Dirk Engelke, Rapperswil, Switzerland; Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Prof. for Spatial Development

My journey with REAL CORP began in my early years as an assistant at the Karlsruhe University of Technology. At the time, my focus was mainly on technical questions. Yet even then, networking was a central theme – connecting young researchers with experienced planners, always driven by the fundamental question: How can technology improve planning?

Twenty-five years later, now a professor, I am still enthralled by this balance. REAL CORP continues to be the place where we explore technology and, more importantly, what it takes to turn these possibilities into planning strategies for sustainable mobility, climate adaptation, and smart, livable cities and regions.

What started as a regional forum has become an international platform that has inspired and accompanied me for decades. Congratulations on 30 years of REAL CORP! My heartfelt thanks to Manfred, Clemens, and all the teams whose dedication and passion have made this journey possible – past, present, and hopefully for many years to come.

Judith Ryser, London, UK; CityScope Europe, Urban Thinker

Congratulation and Gratitude

REAL CORP has come of age. It has reached its stage of early maturity, while preserving its youthful energy, creativity and optimism. What an achievement! It was exciting to be invited into the “CORP family” so long ago and to experience how it progressed by relentlessly experimenting and adjusting to the enormous geopolitical shifts of our century.

What attracted me to REAL CORP was that it was hatched at TU Wien by new graduates, ready to step into the world of work but keen to use and develop their academic knowledge. At that time planning aimed to acquire scientific status and adopted the latest technologies. REAL CORP embraced them to this day, both in terms of the content of its annual conferences, but also significantly by disseminating the REAL CORP body of knowledge to the whole world for free on its website.

The ambition of REAL CORP was to create a place for planning academics and practising planners from both the public and private sectors where they could share their knowledge and experiences and push the boundaries of planning together. Always open to the world REAL CORP was pan-European from its outset, branched out rapidly to Russia and beyond as far as China, while attracting also North American contributors and, most importantly, building up lasting relations with the Global South, mainly in Africa.

All this constitutes the uniqueness of CORP and its soul Manfred Schrenk. Together with the loyal REAL CORP team they underpin REAL CORP’s resilience and longevity. And long may REAL CORP last and evolve for generations, well beyond my time.

Frank Otte, Osnabrück, Germany; Architect, Former City Planning Councillor Osnabrück/Mayor Leinfelden-Echterdingen

I think it was 1999 when I was able to give a presentation at REAL CORP for the first time. My office and I were involved in a research project for the state of Lower Saxony on online urban land use planning. We were the first, at least in Germany, to develop and offer this medium for urban development planning and the associated participation processes. That has changed significantly in the last 26 years. No planner, no municipality can do without presenting urban development plans on the internet. REAL CORP has accompanied me on this path, and I have been able to give a few talks in the years that followed. But even when I was not active myself,REAL CORP has constantly supported me; bilateral projects have emerged and friendships have grown. For this, a big thank you to Manfred Schrenk and the entire team, and congratulations on 30 years of REAL CORP.

Alfonso Vegara Gomez, Madrid, Spain; Fundacion Metropoli

The 30th anniversary of REAL CORP marks a significant milestone in the advancement of urban planning. REAL CORP conferences have become very international, with conferences in Sitges/Barcelona, Rome, Essen/Zollverein, Ghent, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, ... – and of course always Vienna again. REAL CORP 2025 looks like a very interesting issue with an excellent international programme in the “medium sized city” of Graz. Under the distinguished leadership of Manfred, these conferences have become a key international forum, bringing together leading experts and decision makers to address the complex challenges facing cities today. Manfred’s and his team’s vision, generosity, and unwavering commitment have been instrumental in elevating the profession and fostering a dynamic ecosystem of urban solutions. We look forward to continuing this journey of innovation, collaboration, and excellence in the years to come.

