ISOCARP

What ISOCARP does

ISOCARP (International Society of City and Regional Planners), legally International Association of Urbanists, is a Netherlands-registered non-profit professional association founded in 1965 and headquartered in The Hague. It serves as the global membership body for experienced urban and regional planners, with roughly 700 individual members across more than 90 countries and approximately 40 institutional members spanning multilateral agencies, governments, universities, professional associations, and consulting firms. The organization is structured as a member-led society governed by an 11-member Board and a 5-person Executive Committee, with its secretariat operating from a small full-time staff team.

ISOCARP's core offerings are programmatic rather than software-based. The flagship is the annual World Planning Congress, held continuously since 1965 and recently hosted in Riyadh (2025) and Wellington (2027). The Young Planning Professionals' Programme (YPP), running since 1991, has conducted 48+ workshops and 4 Intensive Training Programmes in the UAE. Other programs include Urban Planning Advisory Teams (UPATs), the ISOCARP Awards programme, the ISOCARPolis knowledge platform (Cyber Agora, Spotlight podcast, Communities of Practice), and publications such as the ISOCARP Review, the International Manual of Planning Practice, and the RealCorp-co-developed Paper Platform. Technology is limited to a website, members' portal, online shop, and content repository — no proprietary AI/ML or SaaS products.

Revenue is generated through tiered individual membership subscriptions (€75-€1,060), tiered institutional memberships (€625-€1,875 per year), event registration fees for the World Planning Congress and YPP workshops, publication sales, and donations. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct-to-consumer membership via the website, event-driven acquisition through the annual Congress, and community-led growth via national delegations and member volunteers. The society also holds UN ECOSOC consultative status, affording it a privileged role in global urban policy forums such as the World Urban Forum and Habitat III processes.

Name

ISOCARP

Legal name

INTERNATIONALE VERENIGING VAN STEDEBOUWKUNDIGEN (ISOCARP) / The International Society of City and Regional Planners

Website

https://isocarp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISOCARP is a Netherlands-based non-profit professional association founded in 1965 that serves over 700 urban and regional planners across 90+ countries through memberships, the annual World Planning Congress, the Young Planning Professionals' Programme, publications, and advisory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK), Incentive Meeting & Retreat Planning (Meeting-Focused) (THAHACAG)

Keywords

• Urban planning association
• Professional planning membership
• City and regional planners
• Planning congress and events
• Professional society networking

Headquarters

HQ city

The Hague

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Subscriptions: Annual, multi-year, and lifetime membership fees from individual professional planners. 1-year: €75, 3-years: €195, 5-years: €310, Life: €1060.
2. Institutional Membership Subscriptions: Tiered institutional membership (Platinum €1875, Gold €1250, Silver €625) providing organizations with Society memberships, Congress delegate spots, and web presence benefits.
3. Publication Sales: Sale of ISOCARP Reviews, books, Congress reports, and Young Planning Professionals' workshop reports through the online shop.
4. Event Participation Fees: Registration fees for World Planning Congresses, YPP workshops, and other events. Reduced rates available for members.
5. Donations: Accepts donations from supporters to support the Society's mission of making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ISOCARP sells professional association membership services to individual urban and regional planners and to organizations, including tiered individual subscriptions (€75–€1,060) and institutional memberships (Silver €625, Gold €1,250, Platinum €1,875 annually). It operates the annual World Planning Congress, the Young Planning Professionals' Programme, Urban Planning Advisory Teams (UPATs), and a portfolio of publications and digital knowledge platforms (ISOCARPolis, Paper Platform, ISOCARP Review) to support knowledge exchange among planning professionals worldwide.

Product overview

ISOCARP is a professional association offering a portfolio of programmes and services for urban and regional planners. The core offerings include the annual World Planning Congress (held since 1965), the Young Planning Professionals' Programme with workshops and intensive training, and Urban Planning Advisory Teams providing planning consultation services. The organization operates the ISOCARPolis platform featuring the Cyber Agora discussion forum, ISOCARP Spotlight podcast series, and thematic Communities of Practice. ISOCARP publishes the ISOCARP Review, International Manual of Planning Practice, and maintains a Paper Platform repository. The Awards programme recognizes excellence across multiple categories. Membership is offered in individual and institutional tiers (Platinum, Gold, Silver) with benefits including event discounts, publication access, and networking opportunities. The society also organizes regional events, the Next City Seminar series, and supports young planners through mentorship via the Matchmaking Programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ISOCARPolis: A platform where people come together to advance Knowledge for Better Cities and Regions, creating and sharing knowledge with and for members.
• Cyber Agora
• ISOCARP Spotlight
• ISOCARP Communities of Practice
• Young Planning Professionals' Programme (YPP)

