Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Tenure-Track Positions in Urban and Regional Planning
July 2014

The Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (IIT) is seeking to expand its program with a tenure-track
faculty position. The position is open-rank – both junior and senior academics may apply. The appointment can start in October 1, 2015 or later. Salary and compensation are compatible with Israeli university standards.

Qualifications
The successful candidate will have demonstrated exemplary scholarship and teaching in his/her field (as compatible with his or her academic rank). Applicants must hold a Ph.D. degree in economics, urban planning or in a related field with an academic background and focus on economics.

We are especially interested in candidates specializing in:
- Urban and regional economics
- Housing and real estate economics
- Spatial statistics, spatio-temporal and data-driven analyses of decision making in spatial planning

Successful candidates will be expected to teach graduate-level economics courses for planners, supervise Master’s theses and Ph.D. dissertations, conduct cutting-edge
research, and participate in Faculty (school) and university-wide activities. The rank will be determined in accordance with the candidate's record and accomplishments.
Prior knowledge of Hebrew is not necessary and teaching may be conducted in English.
About the Technion and the Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning 

The Technion is the leading university of science and technology in Israel and is regarded among the top institutions of its kind worldwide. In the past decade, three of its faculty members won two Nobel prizes. The Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning (within the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning) was founded in 1969. It is the only planning program in Israel offering a Master’s and PhD planning degrees accredited by the Council for Higher Education. The Program was the first program to join the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) as a corresponding member, and the first non-European program to join the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP). Currently there are 140 M.Sc students and 30 Ph.D. students at the program.

The Technion is located in Haifa in the green Mount Carmel area in the northern part of Israel with breathtaking views. The city offers excellent housing, education and

other public services and high quality of life. The City is the locus home of much of Israel’s renowned high tech industry.

For more information about our graduate studies, please see the faculty web site at:
http://architecture.technion.ac.il/en/

Applicants should submit the following materials in both electronic and hard copy:
1. Letter of interest describing the research areas, teaching experience and future interests.
2. Curriculum vitae including list of publications.
3. Names and contacts of three potential referees.

The review process will start on November 1, 2014 and will continue until the position is filled.

Applications should submit to Dr. Pnina Plaut Program Chair
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning
Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Haifa, 32000 Israel

Winner 2023

Prof. Paul Elhorst, University of Groningen, the Netherlands, is awarded the 2023 edition of the Jean Paelinck award!

The Jean Paelinck committee, made up of Geoffrey Hewings (Chair), Isabelle Thomas, Janet Kohlase, Juan Cuadrado-Roura, and Kieran Donaghy, provided the following motivation:

Paul Elhorst is Professor of Spatial Econometrics at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, Fellow of the Spatial Econometrics Association and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Spatial Economic Analysis. During his 40 years academic career he has maintained an active research and publication schedule, a career that demonstrates his commitment to research and scholarship in regional science methods. In the 1990s his research activities focused on regional labor market analysis and then shifted increasingly to spatial econometric methods (theory and applications), with applications in a diversity of research areas such as economic growth, research productivity, regional tax competition, military spending, foreign direct investment and transport economics.
Paul is known for his innovative work on spatial panel models. He has made a host of contributions to spatial panel data models highlighted in his 2014 book Spatial Econometrics: From Cross-Sectional Data to Spatial Panels. Aside from its major themes, including static and dynamic spatial panel data models, this book bridges the gap between theoretical spatial econometricians and practitioners, contains a host of useful observations and illustrations, and provides Matlab routines with which researchers can run on their own empirical problems. The more than 2,000 Google citations this book has received clearly demonstrate the international impact of his research in enhancing the use of regional science methods to understand and interpret the spatial structure of economies.  

Winner 2021

Professor Daniel (Dan) A. Griffith (University of Texas at Dallas) is awarded the 2021 Jean Paelinck RSAI Award! 

The selection committee, made up of Prof. Budy Resosudarmo (ASU; Chair). Prof. Michael Batty (UCL), Prof. Janet Kohlase (University of Texas at Houston), Prof. Isabelle Thomas (Universitè Catholique de Louvain), and Prof. Jouke Van Dijk (University of Groningen), provided the following motivation for the prize: 

“After examining the works as well as considering recommendations by nine distinguished RSAI fellows, the committee is delighted to award the 2021 Jean Paelinck RSAI Award to Professor Daniel (Dan) A. Griffith. The committee is convinced that since early 1970s till these days Professor Griffith consistently contributed and shaped the field of regional science and, in general, advanced spatial statistics by publishing more than 180 journal articles, approximately 70 of them are as single author, in key regional science/spatial statistics journals and 11 important books. His contributions have been recognized with awards from many academic societies and professional organizations, including being an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association”. 

