Carsten Jahn Hansen (CJH) is Associate Professor in spatial development and planning, PhD in Spatial planning, and master in Surveying, Planning and Land Management. CJH has a base in Department of Planning and is Director of the Danish Centre for Spatial Planning at Aalborg University, Denmark.

CJH has expertice in spatial development, governance and planning processes and in 'place-making', in particular in local and regional contexts. His work focuses on place-sensitive approaches and innovation in development of appropriate governance and planning spaces in both urban and rural areas. CJH has developed insight into development and planning cultures, and how cultural and social aspects play an important part of 'the capacity to act' and to transform places. This includes attention to the role of different types of trust relations in development, governance and planning processes.

CJH's activities span themes and areas such as coastal development, urban and business regions, urban-rural relations and integration, regional and local innovation, tourism and experience economy, environmental policy integration, mobility and transport policy, as well as interactive research approaches.

CJH is appointed, by the Danish Ministry of Business Affairs, as the Danish contact point (ECP) in ESPON, the European Spatial Planning Observatory Network. He is also the Danish contact in the PLANNORD research network. CJH has delivered work for all policy levels, e.g. OECD, EU, national governments, regions and municipalities, and he has been a member of research council assessment panels in Sweden and Norway.