SCUPAD

By Han Joosten (Committee Member)

1. To make contact with highly qualified professionals in an informal way

• SCUPAD is an informal network of professionals working on urban and regional planning issues.
• Most SCUPADians have been working in these fields for many years.
• Many SCUPADians have known each other for more than 10 years, many of them are life-long friends.

2. To meet nice and interesting people from all over the world

• The annual congress in Salzburg is a kind of general assembly of the “United Planning Nations”.
• SCUPADians are a group of professionals who have evolved into a “family”, reuniting in Salzburg each year and welcoming new members.
• Members of SCUPAD speak a special language that you will quickly learn: SCUPADian English.

3. To share your ideas and experiences with others

• The annual congress in Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg is a open yet structured happening: there is much time for discussions in small working groups and inspiring talks in the evenings sitting around the open fire in the castle.
• Members of SCUPAD like to speak up: join this family and let us hear your ideas and experiences in the field of urban and regional planning.

4. To learn from practical experiences and concrete case studies in the field of planning from many countries 

• From housing studies in Moscow, to agriculture planning in South Africa to city planning in Paris and to environmental planning solutions in Salt Lake City: you get it all at the different SCUPAD congresses.
• The speakers range from architects/planners for municipalities and other governmental bodies to those working in private planning, architectural and development companies.

5. To have entry to networks of planning professionals all over the world

• The SCUPAD database gives you the contact information for all the members: this is a private Google of highly-skilled planners at a low entry cost.
• While you can meet many of these members personally during the annual congress, it is easy to contact them the rest of the year.

6. To meet once a year in a place for quietreflection in the turbulent world, where you feel and smell history

• Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg is the venue for the SCUPAD Congress. This castle, owned by the Salzburg Global Seminar, is a beautiful old building set in the wonderful nature of the mountains and lake around Salzburg.
• The castle’s garden is a place of beauty, inspiring congress participants sitting in working groups discussing planning and urban development issues.
• The old town of Salzburg (only minutes away from the Schloss) invites you for a stroll through history.

7. To share in the special ambience once-in-a-life-time castle atmosphere at a reasonable price

• The atmosphere in Schloss Leopoldskron is unique: a better venue for an annual congress cannot be found easily.
• The great food and good wines stimulate to be creative during the discussions.
• The costs for a room and the food/drink package are a bargain - compared to those at other conferences in the planning field.

8. The membership fee of SCUPAD is a real bargain!

• You get a discount on the fee for annual congresses.
• There are special rates for students, young professionals and seniors.
• The fees differ regarding to the country a member lives in.
• You get unlimited entrance to the membership data-base with the contact details