Urbanistica Informazioni

Continuity and renewal: ECTP-CEU elects its new Executive Committee for 2025-2029

Scritto da A. Bisello e M. Hedorfer.

Adriano Bisello, Markus Hedorfer – UI n. 320 – marzo-aprile 2025 (ECTP-CEU)     

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Adriano Bisello is Vice-President of the Italian National Association of Urban Planners (ASSURB)
Markus Hedorfer is President of the European Council of Spatial Planners – Conseil Européen des Urbanistes (ECTP-CEU)

Abstract

During its April 2025 General Assembly in Galway, the ECTP-CEU elected a new Executive Committee for the 2025–2029 term. The event reaffirmed the importance of spatial planners in guiding Europe’s environmental, social, and economic transitions. Particular emphasis was placed on the recognition of internationally shared professional competences, seen as crucial in a context of demographic shifts and evolving EU policy. Among the topics debated, the implications of the EU Nature Restoration Law and the balancing of environmental commitments with economic competitiveness emerged as central concerns. On this occasion, the upcoming celebration of the Council’s 40th anniversary, set for autumn 2025 in Brussels, was also announced, marking a key moment to relaunch the visibility, legitimacy, and impact of spatial planning across the continent.

Keywords

  • Executive Board Election
  • Professional Recognition
  • European Governance

Introduction

In April, during its General Assembly in Galway, the ECTP-CEU elected the new Executive Committee for 2025–2029, reaffirming the vital role of spatial planners in a changing Europe. The recognition of internationally shared professional competences emerged as a key priority. At the Irish meeting, the upcoming celebration of the Council’s 40th anniversary next autumn was also announced: an opportunity to reinforce further the identity and impact of spatial planning across the continent.

A vibrant debate and a transparent, inclusive election

On Saturday 12th April 2025, the European Council of Spatial Planners – Conseil européen des urbanistes (ECTP-CEU) held its Spring General Assembly (GA) in Galway, Ireland.

More than a formal meeting, the GA reaffirmed itself as a pivotal occasion for the ongoing debate on the recognition of spatial planners as a distinct professional figure, and reflected on some proposals for shared European standards, qualifications, and identity in the field.

At a time when Europe is undergoing profound demographic and political shifts (characterised by an ageing population and a climate policy landscape marked by growing reconsiderations and policy realignments), the role of spatial planners is increasingly critical. Recent developments, such as the Omnibus Directive aimed at easing regulatory burdens on businesses related to sustainability reporting, and the parallel advancement of the Nature Restoration Law (Rallo and Rampado 2024), exemplify the complex balancing act between economic competitiveness and environmental commitments. In this evolving scenario, planners are called to act as key enablers of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, ensuring that spatial strategies not only adapt to change but actively steer Europe towards a more resilient and inclusive future.

Among the highlights of the Galway Assembly was the election of a new Executive Committee (ExCo) for the 2025–2029 mandate, including the assignment of the four statutory leadership positions. This moment marks both a renewal and a continuation for the Council, with a leadership that blends experience, regional diversity, and a shared commitment to advancing the role of spatial planning across Europe.

Ten candidates from across Europe stood for election to the ExCo. The election was conducted via secret online ballot, ensuring transparency and accessibility also to remotely connected participants. Of the 25 member countries entitled to vote, 22 participated (88% turnout), with Croatia, Cyprus and the Netherlands not submitting votes. The outcome of the elections, including a run-off vote for the eighth seat, confirmed the following ExCo members:

  1. Catherine Vilquin (Belgium, CUB) – automatically appointed as per Belgian legal requirements;
  2. Richard Blyth (United Kingdom, RTPI) – 21 votes;
  3. Markus Hedorfer (Italy, ASSURB) – 19 votes;
  4. Tomasz Majda (Poland, TUP) – 17 votes;
  5. Kent Håkull (Norway, FKP) – 17 votes;
  6. Lidiia Chyzhevska (Ukraine, NSAU-APP) – 16 votes;
  7. Gerhard Vittinghoff (Austria, bAIK) – 15 votes;
  8. Sofía Tsádari (Greece, ΣΕΠΟΧ) –13 votes; in a run-off vote she won over Branislav Antonić (Serbia, UUS).

Appointing the Four Statutory Officers

Following the election, the newly elected ExCo convened during the lunch break to assign internal leadership roles using the “election without candidates” method, guided by facilitator Vincent Goodstadt (UK, RTPI), ECTP-CEU Honorary President. This collaborative and consensus-based approach resulted in the following appointments:

  • President (2025–2027): Catherine Vilquin
  • Vice-President (2025–2027): Tomasz Majda[1]
  • Secretary General (2025–2029): Markus Hedorfer
  • Treasurer (2025–2029): Gerhard Vittinghoff

These roles were unanimously ratified in the General Assembly’s afternoon session.