Winner 2019

Professor James LeSage, from Department of Finance and Economics, Texas State University, received the RSAI Jean Paelinck Award 2019.

The Jean Paelinck Award recognizes and honors the truly outstanding scholarly achievement of a senior and internationally recognized regional scientist in the field of Regional Science Methods and it is awarded with the nomination of five RSAI Fellows, with the selection of the Jury and with the approval by the RSAI Council.

Winner 2017

Professor Arthur Getis, a Professor Emeritus of Geography at San Diego State University, received the RSAI Jean Paelinck Award 2017. 

The Jean Paelinck Award recognizes and honors the truly outstanding scholarly achievement of a senior and internationally recognized regional scientist in the field of Regional Science Methods and it is awarded with the nomination of five RSAI Fellows, with the selection of the Jury and with the approval by the RSAI Council.

Winner 2015

Professor Manfred M. Fischer, from Vienna University of Economics and Business, received the RSAI Jean Paelinck Award 2015.

The Jean Paelinck Award recognizes and honors the truly outstanding scholarly achievement of a senior and internationally recognized regional scientist in the field of Regional Science Methods and it is awarded with the nomination of five RSAI Fellows, with the selection of the Jury and with the approval by the RSAI Council.

Manfred M. Fischer fulfills all the required criteria in an excellent way:

• From the mid-1970s on, Manfred M. Fischer has been actively publishing in regional science and economic geography. From early on his work was internationally oriented (first publication in Regional Science and Urban Economics in 1979) and focusing on methods. His early work was on regional taxonomy, later he contributed to discrete choice modeling, GIS, network analysis, and neural network based methods. Recent work shows a strong interest in spatial econometrics
• Manfred M. Fischer has maintained an active research and publication schedule over 40 years. His CV lists over 100 journal publications, 13 journal special issues, 40 monographs and edited books. Although he is close to retirement, Manfred M. Fischer is still highly active in research and publishes extensively. Although his CV may not reflect the whole year, for 2014 it lists 3 journal publications, 1 book, and 4 book chapters.
• The long list of awards, among them the RSAI Fellow (2006), the EIB-ERSA-Prize (2012), demonstrates Manfred M. Fischer’s international recognition.
• Many of the publications listed in the CV of Manfred M. Fischer are coauthored, about half of them with considerably younger scholars. Many of them have themselves entered a successful academic career. Examples are T. Scherngell, A. Varga, and J. Essletzbichler.
• Despite a strong and maintained focus on regional science in general and regional science methods in particular, Manfred M. Fischer also reached out to other areas in his work. On the one hand, he was among the first European regional scientists who collaborated with Chinese scholars. On the other hand, he also aimed to reach across to other disciplines like computational science, management, data management, etc.
• Manfred Fischer is one of the founding fathers and (co) editor in chief of the prestigious methodology publication Journal of Geographical Systems. He also serves on the board of many other journals in Regional Science and related fields.

Award honoring Jean Paelinck, one of the four founding Fellows of RSAI

The Jean Paelinck RSAI Award for Distinguished Sustained Scholarship in Regional Science Methods

1. Goal

1.1 The Jean Paelinck Award for Distinguished Sustained Scholarship in Regional Science Methods recognizes and honors the truly outstanding scholarly achievement of a senior and internationally recognized regional scientist in the field of Regional Science Methods. Such an achievement should be recognized from an early stage in a recipient’s academic career and be sustained throughout the duration of their career.

1.2 The Award celebrates that career and recognizes the attainment of outstanding scholarly excellence in contributing to innovation in the development of Regional Science Methods.

2. The Award

2.1 The Jean Paelinck Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Regional Science Methods is established to recognize and honor the distinguished scholarly career of Jean Paelinck, one of the four foundation Fellows of RSAI.

2.2 The Award will be given periodically by the RSAI Council, and is recognized as one of the highest honors bestowed by RSAI.

2.3 The Award recognizes how scholarly excellence is developed at an early stage in an academic career and how it is sustained creating a continuing contribution throughout the recipient’s career.

