The Asian Planning Schools Association (APSA) is a non-profit and non-political association that aims at providing opportunities for scholars and planners to discuss issues related to planning, to exchange opinions and understand problems of planning in Asian countries, and to foster new generations of academics and professional planners in Asia.
APSA Founding Members (1993-08-26)
The Association was founded in August 1993 at the 2nd International Congress of Asian Planning Schools in Hong Kong that was organized by Prof. Anthony Yeh of the Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management, University of Hong Kong on 25-27 August 1993 as part of the celebration programme of the 80th anniversary of the University. This Congress was a follow up activities of the 1st International Congress of City and Regional Planning Schools/Departments of Asian Universities organized by Prof. Sadao Watanabe, Department of Urban Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo, at the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan in 11-12 November 1991. In that meeting, Prof. Watanabe explored with the participants the idea of setting up a more formal organization for further exchange. This idea was further explored in the 2nd International Congress. The participants from 15 countries in Asia participated in the Congress felt that there is a need to establish a formal network for exchange and collaboration and particularly to enhance urban and regional planning education and research in Asia. Representatives from 19 planning schools in Asia from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam agreed to form the Asian Planing Schools Association to achieve these objectives. Prof. Sadao WATANABE, Emeritus Professor of the Department of Urban Engineering, University of Tokyo, was elected first President of the Association, Assoc. Prof. Lan Yuan LIM, Head of the School of Building and Estate Management, National University of Singapore, was been elected as the Vice-President, and Prof. Anthony G.O. YEH, Assistant Director of the Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management, University of Hong Kong, was elected as the Secretary-General.
Activities of the Association include the organization of biennial congresses and the publication of monographs and newsletter.