Introducing the new AESOP YA Coordination Team: Tjark Gall

3 min. read + video.

Continuing with the presentation of the new members of AESOP YA Coordination Team, today we engage with the thoughts and personal introduction from Tjark Gall, PhD candidate at IRT SystemX / University of Paris-Saclay / CentraleSupélec:

"There is nothing more valuable than exchanging among peers, learning from each other, and joining forces to build better urban futures. My pathway has been shaped by international and interdisciplinary exchange, and I firmly believe that it can help us do a better job in planning, designing, or researching our urban environments. And the Young Academics Network of AESOP is one such place that can provide, enable, and strengthen this exchange and further our shared efforts—the reason for recently joining the AESOP YA Coordination Team.

For over a decade, architecture and urban development defined my professional life. Along this path, I have been active in different organisations. For several years, I led the student council during my studies in Germany and contributed to other committees and NGOs. In 2016, I became part of the Young Planning Professionals’ Programme of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), which marked my entry point to urban development and the community behind it, meeting many of the members of AESOP along the way. The knowledge acquired through the exchange with planners, designers, and academics from around the world is invaluable; a belief further cemented at the Institute for Housing and Development Studies (IHS) with colleagues of over 40 nationalities, as well as working for ISOCARP and its research institute from 2018-2020-

Since last autumn, I started my doctoral studies in Paris. The overall idea behind my PhD thesis is presented in the video below:

During my time with the Coordination Team, I hope to continue and strengthen the existing programmes, enable and support new ideas for the members, and advance my core priorities of facilitating trans-disciplinary peer-to-peer exchange—an element fundamental for planning more human-centered urban futures.

That’s my life in a nutshell.

Lastly, some key info: My name is Tjark Gall, born and raised in northern Germany, molded in cities across Germany, Shanghai, Lilongwe, Rotterdam, Kampala, Paris, and trying to decipher how to enable system transitions towards more human-centred urban mobility futures.

Feel free to connect on LinkedIn or reach out via email (tjark.gall(at)urban-framework.com) or phone (+33 (0) 649 679 502)."

Congratulations Tjark! we are looking forward for your input in the Coordination Team.