This research effort is analysing different flows of mobilities and their impacts on contemporary regions, nations and communities in order to provide a basis to understand some of the complex dynamics that exist between people, institutions and development. Analytically speaking, movements become mobilities when they gain meaning as experienced and imagined sociocultural assemblages. People are moving all the time, but not all movements are equally meaningful and life-shaping (both for those who move and those who stay put). Neither "movers" nor “stayers” consume innate significance of mobilities; rather, they construct it in dynamic relations of exchange and interaction. The research aims at understanding the multifaceted dimensions of how global (im-) as well as mobility flows impact or might change the organization of communities and societies through planning processes. Planning and development is considered a crucial topic for government authorities (local, regional and national levels), policy makers in international organizations and within the global industry. Consequently, mobilities also raise a whole different set of issues, the most important probably being the question of sustainability. The research within this research area will, with a point of departure in case studies from all over the world, also focus on ethics and ethical aspects related to planning and policy within sustainable development.