The initiative to organize World Planning School Congresses came up with the formation of a global network by national and regional associations of planning schools and institutes around the world in 2001. Since then this network, the GLOBAL PLANNING EDUCATION NETWORK - GPEAN assigns the organization of each World Congress to one or more schools of one of its members. In five and five years, this event aims to bring together scholars and professionals from all continents to present experiences, discuss proposals and critical analysis and encourage a debate on the current planning problems in different parts of the world.
In 2016, the IV WPSC will be held in Rio de Janeiro. As responsible for this edition of WPSC, the GPEAN designated the Institute of Urban and Regional Research and Planning - IPPUR – at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ -, a member of the Brazilian Association of Research and Graduate Studies in Urban and Regional Planning – ANPUR with the collaboration of colleagues of the Graduate Programs in Geography of the Federal Universities Fluminense and Minas Gerais (UFF and UFMG), of the UFRJ Graduate Program in Urbanism and of the UFMG Centre of Regional Development and Planning (CEDEPLAR).
A GPEAN Steering Committee composed of three members from three different continents accompanies, guides and supports the work of the Local Organization Commission.
The 2008 financial crisis was born in the North, where itself seemed to manifest most acutely, but ended up having reflexes in the Global South. Caused, there as here, in the cities a growing malaise as shown by the different protest movements that have sprung in recent years in the squres of Taiwan, New York, Singapore, Athens, Rio de Janeiro, Tunis, Cairo, Geneva or Barcelona and many other cities worldwide.
The Local Organizing Committee is composed of the following faculty members: