Planning for Hope and Hope for Planning? Reflections on a New European Spatial Vision in Times of Polycrisis

Three decades after the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP), discussions are once again emerging regarding the need for a shared spatial vision. Yet the political and societal context differs fundamentally from the optimism that surrounded the original ESDP in the 90s. Geopolitical tensions, climate change and broader polycrisis conditions have challenged long-term visioning and strengthened more reactive approaches to policymaking. Drawing inspiration from discussions at the World Planning Schools Congress 2026 roundtable on a new European spatial vision, this debate article asks whether planning can and should still be understood as a discipline of hope. It argues that hope should not be equated with naïve optimism but understood as a practical commitment to collective action under uncertainty. Revisiting the legacy of the ESDP and briefly discussing industrial transformation through the example of cross-border cooperation in the Kvarken region, the commentary contends that planning remains vital precisely because contemporary challenges are deeply spatial in nature. Rather than providing certainty, planning can help sustain collective agency, build shared territorial imaginaries and facilitate dialogue across sectors, scales and borders in uncertain times.