RTPI International
The Royal Town Planning Institute is an international organisation. Five per cent of its 20,000 members live and work outside the UK, and it accredits planning courses overseas.
The Institute has an International Committee and a dedicated International Affairs Officer. It is an active member of the European Council of Spatial Planners and the Commonwealth Association of Planners. It now makes a significant contribution to UN-Habitat (the United Nations Human Settlements Programme) especially the biennial World Urban Forum - the next WUF will be held in Rio de Janeiro in March 2010.
Click here to go to RTPI's feature on the Haiti earthquake disaster in January 2010
On World Habitat Day, the first Monday in October, UN-HABITAT launched its Global Report on Human Settlements (GRHS 2009), this year with the title Planning Sustainable Cities. The Chief Editor of this key report is Naison Mutizwa-Mangiza HonMRTPI - seen here at the Planning Convention in June. Read more about the Global Report on Human Settlements 2009 and its emphasis on the value of planning
In mid-2009, UN-Habitat launched its World Urban Campaign. With its partners in the Global Planners Network (see next item), RTPI plans to make a significant contribution to this important initiative. Read more
RTPI is also founder member of the Global Planners Network (GPN), dedicated to raising the profile of planning as an indispensable part of managing the world's rapid urbanisation. RTPI and CAP (the Commonwealth Association of Planners) have begun a study of the world's capacity for planning in support of the aims of GPN. You can read more about this work in the GPN article below and on the capacity reserach web-page.
The International Affairs Officer is the first point of contact for Institute members based overseas, overseas enquirers asking about planning in the United Kingdom, members in the United Kingdom enquiring about planning overseas, overseas planners already working in the British Isles and overseas planning Institutes.
Planners and others with a special interest in issues of international development and planning are encouraged to join the International Development Network. IDN has been instrumental in producing a booklet about the role of the built environment professions in international disaster response: you can download a copy here.
RTPI celebrates World Town Planning Day (8 November) each year in a variety of ways - see the special note below.
RTPI and CAP research for the Global Planners Network
Here's how RTPI and CAP are taking forward the GPN commitment to assessing the world's capacity for planning. We began by devising a tool to answer the questions: Where are the planners? Who are they? What challenges face them? What tools do they need to do their job?
In March 2008 RTPI and CAP launched their on-line self-diagnostic tool and invited planners from around the world to assess the capacity for planning in their country and the priorities for strengthening it. Within 5 months, over 1250 planners in over 100 countries responded by completing the tool. Taken together, these responses provide a rich account of what it means to practise planning throughout the world as volunteered by a good cross-section of the international planning community. What stands out is the extraordinary variety of issues that planners deal with in all kinds of development environments.
When the Global Planners Network met for its biennial Congress in Zhenjiang, China (31 October-2 November 2008), RTPI sent a delegation led by the President Janet O'Neill and including the researchers Will French and Lucy Natarajan. They presented the first findings of the capacity study to the Congress - the link on the research web-page will lead you to their report and its summary.
The work on the world's capacity for planning continues and has moved into a new phase. First, there are some detailed reports: a survey of the responses from Latin America, a briefing on issues of poverty and inequality, and an assessment of skills required. Next, responding to many heartfelt requests in the responses, we are working towards the creation of an on-line community of planners: a website where planners can exchange knowledge and experience, raise questions and start discussions. To read the latest newsletter about this part of the project, please click here.
Review of international strategic priorities
The UK Department for International Development has published a new White Paper on International Development, "Building our Common Future" (download PDF - 4 MB). It argues that rather than turn away when things get tough, we need to redouble our efforts - and that development is in our shared interest. Announcing it, Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, said "This White Paper will ensure that new and additional finance is made available, over and above our aid commitment to reach 0.7 per cent. of gross national income. We will also increase our investment in helping developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change."
Suppose you had the ear of the Secretary of State for a few minutes. What would you say to him, particularly about the distinctive contribution of planning to international development? We would like to know your views and your priorities. As a stimulus to discussion, you can see an introduction to a new Institute international strategy here on the RTPI website. It is easy to comment – just scroll down to the end of the article to add your view.
Anglo-German Climate Change Seminar January 2010
As part of its programme of contact with ARL, the German Academy of Spatial Research and Regional Planning, British and German academics and practitioners met in January for a post-Copehagen review of planning and climate change. Click here to read the report.
World Town Planning Day - past and future
Read the RTPI statement for WTPD 2008 highlighting the fundamental role planning should play in responding to the urgent global challenges of explosive urbanisation, steep rises in poverty, widening inequalities and the catastrophic consequences of climate change. And for 2007, there was a warning from the President of the Commonwealth Association of Planners: governments round the world need to review their approach to urbanisation - before it is too late.
For 2009, we are marking the day in two ways: an afternoon event at the House of Commons and an evening reception with RTPI London Region. To find out more about both events and registration details, please click here.
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