It is 50 years ago since I took up my first post as a professional planner. This anniversary moment provides plenty to reflect on.

The Commonwealth Association of Planners has announced the winners of its Young Planners essay competition. The topics addressed by the winners were how to plan for better care of an aging population, and the nature of place-making.

Urban Transformation and “New Style” Urbanisation in China was the theme of a major conference hosted by the University of Glasgow.

As European countries become more inward-looking,  Professor Klaus Kunzmann sees a possible opportunity for planners to rebuild the reputation of their profession.

The impacts of austerity in Greece have dropped out of the headlines, but not gone away.

Three contrasting films prompt important questions about the nature of communities, past and present, rural and urban.

A new report on the impact of Airbnb and similar platforms calls for tighter regulation.

A paper in a leading scientific journal calls for much greater engagement of scientists in urban policy and practice.

A conference at the University of Birmingham on 22 March on "Planning Challenges in the Commonwealth" will be the venue for the UK launch of the book "Leading Change"

The recent World Urban Forum was an opportunity to show UK engagement with urbanisation as a global issue. It was missed.