Products and services

• Individual Membership Subscription membership for individual professional city and regional planners, offered in 1-year (€75), 3-year (€195), 5-year (€310), and lifetime (€1,060) options, providing networking, reduced event rates, access to publications, and Members' Area login.
• Institutional Membership Tiered organizational membership (Platinum €1,875/year, Gold €1,250/year, Silver €625/year) for planning agencies, governments, universities, and professional institutes, providing Society memberships, Congress delegate slots, web presence, and activity involvement.
• World Planning Congress ISOCARP's flagship annual event bringing together planners, policymakers, academics, and urban professionals worldwide to address vital topics in city and regional planning, combining theory, policy, and practice perspectives.
• Young Planning Professionals' Programme (YPP) Programme for emerging young planners under 35 tackling real-world planning projects through workshops, intensive training programmes, networking, and mentorship; 48+ workshops conducted worldwide since 1991.
• Urban Planning Advisory Teams (UPATs) Teams that assist sponsor organizations by offering the extensive experience and expertise of ISOCARP members to work on important local or international planning projects, programs, and policy initiatives.
• ISOCARP Awards Programme Awards programme recognizing excellence in urban and regional planning, including Awards for Excellence, Gerd Albers Award, Student Award, Sam van Embden Award, Women In Planning Award, and Planning Process Award.
• ISOCARP Review Flagship publication of ISOCARP containing research papers, case studies, and analyses on urban and regional planning topics from congress proceedings and member contributions.
• International Manual of Planning Practice (IMPP) Publication providing a comprehensive overview of urban planning practice worldwide, documenting methodologies and approaches across different countries and contexts.
• Paper Platform Online repository containing papers and case studies from ISOCARP congresses since 2001, providing free access to congress contributions combining theory, policy, and practice.
• ISOCARPolis Knowledge-sharing platform comprising the Cyber Agora (open discussion space), ISOCARP Spotlight (monthly podcast interview series), and Communities of Practice covering topics like climate resilience, urban health, urban mobility, and urban innovation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ World Planning Congresses organized since 1965
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.

• Riyadh Region MunicipalityflagshipOthers · 1 January 2025Host organization for the 61st ISOCARP World Planning Congress (December 2025) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Under leadership of His Highness Prince Faisal bin Abdul Aziz bin Ayyaf.
• City of WellingtonflagshipOthers · 1 January 2025Co-host of 62nd ISOCARP World Planning Congress (April 2027) in Wellington, New Zealand. Congress to be held at Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre.
• RealCorpcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Cooperation established in 2020 with the goal of developing a common repository of papers and case studies. The Paper Platform includes papers from RealCorp since 1996 and ISOCARP congresses 2019-2021.
• ITACUS (ITA Committee on Underground Spaces)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Joint Young Professional Think Deep Programme (YPTDP) established in 2017. ITACUS works closely with ISOCARP on workshops including Wroclaw, Glasgow, Hong Kong, and upcoming Canada workshop.
• WellingtonNZmajorOthersPartner for the 62nd World Planning Congress 2027 in Wellington, contributing to event organization and local logistics.
• Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of WellingtonmajorOthersAcademic partner for WPC62 2027, bringing research and educational perspective to the congress.
• Business Events WellingtonminorOthersPartner for WPC62 2027 providing event management and business tourism expertise.
• Tourism New Zealand Business EventsminorOthersPartner for WPC62 2027 supporting promotion and business events tourism.
• UN-HabitatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnerships to advance Global Sustainability Agenda. ISOCARP involved in Habitat III and Habitat Professionals Forum. Active engagement at World Urban Forum (WUF10, WUF12, WUF13).
• World BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Shi Nan has worked with World Bank on planning and research projects as part of Urban Planning Society of China activities.
• UNDPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Shi Nan has collaborated with UNDP on planning and development initiatives.
• Gdańsk University of TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Mentor & Student Research Lab (MSRL) initiative with student research club Urban Revolution Laboratory.
• Abu Dhabi Urban Planning CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of multiple Intensive Training Programmes for Young Planning Professionals in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain since 2011.
• Urban Planning Society of ChinacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents China in ISOCARP; Executive President Dr. Shi Nan serves as ISOCARP Vice President. Major institutional member driving Chinese participation.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Planning Association: APA is the largest U.S.-based professional association for city and regional planners, offering individual/institutional memberships, publications, and a national congress. It is the closest direct peer in mission and revenue model, with the same dual individual/institutional membership structure.
• Urban Planning Society of China: UPSC is China's national planning association and a Core Channel Partner for ISOCARP, with its Executive President (Dr. Shi Nan) serving as ISOCARP Vice President. It is a direct peer at national level and a key institutional member/partner for ISOCARP in Asia.
• Indonesian Association of Planners (IAP): IAP is Indonesia's national planning association, an ISOCARP institutional member, and host of the 55th World Planning Congress in 2019 (700+ participants from 44+ countries). It is a direct peer at the national level with comparable membership and congress operations.
• Commonwealth Association of Planners: CAP is an umbrella of 40+ national planning organisations across the Commonwealth. The current ISOCARP Board member (Jua Cilliers) serves as CAP President, reflecting the close governance and membership overlap with ISOCARP.
• Royal Town Planning Institute: RTPI is a UK-headquartered chartered body for planners with 27,000+ members across 88 countries. ISOCARP and RTPI overlap heavily as both professional membership organisations serving urban planners, and RTPI is itself an ISOCARP Gold institutional member.
• European Council of Spatial Planners: ECTP-CEU is the European-wide association for spatial planning bodies and individual planners. It is a direct peer operating in the same transnational professional-association niche and convenes overlapping European planner membership.

Broad incumbents

• UN-Habitat: UN-Habitat is the United Nations programme for sustainable urbanisation. It is not a membership association but sets global planning norms and convenes the World Urban Forum where ISOCARP actively participates, making it a benchmark incumbent in ISOCARP's content and policy space.

Others

• New Cities Foundation: New Cities Foundation is a non-profit that convenes leaders around urban innovation. It is thematically comparable as an ecosystem player in the same urban-policy network where ISOCARP operates, though it is not a membership-based professional association.

Emerging players

• Architectural Association of Kenya: AAK is a Kenyan professional body that is an ISOCARP institutional member and hosted the 2010 ISOCARP Congress in Nairobi. It is comparable as a national professional association for built-environment professions with overlapping membership value for African planners.
• International Union of Architects: UIA is the global federation of national architectural associations, covering a closely related but broader built-environment profession. It is comparable as a global professional body serving designers/planners, with overlapping congress and member-network infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ISOCARP
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMWPlMEDkDW4SdfFYL5APZw
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/isocarpypp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isocarp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ISOCARP