At the invitation of the Porto Local Organising Committee, ISOCARP will hold its next Congress and Exhibition in the City of Porto, Portugal, from 18 to 22 October 2009. As indicated in the First Announcement, the theme proposed by our hosts: “Planning for Low Carbon Cities”, is particularly timely, as reduction in carbon emissions and energy are key concerns of planning for future urban growth worldwide, not least in Europe.   It is a seamless continuation of the 2007 theme, “Urban Growth without Urban Sprawl”. Urban sprawl, which is a mix of built space and residual open fields, requires a large amount of carbon producing transport and energy.  For decision-makers and their planning advisors, it raises the challenge of making compact and liveable places, caring for people and nature and favouring social inclusion.