AESOP
AESOP is an international non-profit association under Belgian law representing over 150 European planning schools. It operates two Scopus-indexed open-access journals, an annual congress, thematic research groups, and a Quality Recognition programme funded through tiered institutional membership fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersItaly, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AESOP does
AESOP (Association of European Schools of Planning), legally the Association for European Schools of Planning, is an international non-profit organization registered under Belgian law with company number 0448.474.352 and headquartered at Kasteelpark Arenberg 51, 3001 Leuven, Belgium. Its operational Secretariat General is hosted at Politecnico di Torino (DIST department) in Turin, Italy. The organization is the only pan-European association representing planning schools, with over 150 member institutions across European countries. AESOP's core activities span annual congresses (rotating across European cities), PhD workshops, Heads of Schools meetings, a lecture series, and publications including two Scopus-indexed peer-reviewed open-access journals (Transactions of the Association of European Schools of Planning and plaNext – Next Generation Planning).
The technology stack supporting AESOP's operations is built on standard open-source academic infrastructure: the main portal (aesop-planning.eu), an Indico-powered congress management platform, an Open Journal Systems-based publishing platform, and a DSpace-based institutional digital archive (archive.aesop-planning.eu) supporting OAI-PMH metadata harvesting, Handle.net persistent identifiers, and COAR Notify protocol interoperability. The organization coordinates 21 thematic research groups covering planning specializations from sustainable food planning to urban futures, and operates a Quality Recognition programme for planning programmes through its Excellence in Education Board (EEB).
AESOP's revenue model is subscription-based membership dues from institutional members (Full Members at €600, Associate/Affiliate Members at €300, Corresponding/Individual Members at €150, Honorary Members at no fee), with a 50% reduction for members from countries with PPP below USD 15,000. Supplemental revenue derives from event registration fees, EU institutional grants (e.g., EULiST ERASMUS funding), and open-access journal publishing supported by Stichting OpenAccess. Distribution is direct via institutional membership, with digital content distributed through the open-access journal platforms and the institutional repository. Governance is exercised through a Council of Representatives and Executive Committee structure.
AESOP firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AESOP
- Legal name
- Association for European Schools of Planning
- Website
- https://aesop-planning.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- AESOP is an international non-profit association under Belgian law representing over 150 European planning schools. It operates two Scopus-indexed open-access journals, an annual congress, thematic research groups, and a Quality Recognition programme funded through tiered institutional membership fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AESOP industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education, Research & Academic Congresses (THAHAJAD)
Keywords
Where AESOP is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Italy
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
AESOP business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from institutional members (Full Members, Associate Members, Affiliate Members, Corresponding Members, Individual Members, Honorary Members). Full Members pay 600 EUR, Associate/Affiliate Members pay 300 EUR, Corresponding/Individual Members pay 150 EUR, Honorary Members pay no fee. Members from countries with PPP lower than USD 15,000 qualify for 50% fee reduction.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Full Member - 600 EUR annual fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Associate/Affiliate Member - 300 EUR annual fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Corresponding/Individual Member - 150 EUR annual fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Honorary Member - No fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Reduced Fee (PPP countries) - 50% reduction |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
AESOP product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AESOP is an international non-profit association that represents over 150 planning schools across Europe, providing institutional membership, peer-reviewed open-access journals (Transactions and plaNext), an annual congress, PhD workshops, thematic research groups, quality recognition for planning programmes, lecture series, and a digital archive for planning scholarship.
Product overview
AESOP (Association of European Schools of Planning) is an international non-profit organization representing planning schools in Europe. It operates a platform-plus-programs model centered on academic planning education and research. The core products include two peer-reviewed open-access journals (Transactions and plaNext), an institutional digital archive (AESOP Digital Archive), and an event management system (Indico) for organizing congresses and workshops. These are supported by thematic groups, awards, quality recognition programmes, lecture series, and booklet publications. The portfolio functions as an integrated ecosystem serving planning academics, PhD students, and early-career researchers across Europe.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- plaNext – Next Generation Planning: International peer-reviewed open access e-journal by the Young Academics network of AESOP.
