Speaker

Pietro Elisei is an internationally recognised expert in strategic planning and urban regeneration, with more than twenty years of experience working with cities, regions, national governments and international organisations. He is currently a researcher and professor at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, where his teaching and research focus on European territorial planning, economic geography, territorial cohesion, sustainable mobility and the governance of urban and regional transformations. His work combines academic research, public policy and planning practice, translating complex territorial challenges into integrated strategies and implementable solutions. He is the founder of URBASOFIA, an international company working across strategic planning, policy design, sustainable territorial development, city master planning and applied research. URBASOFIA has extensive experience in European policies and programmes and has participated in numerous Horizon Europe and Interreg projects, working within international partnerships to develop, test and transfer innovative approaches to urban and territorial development. The company supports public authorities in shaping long-term development visions, designing integrated policies, preparing European projects and connecting research outcomes with concrete planning instruments, investments and local implementation. Elisei has served as an expert for URBACT and Urban Innovative Actions, supporting European cities in developing innovative approaches to urban regeneration, accessibility, social inclusion and sustainable development. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with UNECE and UN-Habitat, as well as with European institutions, national and regional governments, municipalities, universities and international professional networks. A significant part of his recent work has focused on the Balkans, where he has advised public authorities on spatial planning reform, territorial governance and urban-rural relationships. He is currently Team Leader for the preparation of a new framework law on urban planning and territorial development in Kosovo. Across these and other assignments, his work has addressed territorial inequalities, demographic decline, institutional fragmentation, accessibility to services and the regeneration of cities, small towns and rural territories. Pietro Elisei is President of the Global Designers Association (GDA), a founding member of the International Urban Planning Forum (IUPF), and served as President of ISOCARP – the International Society of City and Regional Planners from 2021 to 2024.