Global Planning Education Association Network (GPEAN) was founded during the first World Planning Schools Congress (WPSC) in 2001 in Shanghai. Four planning school associations, ACSP, AESOP, ANZAPS, and APSA joined together to hold the first WPSC in Shanghai at Tongji University. The congress drew 650 planning scholars from over 250 planning schools in 60 countries. While in Shanghai, leaders of ten planning school associations met to discuss common objectives and possible future actions. At the conclusion of the meetings, they unanimously agreed to what has become known as the Shanghai Statement, signed by representatives of all ten associations at the closing ceremony of the Congress. The statement, which became the basis of GPEAN, highlighted the goal of increasing mutual communication in order to improve the quality and visibility of planning and planning education. To achieve this, it was agreed to establish a global planning education association network.
The Shanghai Statement was subsequently formally endorsed by nine of the associations. With the addition of TOPOB and ASPI in mid-2010s the network grew to 11 member associations.
After the 2001 Shanghai congress, GPEAN has been holding WPSCs every five years: in Mexico City in 2006, in Perth in 2011 WPSC, in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and the forthcoming WPSC to be held in Lisbon in 2021.
From 2002 onwards, GPEAN representatives of the member associations started to meet annually to discuss policies and actions for cooperation. In the 2002 meeting in Volos, held in conjunction with the AESOP Congress, It was decided that world congresses would be held every five years. The second meeting of GPEAN in 2003 was in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in conjunction with an ANPUR Congress. At this meeting a charter was developed, which was later ratified by the nine founding member associations. In 2004, GPEAN meeting was held in Portland, Oregon USA, with the ACSP Congress; and with ANZAPS in Adelaide, Australia in 2005.
The 2006 GPEAN meeting was held in conjunction with the 2nd World Planning Schools Congress in Mexico City; the 2007 in conjunction with the AESOP Congress in Naples, the 2008 during the ACSP-AESOP Joint Congress in Chicago, the 2009 during the APSA Congress in Ahmedabad, the 2010 during the AESOP Congress in Helsinki.
The 2011 GPEAN meeting was again held in conjunction to the World Planning Schools Congress, the 3rd one, which took place in Perth. Representative of UN Habitat attended the Congress and GPEAN meetings to promote UN Habitat’s university partner initiative, and the collaboration resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between GPEAN and UN Habitat.
The 2012 GPEAN meeting was held in conjunction with APERAU’s colloquium in Lausanne, the 2013 during the ANPUR Conference in Recife. The 2014 GPEAN meeting took place in İstanbul, together with the colloquium of TUPOB, a newly joining member to the network. Similarly, the 2015 GPEAN meeting took place in Bali, in conjunction with the congress of ASPI, another new member to the network.
In 2016, the GPEAN Governing Council met during the 4th World Planning Schools Congress, held in Rio de Janeiro. In 2017, the meeting was held in conjunction with the ACSP Congress in Denver, in 2018 during the ALEUP Conference in Santiago de Chile, and in 2019 during the AESOP Congress in Venice.