3. Eligibility

3.1 The Jean Paelinck Award for Distinguished Sustained Scholarship in Regional Science Methods may only be awarded to a regional scientist who has already been recognized for his/her scholarly excellence.

3.2 Normally the recipient of the award would be nearing retirement or be formally retired, but still be active as a contributor to scholarship in Regional Science.

4. Nomination and Process for Making the Award

4.1 It is expected that The Jean Paelinck Award for Distinguished Sustained Scholarship in Regional Science Methods will be made every two (2) years.

4.2 Nominations or consideration for The Jean Paelinck Award for Distinguished Sustained Scholarship in Regional Science Methods will be solicited every second year.

4.3 A nomination for consideration for The Jean Paelinck Award for Distinguished Sustained Scholarship in Regional Science Methods comes from Fellows of RSAI. At least five (5) Fellows must agree on the nomination.

4.4 A nomination may remain active for five (5) years.

4.5 A nomination must be accompanied by testimonials from a minimum of five (5) eminent scholars from at least three (3) nations who are able to verify the importance and scholarly standing and importance of the nominee’s publications.

4.6 The nomination and supporting documents are to be sent to the Executive Director of RSAI who will then forward it to the members of a Selection Jury.

4.7 The Selection Jury comprises a Chair, selected by the RSAI Council, and who is a member of the RSAI Long Range Planning Committee, plus four (4) RSAI Fellows. A Chair’s tenure is limited to four (4) years. Two (2) RSAI Fellow members of the Selection Jury rotate off every two (2) years.

4.8 When the Selection Jury recommends making the Award, the Executive Director will inform the RSAI Council in writing of that nomination. Unless within fourteen (14) days more than one-third of the members of the RSAI Council advise the Executive Director in writing of their dissent regarding the nomination, then the RSAI President or Executive Director will advise the member recommended for the Jean Paelinck Award and invite that person to accept the Award.

4.9 The presentation of The Jean Paelinck Award for Distinguished Sustained Scholarship in Regional Science Methods will occur at one of the supra-regional meetings of RSAI (NARSC/RSAmericas, ERSA, PRSCO), or at the RSAI World Congress.

5. The Award

5.1 The Jean Paelinck Award for Distinguished Lifelong Scholarship in Regional Science Methods will consist of a framed certificate containing the words “The Jean Paelinck Award for Distinguished Sustained Scholarship in Regional Science Methods.”

5.2 The certificate will include the RSAI logo and the name of the Award, and a citation outlining the recipient’s scholarly achievement and the reasons why the Award is being made.

Note: Criteria to be addressed in nominating a candidate for consideration for the Award.

Demonstration of:

1. Early career scholarly contribution.
2. Sustained continuing scholarly contribution.
3. International impact.
4. Inter-generational impacts (students and colleagues).
5. Impact on other related areas to regional science.

Dear NECTAR friends,

Please find enclosed the call for paper for the next NECTAR 2015 International Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.

You can also find more information about this event in www.taubmancollege.umich.edu/nectar

All specific inquiries about this conference should be forward to the local organizer Jonathan Levine: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kind regards

Ana Condeço-Melhorado

NECTAR secretary

CALL FOR PAPERS: Geocomputation 2015

On behalf of the organizing committee, I am delighted to invite you to participate in the GeoComputation 2015 conference. The conference will be held at the University of Texas at Dallas from May 20-23, 2015. The conference encourages diverse topics related to novel methodologies and technologies to enrich the future development GeoComputation.

Abstract submission for oral and poster presentations is scheduled to open on October 1, 2014. 

For detailed information, please visit the conference website (http://www.utdallas.edu/geocomputation). Any questions can be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Best regards, 
Yongwan Chun

The University of Texas at Dallas

Dear Colleagues,

We cordially invite researchers, scientists and experts to participate in the 14th Ernestas Galvanauskas’ International Scientific Conference„RETHINKING REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS“, which will be held on 27th – 28th November, 2014 in Siauliai, Lithuania.

Please find the attached invitation.

More information: http://www.su.lt/smf/galvanauskas-en

Registration deadline – October 1, 2014.  

We kindly ask you to forward this information to other colleaguesthat may be interested in the conference.

We apologize if you receive multiple copies of this mail.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference!