- Transactions of the Association of European Schools of Planning
- AESOP Young Academics Network
- AESOP Digital Archive
- GPEAN
Products and services
- Transactions of the Association of European Schools of Planning An international peer-reviewed open-access journal produced and owned by AESOP, covering planning research and scholarship. Targeted at planning scholars, researchers, and practitioners.
- plaNext – Next Generation Planning An international peer-reviewed open-access e-journal published by the Young Academics network of AESOP, indexed in Scopus. Provides emerging scholars a platform to engage in international planning debates.
- AESOP Digital Archive An institutional repository built on DSpace software providing open access to documents, articles, PhD theses, reports, and datasets with Dublin Core metadata, accessible via OAI-PMH interface and Google Scholar. Targets planning researchers and academics.
- AESOP Annual Congress Annual international conference bringing together planning scholars, researchers, practitioners, and students. Locations include Birmingham 2027, Istanbul 2025, Paris 2024, Łódź 2023. Features paper presentations, keynotes, networking, and awards.
- AESOP Young Academics PhD Conference Annual conference organized by PhD students for PhD students and early-career researchers, providing opportunities to learn, share, and network with young researchers globally.
- AESOP PhD Workshop Joint AESOP/YA event organized under the auspices of the annual AESOP congress, typically comprising 30-40 selected PhD students based on abstract submissions, with financial aid available.
- AESOP Heads of Schools Meeting Annual meeting bringing together heads of planning schools across Europe to discuss strategic matters. Locations include Ås 2026, Liverpool 2025, Venice 2024.
- AESOP Thematic Groups 21 working groups on specific planning themes including Cities and Urbanism beyond Growth, Ethics Values and Planning, New Technologies and Planning, Nordic Planning, Planning and Complexity, Planning Education, Sustainable Food Planning, and others.
- AESOP Lecture Series Video lecture series featuring presentations from various institutions on planning topics, hosted on Vimeo and YouTube.
- AESOP Young Academics Booklet Series Booklet series containing issues, discussions, arguments and proposals relevant to the planning discipline.
- AESOP Quality Recognition Programme Quality recognition process for planning programmes, including the Excellence in Education Board (EEB) assessment and Core Curriculum review. Certified programmes receive formal recognition.
- AESOP Awards Programme Awards programme including Excellence in Teaching Award, Best Published Paper Award, and Best Congress Paper Award, recognizing excellence in planning education and research.
- AESOP Congress Management System (Indico) Event management platform based on Indico software for managing AESOP congresses, including call for abstracts, registration, e-payment, timetable, and badge creation.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 150 member schools across Europe benefit from AESOP representation and coordination
Companies that use AESOP
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AESOP technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AESOP partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- ScopusminorplaNext journal has been accepted into Scopus indexing as of February 2025, enhancing the visibility and academic credibility of publications.
- GPEAN (Group of European Planning Schools)coreGPEAN is a partner organisation listed in AESOP's navigation, representing a collaborative network of European planning schools aligned with AESOP's mission.
- Young Academics Network (YA Network)coreThe YA Network is an integral part of AESOP, supporting PhD students and early-career researchers through dedicated conferences, workshops, booklet series, and the plaNext journal. Website: aesop-youngacademics.net
- Stichting OpenAccessminorOpen access publishing is facilitated by Stichting OpenAccess, supporting the open-access mission of AESOP journals.
- Politecnico di MilanocoreHosted the 18th AESOP Young Academics Conference 'Bridging Gaps - Urban Planning for Coexistence' in March 2024, contributing papers to plaNext Vol. 16 (2026).
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
AESOP competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AESOP social profiles
Digital presenceAESOP compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
AESOP financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AESOP leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
AESOP funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AESOP M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AESOP
What does AESOP do?
AESOP is an international non-profit association that represents over 150 planning schools across Europe, providing institutional membership, peer-reviewed open-access journals (Transactions and plaNext), an annual congress, PhD workshops, thematic research groups, quality recognition for planning programmes, lecture series, and a digital archive for planning scholarship.
Is AESOP a public or private company?
AESOP is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was AESOP founded?
AESOP was founded in 1987. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is AESOP based?
AESOP is headquartered in Italy, United States, in the North America region.
How does AESOP make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Fees.
Does AESOP have an API?
No public API is recorded for AESOP.
What industry is AESOP in?
AESOP's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAJAD, Education, Research & Academic Congresses. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.