Professional Profiles of the Elected Officers

Catherine Vilquin is a Belgian urban planner specialised in nature-based spatial planning, with degrees in architecture, urban design, landscape urbanism, and permaculture design. As a scientific collaborator at KU Leuven (Tessema Beyene 2022), she worked with UN-Habitat and NGOs in post-crisis contexts in Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Haiti. She took part in research studies and projects in flood-prone and ecologically sensitive areas in Cambodia, Peru, Mongolia and more recently across the Benelux (Shannon 2008a, 2008b). Since nearly 10 years, Catherine is working at XMU-Urbanistes, an agency based in Wallonia, Belgium, where she is involved in resilience strategies in Belgium’s most vulnerable territories following the 2021 floods and in the development of municipal strategic plans towards net zero land cover (zéro artificialisation nette – ZAN).

An active member of the Chambre des Urbanistes de Belgique (CUB) and of the ECTP-CEU Executive Committee since 2021, she has co-led working groups on migration, manages the Council’s website and the 40th anniversary preparations. She also represents the ECTP-CEU at IFLA Europe.

In her candidacy manifesto, Catherine outlines four strategic priorities:

  • Reinventing urbanism in the face of socio-environmental paradigm shifts through regenerative approaches and land use sobriety;
  • Raising the visibility and complexity of the planning profession in addressing interscalar and cross-sectoral challenges;
  • Enhancing synergies with related disciplines such as landscape architecture, urban ecology and architecture;
  • Strengthening links between national associations and European institutions to support the visibility, support and legitimacy of planners across territories.

Her multilingualism (French, Dutch, English, Spanish) and multicultural ethos make her a natural fit to lead ECTP-CEU into its 40th anniversary phase with inclusive vision and systemic thinking. Her leadership is expected to strengthen the ECTP-CEU’s visibility within EU institutions and to expand its outreach through multilingual communication and intercultural exchange.

Tomasz Majda is a highly respected academic, practitioner and institutional leader in Polish and European planning. He holds a PhD in Architecture and Urban Design and is a long-standing faculty member at Warsaw University of Technology, leading international co-operation under the ENHANCE consortium and heading the innovative “URBS – Urban Redefinition Based Studies” master’s programme. He has been a lecturer for programmes in Egypt, Syria, China, the United Arab Emirates in both inter-university and professional collaboration within ISOCARP (Majda 2014).

Professionally, he has authored dozens of spatial plans, strategies and urban concepts (Szulczewska and Majda 2009; Mironowicz and Majda 2017), including flood safety plans for the Central Vistula Valley and planning visions in China, as well as legal and urban planning expertise. He also serves as a governmental advisor and was twice chair of the Warsaw Urban Planning Commission.

As President of the Polish Society of Town Planners (TUP) since 2018 and a former Secretary General and Treasurer, Tomasz has extensive experience in association governance and international cooperation.

His programme focuses on:

  • Integration and continuity, both institutionally and thematically;
  • Strengthening ties with EU institutions and initiatives like the Davos Baukultur Alliance;
  • Supporting knowledge transfer, especially in countries undergoing rapid legal and political transitions;
  • Enhancing interdisciplinary education without duplicating existing networks, but rather partnering with them strategically;
  • Promoting inclusive public space design in times of climate change, especially in Central and Eastern Europe.

Gerhard Vittinghoff is an Austrian chartered spatial planner (Ziviltechniker in German) with over 25 years of professional experience and membership in both, the Austrian Chamber of Architects and Chartered Engineers, as well as the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as a corporate member. He has contributed to planning at multiple scales (e.g. Smart City Reinighausgründe (2025), developing a framework plan “Smart City Graz 2050” for future growth), structure plan for the city of Leoben in Styria, and EU-funded initiatives on low-carbon transition and energy planning (e.g., the SPECIAL project (2016)).

Gerhard’s manifesto is a call for the ethical and democratic repositioning of planning, with a recognition of its limits and the need for humility, diversity, and social trust. He advocates for:

  • A more inclusive and pluralistic planning profession;
  • Strengthening the ECTP-CEU Strategic Plan, adopted in May 2023 in Malta, as a tool for mobilisation;
  • Addressing climate change and inequality through spatial planning;
  • Accelerating the shift towards circular, low-carbon and climate-resilient cities;
  • Defending planning’s disruptive potential in the democratic process, especially when confronting status quos and amplifying marginalised voices.
  • Reconfirmed as Treasurer, Gerhard ensures continuity in financial governance while bringing a strong intellectual contribution to the Council’s evolving identity and mission

Markus Hedorfer is a registered spatial planner in Italy and the outgoing President of the ECTP-CEU. He brings to the role of Secretary General a rare combination of professional depth, institutional experience, and strategic vision. Born in Southern Germany and educated at IUAV University of Venice, Markus has been active in spatial planning since the 1990s. His background includes extensive knowledge of GIS (Hedorfer 2025), environmental planning in the Venice Lagoon, valorisation of military heritage sites, contaminated land remediation, and most recently, visioning and scenario-building for metropolitan and disadvantaged territories with a strong focus on nature restoration.

Founder of HESC spatial consulting and former President of ASSURB (Italy), Markus has also taught extensively in academia. He worked in Angola, Germany and Italy, and on behalf of the ECTP-CEU, he plays a key role in the Davos Baukultur Alliance’s “Rebuilding Ukraine” focus group .