Best regards,

Conference Organizers 

‘Bridging the Implementation Gap of Accessibility Instruments and Planning Support Systems’– is the topic of the next conference organized by http://citta-conference.fe.up.pt/link_icon.gif); background-position: 0px 1px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">CITTA - Research Center for Territory, Transport and Environment, held at the Faculty of Engineering, Porto University on the 24th of October 2014.

This year's edition will be joined with the Final Conference of the COST Action TU1002 on ‘Accessibility Instruments for Planning Practice in Europe’, sharing the second day of this event (for more information click http://citta-conference.fe.up.pt/link_icon.gif); background-position: 0px 1px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">here).

Theme of the conference

Although the development of instruments for planning support dates back much further, the concept of Planning Support Systems (PSS) appeared in the planning literature in the mid-1980s. In the last decades, planning research and literature has witnessed a significant proliferation of PSS. Regardless of this, very few of the developed PSS are actually used in practice. Literature suggests that a fundamental dichotomy between supply and demand of information and models to support planning practice could be the main reason for this phenomenon. On the one hand, planning practitioners – the potential users of these instruments – are generally unaware of and inexperienced in the use of them. On the other hand, the authors of these instruments have, in general, little awareness of the related demand requirements in the complex planning context in which these instruments have to be applied.

This conference aims to bring together a wide range of Planning Support Systems (PSS) in an embracing debate on their implementation gap in planning practice. In addition to collecting a number of PSS, the conference aims to discuss the usefulness of PSS in planning practice from a dual perspective – author/practitioner – looking for recommendations to support the design of more useful PSS in the future. 

Being joined with the Final Conference of the COST Action on Accessibility Instruments in Planning Practice, the CITTA conference will gain from the presentation of the outcomes and findings of European and Australian wide research on usability of accessibility instruments, opening, at the same time, the debate to other (non-accessibility-based) PSS, such as those dealing with environmental, land use and transport planning issues.
 

Keynote speakers

on the 24^th of October (2^nd day of the joint event; day of the 7^th CITTA conference)

Marco te Brömmelstroet - University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Marco te Brömmelstroet holds the position of Assistant Professor in urban planning at the University of Amsterdam. His teaching and research focuses on the relation between land use and mobility. Recent research focussed on the usability of planning support systems for integrated urban strategy making processes. The role of transport models, accessibility instruments and cost benefit analyses in decision-making are central in his research interests.

Paulo Pinho - University of Porto, Portugal

Paulo Pinho is Full Professor of Spatial Planning at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, founder and Director of CITTA, the Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment, and Director of the PhD Programme in Spatial Planning, a joint initiative of the Universities of Porto and Coimbra. His recent research focuses on urban metabolism and low carbon cities, urban morphology and metropolitan dynamics, shrinking cities and new forms of urban space production.

Cecília Silva - University of Porto, Portugal

Cecília Silva is Assistant Professor at the University of Oporto. Her main research activities are focussed on Mobility Management, Accessibility Planning and Planning Support Instruments. She has developed a decision support tool for mobility management based on the concept of structural accessibility. She is the chair of a COST Action on Accessibility Instruments in Planning Practice. Her research activities have led to books, book chapters and a number of papers in international journals and conferences.

Stan Geertman - University of Utrecht, The Netherlands to be confirmed

Additional Keynote Speakers 

on the 23^rd of October (1^st day of the joint event)

Susan Handy - University of California, Davis, USA

Susan Handy is Chair of the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and the Director of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation at the University of California, Davis.  Her research interests center on the relationships between transportation and land use, particularly the impact of neighborhood design on travel behavior.  She is a member of the Committee on Women’s Issues in Transportation of the Transportation Research Board and is an associate editor of the newly launched Journal of Transport and Health.

Karst Geurs - University of Twente, the Netherlands

Karst Geurs is Full Professor of Transport Planning at the Centre for Transport Studies, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, The Netherlands. His research focuses on accessibility analysis and modelling, land-use and transport interactions, transport policy evaluation and sustainable transport.  He has over 20 journal publications and many other publications. He is the current president of NECTAR (Network of European Communications and Transport Activities Research).

Angela Hull - Heriot Watt University, United Kingdom

Angela Hull holds the Chair in Spatial Planning at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh UK. In her early career she worked as a local government town planner followed by a period in consultancy. She has worked in academia for the last 25 years teaching town planning and urban management. Her research spans across governance and organisational behaviour in sustainable urban management particularly examining the institutional triggers to changed approaches in transport, energy, and housing.

