please submit your presentation titled in the following format: Track number, ISO number, Surname (Example: T1-ISOC253-Smith)
• A Presentation Template will be available on the congress platform
• The recommended number of slides is 10-20

1.4 Special Sessions
Propose a Special Session focusing on an innovative, cross-cutting, globally relevant topic that intersects with several of the Congress Tracks. Special Session submitters are invited to be creative with the format of their session (panel, roundtable, game, workshop, outside activity/site visit, debate etc.).

Special Session Organisers must identify and coordinate all session speakers or facilitators. It is expected that organisers will develop and submit a Special Session Proposal initially. If the proposal is accepted, they will have to submit a more detailed Special Session Programme. Shortly after the congress they will have to submit a Special Session Summary. The Summary of each Special Session will be included in the Congress Proceedings.

Submission 1: Special Session Proposal
Please upload your Proposal of 300-600 words, keeping the following structure:
1. Session background and short description of the content
2. Format
3. Agenda with names of a) Session Organisers and b) speakers/ contributors

Submission 2: Special Session Programme (in case of acceptance)
Please upload your presentation on the congress platform before the due date
• You will be able to submit your Special Session Programme through a form that will be provided to you after acceptance of your proposal. Please submit it by the indicated deadline.

Submission 3: Special Session Summary
• Please find the Template for the Special Session Summary on the Congress Platform and submit it within the indicated deadline.

Submission Deadlines
Please find the submission deadlines on our website. Be mindful that extensions will not be provided.

2. Uploading Final Submissions on the Congress Platform

• Final Research Paper/ Case Study Report/ Special Session Summary: Please upload your final research paper/case study report/ Special Session Summary using only the provided template. The file shall be submitted as a PDF and cannot be bigger than 20 MB.
• Titling Submission Documents: When giving a title to the file of your submission, please DO NOT use UPPERCASE for the full title. Instead, use Sentence case (only the first letter of the first word is capitalized) for the titles of your files.
• Final Presentation: Please upload your final presentation in 16:9 slide format. Accepted file extensions are PDF, ppt, and pptx. The maximum file size is 20 MB.

3. General Guidelines

• In-Person presenters: In-person presenters must be able to attend the 60th World Planning Congress in Siena, Italy, from 9-12 October 2024.
• Templates for the Final Research Paper and the Case Study Report will be available on the Congress Website. Their strict use is mandatory.
• Language: All abstracts must be in UK English and/or American English. It is the submitter’s responsibility to make sure that reports and papers are of acceptable professional quality. In the case of non- native language proficiency, using qualified proofreading is advisable. Congress papers should be edited to achieve a language quality consistent with scholarly standards. Papers not meeting this standard will not be accepted or will be returned for revision and resubmission.
• The Congress Team selects the most appropriate contributions for the Congress, advises authors of acceptance or otherwise. While the author’s views regarding the appropriate track or session for their paper are taken into account, allocation to a session is determined by the Congress Team and may change when the schedule is finalised immediately before the Congress to achieve the best balance of topics and sessions.
• The Congress Team will seek to balance academia and practice, and to include contributions across sectors.

4. Style and Format for papers

Authors are requested to adhere strictly to the Congress style and format for their paper, to facilitate its inclusion in the Congress Proceedings.

Images, figures and tables, and their captions with details of the sources of data and figures, should all be embedded in the document. The style for citing references is the Harvard style. Notes should be avoided, but if necessary should be in the form of numbered endnotes listed at the end of the paper; footnotes should not be used.

Most Congress papers are around ten pages in length (when formatted in accordance with the instructions below). Length should not exceed twelve pages, and size should not exceed 2 MB.

