Strengthening Exchange and Cooperation across the Baltic Sea Region
The final conference of the Planners’ Forum project, held on 11–12 February 2026 in Tallinn, marked both the conclusion of the project phase and the official launch of the Land-based Planners’ Forum. The event took place within the framework of the international cooperation project “Planners’ Forum”, implemented by Nordregio, Stockholm University, the Estonian Association of Spatial Planners, VASAB and the ARL.
The conference brought together planners and experts from across the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), including Finland, Sweden, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Estonia. Discussions addressed key challenges shaping spatial planning today, such as spatial resilience, shrinking settlements, and the need for stronger multi-level cooperation.
A central objective of the meeting was to enhance the usability of existing spatial planning knowledge and to define how the Forum should function in practice — from thematic priorities and cooperation formats to its long-term organisational structure. These discussions laid the foundation for the Forum’s activities beyond the project duration.
Throughout the project, the Planners’ Forum has aimed to strengthen the capacities of spatial planners in response to climate change, demographic shifts, geopolitical tensions, and the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. By establishing a structured yet informal platform for exchange, the initiative addresses a gap in macro-regional cooperation, particularly for local and regional planners.
As a project partner, ARL contributed its expertise in inter- and transdisciplinary dialogue and helped shape the discussion on future cooperation mechanisms for the Forum to support coherent and sustainable spatial development in the Baltic Sea Region.
Contact
Dr. Britta Bockhorn
Head of International Affairs of the ARL
Phone +49 511 34842 25
britta.bockhorn@arl-net.de
