Reflecting on the 70th anniversary of The Bartlett Development Planning Unit

This milestone celebration, known as DPU70, showcased the unit's significant contributions to international development education, research, and engagement with practice in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

For 70 years, the Development Planning Unit at UCL has been at the forefront of addressing critical urban and regional development challenges in the Global South. From its inception in 1954 to present day, the DPU has consistently pushed boundaries in international development education, research, and practice.

The anniversary events provided a platform for sharing critical experiences and debates generated through joint engagement in various educational, research, and practice-based work across urban, regional, national, and international scales. Some key highlights of the DPU70 celebrations included:

1. World Urban Forum (WUF12) Participation: The DPU organized a range of activities at WUF12, including a special DPU dinner in Cairo.
2. The DPU70 Scholarships: The DPU70 Scholarships were launched to support two students from Sub-Saharan Africa to study our master's courses in the 2024-25 academic year.
3. A Short History of the Development Planning Unit: This historical booklet documents DPU experiences, interactions, and contributions to development practice, research, and teaching since 1954.
4. DPU Dialogues in Development Series: This event series were run by the DPU Research clusters to discuss the most prominent contemporary challenges facing cities, planning, and international development, with guest speakers including Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
5. DPU70 Film Festivals: A series of three film screenings drawing on the research of DPU colleagues to explore film as a method that engages with the politics of knowledge generation and ethical considerations of representation.

These celebrations among others not only commemorated the DPU's past achievements but also reinforced its commitment to strengthening the knowledge and capacities of governments, NGOs, and communities working towards socially just and sustainable development in the global south.

Professor Julian Walker, School Director said: “Our School’s legacy is not just in its past achievements, but in its ongoing contributions to the field. Through innovative research, teaching, and advisory work, we continue to generate and share critical knowledge practices that address contemporary urban challenges. I want to thank everyone who was instrumental in helping us celebrate this milestone. We successfully brought together the entire DPU community – staff, students, alumni, associates, and international partners – to deepen our institutional knowledge and forge intergenerational connections. Our anniversary celebration was just not about looking back, but about charting a course for the future of urban development planning.”

To catch up on recordings of our DPU70 events and festivals, click here for our playlist.