Hans Rüdiger Kaufmann, Mannheim, DE; University of Applied Management Studies

Never have REAL CORP conferences been more valuable than today: Decision makers at all levels are confronted with a historic turning point. This requires innovative, concerted, and rapid solutions in times of extreme uncertainty regarding the impacts of climate change, force majeure events, and pressing issues of social sustainability. With their 30-year-old global network of experts and their holistic, interdisciplinary, and highly application-oriented focus on topics of urban, spatial, and regional planning, as well as smart cities/smart regions, REAL CORP conferences are more important to me than ever. In addition to the excellent opportunity for effective and trusting networking, the organisation offers a long-standing, accumulated literary knowledge pool that enables a well-founded and pragmatic transfer of knowledge into planning practice at all levels.

Kai Uwe Krause, Hamburg, Germany; Head of the Planning and Building Department

Unfortunately, I missed the first conference in 1996. But from 1997 onwards, on the recommendation of my professor, who originally came from Vienna, I was a regular active participant in the REAL CORP conferences until 2007 as part of my work at universities in Berlin and Hamburg. At that time, REAL CORP succeeded in bringing together stakeholders from education and research at universities and from public administrations who were involved in the use of computer-aided methods and tools in spatial planning. REAL CORP has always been an incentive to develop solutions or contributions throughout the year in order to present them to an interested audience and lead to in-depth discussions lasting well into the night. A first summary was then always drawn at “Parma komplett” at Hannes’ restaurant during the extended lunch break.

We always went home deeply inspired after REAL CORP. Manfred and his team were always excellent hosts, and the REAL CORP period was occasionally extended to include joint trips to the Alps. Due to the end of my scientific activities at the university, I unfortunately had to reduce my involvement in REAL CORP. However, Manfred invited me and other members of the REAL CORP family to continue working with the REAL CORP team as part of the joint EU-wide research project “Plan4all”. In 2016, we then had the opportunity to take REAL CORP to Hamburg, which was also very inspiring. I wish REAL CORP every success for the current conference in Graz and at least for the next 30 years, and I hope to be able to meet up with familiar colleagues from the REAL CORP family again so that we can discuss new and old topics in greater depth.

Rajendra Kumar, Phagwara, Punjab, India; Lovely Professional University, Director of School of Architecture and Design

I had been following the great work by Manfred and his team for making REAL CORP conference as one of very important global event for urban planners and all stakeholders of cities. Selected papers and presentations in the conferences covering varied geographical representations are of very high standards and important case studies. The contribution by Manfred is a matter of great admiration and appreciation in the field of research for urbanists, scholars, urban governance and academic institutions. It’s a matter of pride that REAL CORP is completing its 30th year in 2025. It is a true testament of hard work and dedication of Manfred and his team. I wish all the very best to Manfred, all colleagues and the great team who are making such a thoughtful conference year after year. My full support and wishes to team for newer and newer heights for REAL CORP in the coming future.

Hannes Taubenböck, Weßling, DE; German Aerospace Center, Earth Observation Center

I think the first time I attended REAL CORP was in 2010 and since then I’ve enjoyed being a guest every now and again. This conference is particularly interesting for someone like me, who comes from the field of earth observation and deals with cities, because participants are from completely different disciplines. They help me, e.g., to understand more precisely how urban planners think or what they need.

Ali A. Alraouf, Doha, Qatar; Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)

While I was closely observing the vibrancy of REAL CORP conference series and learn from reading its valuable proceedings but unfortunately, I was not lucky to attend one of its events in person. Yet, last year, I was honored to attend the conference in the innovative city, Mannheim. I did attend conferences and events around the globe, but REAL CORP is exceptional indeed.

I felt like I am with a family in a very positive and friendly spirit while discussing crucial topics and pressing urban challenges. I loved the way keynote speakers were selected to shed light on truly transformational aspects of the built environment. I enjoyed the inclusivity and the diversity of the participants and particularly giving a chance for post graduate students to exhibit their research findings. Therefore, I want to seize the opportunity that this year is the 30th anniversary of CORP conference and congratulate my dear friends Manfred, Clemens and the whole team for the excellent job and the tangible impact on architects, urban designers and planners around the globe.