His programme for the 2025–2029 mandate focuses on:

  • Supporting Ukraine’s post-war recovery;
  • Advancing the recognition of spatial planning as a distinct profession;
  • Promoting European harmonisation via collaborations with EU and Council of Europe bodies,
  • Reinforcing communication as a tool for strengthening both the profession’s public recognition and the ECTP-CEU’s internal coherence;
  • Reviving the agenda on migration and inclusion, Tackling the “value for money” challenge, by reaffirming the unique role of associations in an era dominated by digital access and decentralised knowledge.

During his presidency, Markus helped reinforce the ECTP-CEU’s role as a key actor in European spatial planning, guiding discussions on urban resilience, the digitalisation of planning tools (Bisello and Grimaldi 2024), and the European Green Deal (Hedorfer 2023a, 2023b, 2023c). He has been instrumental in deepening cooperation with other planning networks, from academic associations to municipal alliances. With a calm but determined leadership style, Markus is well-positioned to strengthen the Secretariat’s capacity, ensure effective governance, and promote continuity in strategy and operations.

Looking ahead: autumn assembly and 40th Anniversary

The new Executive Committee will officially take office after the upcoming Autumn General Assembly in Brussels on 8th November 2025. This moment will also mark a defining moment in the history of the European Council of Spatial Planners—its 40th anniversary. The event will take place in Brussels, as unanimously decided at the Spring GA following two competing applications (RTPI for Edinburgh, and CUB/VRP for Brussels). The decision to hold the anniversary in the symbolic heart of European institutions underlines the Council’s ambition to assert its presence within the EU policy landscape.

The event will combine three major initiatives:

  • The General Assembly (GA) of the Council;
  • The 13th European Urban and Regional Planning Awards, celebrating excellence in spatial planning across the continent;
  • The 14th Young Planners Workshop, reinforcing intergenerational dialogue and promoting emerging voices in the profession.

The anniversary programme will also include the invitation of all former presidents of the ECTP-CEU to take part in the celebrations and reflections. This symbolic act aims to strengthen continuity, legacy and intergenerational exchange. The Awards programme has been redesigned with a two-tier structure to encourage broader participation. Initially, member organisations will be invited to propose a wide range of projects matching one or more of the following themes:

  • Urban regeneration
  • Climate action
  • Community involvement
  • Spatial planning and energy
  • Nature-based approaches to planning

Submissions will then be shortlisted by the ExCo for final evaluation by a professional jury, including a representative of the European Committee of the Regions. Importantly, no fee will be charged for first-tier submissions, ensuring greater accessibility, especially for municipalities with budget constraints. At the Galway GA, it was announced that the deadline for submitting first-tier applications has been extended to 5th June 2025.

The Young Planners Workshop will continue to provide a crucial platform for early-career professionals to share case studies and research from across Europe. The 13th edition, held in Bilbao in November 2024, saw participation from 10 international teams, confirming the vitality and diversity of the next generation of planners.

Even if in Brussels, due to the very dense anniversary programme, the traditional (since the Bergen GA in May 2022) “Planning in Practice” session will not be held, it is worth mentioning it briefly. It features case studies and roundtables involving practitioners, policymakers and academics session. These sessions aim to position the ECTP-CEU not only as a network of professionals but as a space of civic reflection and co-design for Europe’s spatial future. At the last three General Assemblies the main themes were Circularity (Naples, April 2024), Participation (Bilbao, November 2024) and Nature Restoration (Galway, April 2025). Planning in Practice will be back at the 2026 Spring GA (host city yet to be decided), probably with Sense of the Place (“genius loci”) and Inclusion as the main themes.

With such an ambitious programme, the Brussels Autumn GA will not just commemorate the past four decades of the Council’s life—it will project it toward the next ones, with renewed clarity on its mission, stronger tools for influence, and a growing European community behind it.

This convergence of institutional milestones offers a unique opportunity to showcase the role of spatial planning in Europe’s social, environmental, and democratic transitions. Building on the debate initiated during the Spring General Assembly in Galway, the new leadership is expected to consolidate this momentum by reinforcing partnerships, for example with the Davos Baukultur Alliance (Askew and Bisello 2023), launching thematic calls, and involving a new generation of planners in shaping a sustainable European future, inspired by relevant policies and initiatives such as the New European Bauhaus (Bisello and Vilquin 2023).

Concluding reflections

The 2025 elections bring a renewed and rebalanced leadership to the ECTP-CEU, one that reflects a mosaic of cultures, planning traditions, and professional expertise. At its core, however, lies a shared vision: that spatial planning can be a powerful instrument for territorial (spatial) justice, climate action, and collective well-being.

With Catherine Vilquin’s diplomatic leadership, Tomasz Majda’s academic and legislative insight, Gerhard Vittinghoff’s operational continuity, and Markus Hedorfer’s institutional knowledge, the ECTP-CEU is poised to enter a new phase of ambition and accountability.

In a Europe that increasingly looks to planners for solutions to complex challenges, the newly elected leadership stands as a strong, competent, and united team—ready to listen, lead, and act.

References

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Notes

  1. The two will exchange roles halfway through the mandate, with Tomasz becoming President and Catherine Vice-President from autumn 2027 to 2029.