Carey Curtis - Curtin University, Australia to be confirmed

Organizing Committee

Cecília Silva (Chair), Paulo Pinho, Anabela Ribeiro, Paulo Conceição, Ana Amante, Miguel Lopes, Tiago Patatas, Ana Sousa

Scientific Committee

Álvaro Seco, António Pais Antunes, Cecília Silva, Isabel Vazquez, Luca Bertolini, Marco te Brömmelstroet, Nuno Pinto, Paulo Pinho

More info at: http://citta-conference.fe.up.pt/

Workshop: 'Transience and Permanence in Urban Development'

 University of Sheffield, January 2015

Organisers: Prof. John Henneberry and Dr. Simon Parris

Please see attached call for abstracts for a small, research intensive workshop examining transience and permanence in urban development. 

Proposals are invited for original papers to be presented at the workshop and subsequently to be considered for inclusion in a significant joint publication.

Post-industrial cities have experienced a dramatic growth in vacant/derelict land and buildings, raising questions about how such sites may be used temporarily for social, economic or environmental benefit, and about how these transient uses may affect the long-run trajectory of urban development. A burgeoning literature on temporary uses has evolved. However, this field is in need of consolidation and development. The aim of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for critical reflection on transience and permanence in urban development. 

The deadline for applications is 14 July 2014. Decisions on the workshop invitations will be made by 28 July. Full papers will be required by 31 December 2014.

Reasonable expenses of lead authors will be met. Other authors are free to attend at their own expense. 

Please see attached call for full details.

Virginia Sea Grant – NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office Postgraduate Fellowship:

Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management & Implementation

Deadline: July 19, 2014.

Overview

In partnership with the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, Virginia Sea Grant announces the availability of a two-year, postgraduate fellowship in ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM). This fellowship seeks to advance EBFM in the Chesapeake Bay by improving the understanding of linkages between fisheries, land-use changes, habitats, and the ecosystem services they provide. The fellow will leverage past EBFM work in the region, conduct literature review and extensive expert consultation, synthesize and integrate available scientific information, and develop decision support materials and conduct outreach to Chesapeake Bay coastal resource managers. While the specific EBFM project to be conducted will be determined in part by the expertise of the selected fellow, we envision a fellow working on a narrowly defined, concise project within one or more of the following thematic areas: climate change impacts on fisheries resources; ecosystem indicators for fishery management; habitat and fisheries linkages; or valuation.

Eligibility and Qualifications

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or hold an appropriate visa to work within the U.S. Minimum skills and qualifications include: (1) Recent Ph.D. (within last five years) from a relevant social, natural, or interdisciplinary science program with emphasis in areas such as marine policy, natural resource management, ecosystem service valuation, or socio-environmental systems research; (2) Interdisciplinary background that includes some combination of environmental and natural resource policy, ecology, and fisheries expertise, with experience in coupled human-natural systems; (3) Strong research and analytical skills; (4) Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including excellent command of English; and (5) Creative, motivated, and capable of working well both independently and cooperatively within an interdisciplinary group.  Preferred skills and qualifications include: (1) Demonstrated interest and experience working at the interface of science and resource management; (2) Demonstrated ability to translate scientific and technical concepts across disciplines and audiences; (3) Familiarity with large ecosystem protection and restoration programs; and (4) Strong quantitative skills for human-natural systems data meta-analysis, synthesis research, or policy studies.

Location, Salary, and Benefits

The fellow will be based at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and will be paid $42,000/year for two years, with full employee benefits through VIMS and the College of William & Mary. In addition, there are funds available for travel and supplies.

To Apply

Qualified applicants may apply via the College of William & Mary jobs website: http://jobs.wm.edu/postings/17883. Applicants will be asked to submit (via the website): (1) a cover letter, including a statement reflecting their interests and expertise in EBFM and its implementation; (2) a CV that lists all GPAs and relevant graduate coursework; (3) a short writing sample (preferably less than 5-pg) targeting an end-user audience (e.g., manager, policy maker, citizen, stakeholder) and (4) three letters of recommendation submitted by referees. Review of applications will begin July 19, 2014.

Additional Information

Please see attached job announcement for additional information.  Candidates may contact Susan Park (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 804-684-7436) with any questions. 

Dear all,

 The new RSAI Newsletter May 201 can now be found under

http://regionalscience.org/images/PDF/Newsletter_2014_May_2.pdf