CEO of Oslo Metropolitan Area | Norway

Erling Fossen has been CEO of Oslo Metropolitan Area, an association owned by some of Norway’s largest real estate developers, since the beginning in 2012. As a postmodern urbanist, he engages deeply in public participation, moving away from the modern planning regime where planners knew it all, and participation meant that citizens should vote in elections every four years. In his position at Oslo Metropolitan Area, he has contributed to the recent development of cafe dialogue, a participation tool where developers directly meet with the inhabitants – which shows just one aspect of how Erling and his colleagues have changed the way Oslo is doing public planning.