I am honored to be with all of you in Graz to enjoy the conference and celebrate 30 years of success.

Peter Zeile, Karlsruhe, DE; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Urban Housing and Development

30th REAL CORP – more than 20 times on site: What’s the best thing about REAL CORP? First of all, the professional input, the exciting presentations, and, well, I could go on and on with the praise and scientific speeches – there’s always something exciting to see!

But what’s more important: we all meet again, and we have time to talk to each other, not just professionally, but also personally. Some might call it a “class reunion”, but I call it something special: We laugh, we cry, we celebrate together. The home games in Vienna, international events such as Rome, Sitges (and yes, I was even allowed to go to FC Barcelona!, came home at 3 a.m., no presentation ready, and was “allowed” to present at 9:30 in the morning), Ghent, Essen, and the spontaneous football matches with the yellow Kapsch ball in front of the Multiversum in Schwechat as well as at the REAL trade fair in Vienna and in Vienna City Hall.

The venues have changed, and fortunately, many faces have remained the same, albeit somewhat more mature. Thank you, Manfred, for the motivation to organise a new event every year and bring Europe and the world – not only from a planning point of view – closer together! We stay in contact and discussion – today, it is more important than ever!

Simone Back Prochnow, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Architect, Urban Planner, Consultant in urban regeneration and Researcher

REAL CORP Conferences are always a pivotal moment of the year for us all, as urban planners, thinkers and doers of the REAL WORLD. I see it as an open-minded and receptive place that gathers old friends as well as new incommers, with the target of enriching our perspectives and our daily life experiences.

We are all welcomed with such dedication and warmth, that makes everyone feel special and comfortable to share, learn and fortify not only our worries but also our hopes through these special days of true connection.

Congratulations to all the team, for a 30 year worldwide journey making an event with so many important results, that feels so human and close.

Pietro Elisei, Bucharest, Romania; Urbasofia, Founder and Managing Director

My journey with REAL CORP began in 2003 when I presented a paper on the emerging link between ICT and urban planning, drawn from my work with planum.net. At the time, few urbanists were exploring this intersection – and we were actively searching for each other, for spaces to connect and share ideas. That search led me to Vienna, where I met Manfred. We immediately connected through our shared openness to international exchange and our curiosity about Europe’s evolving landscape of cooperation. That meeting sparked a collaboration that has never really stopped.
Over the years, our professional work has been enriched by a deep and lasting friendship – an equilibrium that has always felt natural and rewarding. Becoming part of the REAL CORP community has brought me countless personal and professional satisfactions. I warmly wish for at least another 30 years of growth, with all of us continuing to play an active role. To the new generation of planners: If you are seeking a space where ideas travel, where connections endure, and where the future of urbanism is shaped together – come join us. REAL CORP is your community, too.

Eva Vaništa Lazarević, Belgrade, Serbia; Full Professor at University of Belgrade, Faculty of Architecture

REAL CORP conference is all about the acting persons, the director and the founder, our Manfred, and the good soul and organising genius Clemens – and the small REAL CORP team! All of us who were in a position to organise scientific gatherings know very well that they might easily become “Mission impossible”.

REAL CORP is with us for 30 years already. Through changing urbanistic topics and places of events throughout Europe, it stays an inspiring gathering of the year, bringing together passionate researchers and innovators from diverse backgrounds. It offers a unique opportunity for attendees to connect on a personal level, sharing not just ground breaking discoveries but also their experiences and challenges. The atmosphere is, due to our Manfred and his team, warm and charming, filled with lively discussions and shared laughter, making it feel less like a formal event and more like a community of like-minded individuals united by a common goal. Ultimately, it is an incredible experience that leaves everyone feeling motivated and connected to the larger scientific community,  and to come back to this conference again and again.

