Prof Cliff Hague

Today there are 180,000 more people living in urban areas than there were yesterday. There will be another 180,000 there when you wake up tomorrow and another 180,000 the day after that. This urban dynamo will continue for decades. Its components are the relatively youthful age structures of cities and the remorseless trek that people make from the countryside in search of jobs, education and better opportunities. Urbanisation is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. Making cities better is planners’ core business.

While climate change has grabbed the headlines, urbanisation poses similar, related issues. At present one person in six on this planet lives in a slum. On present trends the ratio will be one in three by the early 2030s. This is because urbanisation is fastest in some of the world’s poorest countries. Most new development is unplanned, and much of it is not connected to a safe water supply. The poor typically live in dangerous locations – places that are vulnerable to natural hazards such as flooding. Climate change increases the risk of disasters. Estimates of the likely number of 'environmental refugees' in the coming decades run to over 150M. It took Europe over 100 years to eradicate its slums. In the global society of the 21st century we should not, and cannot afford, to take so long. There can be no sustainable development without sustainable urbanisation, and no sustainable urbanisation without effective planning.

We live in one world. Planners who work in the rich countries such as the UK can make their contribution to tackling this global crisis. 'Think Global Act Local' but also 'Think Local, Act Local'. The form of our towns and cities and the spread of people in rural areas influence how dependent we become on cars, which contribute to the CO2 emissions that stoke climate change, which leads to floods and loss of homes and habitats in places far away. However, the gap between rich neighbourhoods and poor districts is widening in the rich countries too.

Many of the core skills that planners need are equally relevant in very different contexts. Planners are practical, but need vision and analytical abilities, so that they can create new, practical options for development. They have to have good inter-personal skills because they will find themselves in situations where there is fierce conflict about what should happen to a place. They have to understand different cultures and different viewpoints so that they can serve all the people. They must be honest and truthful, as their advice can shape decisions that can literally be worth a fortune.

Good planning requires imagination but also the skill of listening to the voices of others and working together. Unless we can nurture and apply such innovative professionalism to the urban condition, at home and abroad, over the next generation, we face the kind of dystopia that we only know through science fiction. The need for people with the intellect and commitment to make a difference has never been more urgent.

Cliff Hague is the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Association of Planners and was President of the RTPI in 1996-1997.

Author:

Dushy Large

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

10-Jan-07

Categories:

Planning as a Career 

Sections:

Education & Careers

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