AESOP

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.

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

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

• Planning education association
• Academic membership services
• Peer-reviewed journals
• Urban planning research
• Annual congress events

Headquarters

HQ city

Torino

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ScopusminorOthers · 20 February 2025plaNext 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGPEAN 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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 OpenAccessminorOthersOpen access publishing is facilitated by Stichting OpenAccess, supporting the open-access mission of AESOP journals.
• Politecnico di MilanocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted 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

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/aesopYA
• YouTubevimeo.com/aesopplanning
• Facebookfacebook.com/216857461677322
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-european-schools-of-planning

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 AESOP