My own conference “Places and Technologies” that celebrates its modest jubilee; ten years this year, was in fact Manfred’s and mine first experience together. Science is not just a body of knowledge, but a way of thinking, a comfortable way of mingling and exchanging, it is about real care. We are, I assume, for long time now tired of those “I couldn’t care less” (about you) feelings and sensations coming oftenly from our colleagues all over the world. That is, after my modest opinion, why REAL CORP lasts, with a small crew of a big mighty man!

Martin Töllner, Dortmund, Germany; Professor of Real Estate Management at International School of Management

I remember the first REAL CORP symposiums: IT-savvy urban planners with a great deal of idealism and the vision of improving the world with the help of modern tools. The first ideas for opening REAL CORP to an international audience emerged between midnight and 3 a.m. between two REAL CORP days ... no one had even thought of a 30th birthday back then.

Congratulations to CORP and to you, Manfred, for your tireless efforts. Today, CORP has a firm place in the planning scene and is an indispensable source of inspiration and innovation.

Bernd Streich, Wohltorf near Hamburg, Germany; Professor Emeritus

Back to the roots in 1995. As a young professor at the University of Kaiserslautern (since renamed several times), I was one of the first participants of REAL CORP in Vienna. It was the beginning – still without big hype – of a technological progress with initial impetus from computer technology. At that time, many academic traditionalists and almost all experts of urban action considered its benefits as useless. The only forum in the German speaking world that saw things differently was REAL CORP with some truly visionary protagonists, among whom Manfred Schrenk at the TU Wien undoubtedly belonged. Since then times have changed and many things had to be reassessed – including the contents of this conference. From my “hidden” observation from afar, Manfred and his team have succeeded in integrating this change of times and topics into all conference programmes very well.

I wish Manfred and his team all the best and many new insights resulting from the conference topics. What is important in all this professional exchange, however, is the joy, the mutual respect in the exchange of ideas and, above all, a lot of good humour. Manfred knows how to do that after so many years of engagement. REAL CORP is his lifeblood and passion.

Andreas Schiller, Austria; Journalist and Publisher: Real Estate, City and Regional Development

The 30th anniversary of REAL CORP as Conference on Urban Planning and Regional Development in the Information Society is a good time to look back. In the 1990s, the world was quite anchored, clearly structured and seemed more manageable. There was no widespread Internet and everything we take for granted today in terms of communication in the information society was still in ist infancy. In Vienna, spatial planner Manfred Schrenk and a small team launched REAL CORP back then in 1996. Over time, REAL CORP became increasingly international. From Austria, the conference moved to other countries and, conversely, when Real Corp was held in Austria again, the conference attracted more and more international participants from all over the world. What a journey! And what journeys.

The website corp.at is neither hip nor the latest trend in digital design, but rather the opposite. That offers advantages. Under the “CORP since 1996” button, for example, you’ll find all the papers accepted since the beginning and lots of programmes from past REAL CORP conferences. The spectrum is thematically and geographically extremely extensive, so that this digital archive alone deserves admiration!

Congrats to Manfred Schrenk and his team. Here’s to many more years! Ad multos annos!

Thomas Walch, Rauenberg, Germany/Barcelona, Spain; Co-Founder Worldcode1, Co-Founder Innoplanet

30 years of REAL CORP, certainly never expected at the beginning, but working on REAL CORP with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, always questioning, always readjusting and realigning. You have to want to contribute this energy and persistence for 30 years now. A lot of respect and applause is due. I was able to immerse myself in the “REAL CORP family” for the first time 4 years ago and experience first hand what science can do. As an outsider at the time, I was quite impressed by what is possible with these complex topics around urban, neighbourhood and landscape planning, to name just three.

I quickly realised that the exchange between science and industry and production companies is quite limited. It should be clear that research, testing and development with an academic orientation does not always find its direct place in business. However, I am convinced that bringing these two pillars together can be of great benefit to both. In this sense, I wish you, Manfred, and you, Clemens, as well as the rest of the team all the best for the future, and continued success in selecting the topics for future REAL CORP conferences.