ISOCARP editors may make minor modifications, and if necessary may reduce the size and/or number of images, figures and tables to meet size constraints. To maintain consistency in the Congress Proceedings, papers should conform to provided templates and the following format:
• Application: PDF • Page size: A4
• Margins: 2.5 cm
• Header in 10.5 point Calibri Bold, as in the template: Author’s surname(s) with initial(s), Short Title of Paper
• Footer: according to the template
• Text: 10.5 point Calibri
• Main title: 22 point Calibri Light
• Beneath in 10.5 point Calibri: names and SURNAMES of author(s) in either order, with SURNAME in upper case (capitals); affiliation if any (organisation, agency, institution, etc.); country.
• Next, either the synopsis or a shortened abstract may be included, but not both.
• Headings: 14 point Calibri Bold; subheadings 12 point Calibri Bold.
• Images, figures and tables: captions and sources of data below the graphic, with sources of all data and figures, in 10 point Calibri Bold.

References

Please use the “Harvard style” of references (in Mendeley – Harvard Reference style 1). Use approximately 20 to 60 references for paper submissions.
• Book: Author surname(s), initials(s), (Year published) Title. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.
• Edited Book: Editor surname(s), initial(s). (eds.) (Year Published). Title. Edition. Place of publication: publisher.
• Chapter in an Edited Book: Editor surname(s), initial(s). (Year Published). ‘Title of chapter’ in editor(s) surname(s), initials(s) (eds.) Title of book. Edition.Place of publication: publisher, page numbers.
• E-Book: Author surname(s), initial(s). (Year Published). Title. Edition. E-book format [e-book reader]. Available at URL or DOI (Accessed: day month year).
• Journal Article: Author surnames. (year) ‘Title of article’, Title, volumes (issue, season etc), page numbers.
• Online Journal: Author surname(s), initial(s). (Year) ‘Title of article’, Title of journal, volume(issue/ season) [online]. Available at: URL or DOI (Accessed: day month year).
• Newspaper Article: Author surname(s), initial(s). (Year) ‘Article Title’, Newspaper Title (edition), day month, page number(s).

5. Format and tips for the presentation

ISOCARP Congresses/Conferences strive to achieve a good balance between the presentation of formal, informative contributions and lively discussion and debate among those attending the sessions.

The primary purpose of a slide presentation should be to supplement the spoken word with maps, images, figures and tables. If slides contain text, the content should be limited to key words and headings, and should be visible from the back of the room. When using slides, authors should be aware of the tendency for their delivery to be “driven by Powerpoint” (rather than the other way around), and specifically should avoid reading out the text on the screen. Dynamic and engaging presentations are encouraged. These should be short interventions to present the results of work and inspire discussion afterwards.

• The length/duration of the presentations will be determined by the General Rapporteur and the Congress Team according to the planned sessions and space available. Presenters will be informed about this later in the process.
• Please submit your presentation titled in the following format: Track number, ISO number, Surname Example: T1-ISOC253-Smith
• You are responsible to submit your presentation before the due date on the Congress Platform. If not, the ISOCARP Secretariat can not guarantee that it will be collected and kept as a backup for your session.
• Typically, the content of a paper contribution is too long and complex for a presentation at Congress: it is necessary for you to cover only key messages and essential material in your presentation, inviting the audience to read the rest in the paper for themselves.
• Include maximum one slide and a few words to introduce yourself as an individual, stating your place of work and your interests.
• A Presentation Template will be available on the congress platform.
• It is mandatory to include a final Summary slide in your presentation, to give the overview of the presentation. This slide should show the project/ research findings, location and key points.
• Even though the Summary Slide is mandatory, ISOCARP allows you to use any formatting of your choice for the Presentation, including your logo. However, please do not include in your presentation any marketing material, nor standard information about the organisation you are working for or standardised project work: The Congress is about sharing knowledge and not self-promotion.
• It is recommended that each slide has a footer with the author’s name, contact information (email), page number and title of the paper. Suggested format of the presentation is 16:9. Text on slides should be limited and in the form of bullet points and keywords. As an alternative, other visual presentations may be used, such as slideshow, Prezi, video etc.
• The summary slide can be found on the provided presentation template.
We are looking forward to receiving your contributions!