Empower 2030: The RTPI Strategic Plan
Welcome to Empower 2030, the strategic plan for the Royal Town Planning Institute for the years 2025 to 2030.
Contents
Statement from the Chair of the Board of Trustees
Introduction from the Chief Executive
Our vision and mission
Our purpose
About the RTPI
Our values
Our partners
Key trends affecting our profession
Core elements of our strategy
Strategies for success
What have we achieved since 2020?
Our future priorities
Statement from the Chair of the Board of Trustees
Welcome to Empower 2030, the strategic plan for the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) for the years 2025 to 2030. This plan represents the next phase of our corporate strategy, which we launched in 2020. We intend to build on our achievements over the past five years while looking ahead to the future. In a rapidly changing world where the role of planners is more critical than ever, the RTPI must continue to evolve and improve in support of our profession and our members.
This plan highlights some of our achievements since 2020 while setting out an ambitious route map for the five years ahead. Our strategy is underpinned by five core elements, and we have also identified three sets of future priorities that we have organised into pillars: purpose, practice and people.
As the voice of the planning profession, the RTPI already enables more than 27,000 planning professionals in the UK, Ireland and globally to succeed in their roles. We want more planners to benefit from RTPI membership, which is why we are targeting 30,000 members by 2030.
We believe this strategic plan will enable us to achieve our membership target, empower our members, and support the progress of our profession over the next five years. It has been reviewed by our officers, the General Assembly and the Board of Trustees. We thank everyone who contributed their time and ideas and we very much welcome your support in delivering our plan.
Meeta Kaur MRTPI
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Introduction from the Chief Executive
This strategic plan – which builds on the RTPI’s corporate strategy for 2020 to 2030 – has been developed by our members, for our members. It is the outcome of extensive consultation and engagement with our members across all four nations, including individual regions and internationally. The plan is also informed by member feedback, including the findings of our 2023 Member Value Proposition Survey.
Our strategic plan empowers us as an Institute to further raise the profile of planning and better support planners and planning systems while growing our membership and delivering exceptional value to our members. At the same time, the plan empowers our members to enhance their skills and experiences, reach new heights in their careers, and make an even more positive impact on the world through their visionary role in placemaking and sustainable development.
The growing political momentum behind planning makes the launch of this strategic plan timely. Around the world, in countries where our members live and work, governments are pursuing ambitious policies to address housing crises and build more liveable and sustainable places. In the UK and Ireland, planning has assumed an even more prominent role in the national narrative following the recent changes of government.
For more than a century, the RTPI has championed, advocated for and protected the planning community. This strategic plan builds on that legacy. It provides a strong foundation for us to keep fulfilling our critical role and achieve our vision of becoming the world’s leading professional planning body. Together, our staff team and volunteers are working hard to make that vision a reality. I hope you feel excited and inspired by what you read.
Victoria Hills MRTPI
Our vision
To be the world’s leading professional planning body. Our ambition is to promote healthy, socially inclusive, economically and environmentally sustainable places.
The RTPI’s purpose is “empowering planners to deliver positive impact”. We do that by:
Acting as the voice of the profession
We accredit world-class planning programmes, both in the UK and internationally. We work in partnership with universities to develop and accredit professional planning qualifications, putting graduates on track to become Chartered Town Planners. We also support people looking for pathways into the profession through 
We run 
These services provide planning advice and support to help individuals and communities engage with the planning system. Delivery of services is supported by volunteers who are members of the RTPI.
We help our members to deliver outstanding placemaking that creates inclusive, healthy, prosperous, sustainable and happy communities.About the RTPI
The RTPI was founded as the Town Planning Institute in 1914, eight years after the term ‘town planning’ was first used in Britain and five years after the landmark 1909 Housing and Town Planning Act. An examinations committee was established in 1915, with the first exams taking place in 1920.
In 1960, the Town Planning Institute converted from being a limited company to a charity. A decade later, in 1970, we were granted a supplemental Royal Charter and renamed the Royal Town Planning Institute. Since then, we have built on our Chartered Institute status by cementing our reputation as a leading membership organisation for planners, both in the UK and Ireland and around the world.
Planning is a self-regulated profession and planners in the UK and Ireland do not need certification or a licence to practise. Nevertheless, RTPI membership is the hallmark of professionalism in the planning community. Furthermore, the RTPI holds the ‘protected title’ for Chartership, making us the only organisation globally that can bestow the title of Chartered Town Planner.
As well as being a membership organisation and a professional institute, the RTPI is a learned society – an organisation that aims to promote knowledge, skills and professionalism within a specific discipline.
We are inclusive
We foster a culture where people feel included, valued and respected; we promote and create spaces where people can thrive. In partnership with our members and stakeholders, we constantly seek ways to enhance the planning profession and, through our collective efforts, inspire others to join us in creating a more equitable environment for all.
We are approachable
We are the bridge between planners, the public, political influencers and key stakeholders. This requires us to be approachable, friendly and professional. We are engaged, relevant, credible and build relationships based on trust, respect and transparency. We are effective communicators to all our audiences.
We champion
We champion the planning profession and nurture a community where we share expertise, research, and knowledge. Consistently forward-thinking and always authentic, we inspire, lead, support and protect the profession and all our members globally. We are equally passionate about educating the public and informing debate regarding the important role planners play in our society.
We are professional
We are passionate about supporting planners throughout their careers as a fundamental part of who we are as a membership organisation. We believe that investing in our growth and development is essential to achieving our mission of providing high-quality services that meet the needs of our members and stakeholders. It's crucial for us to stay up to date with the latest trends, technologies and best practices.
Our partners
We know that outstanding placemaking is a shared effort. For that reason, we collaborate with other membership bodies from across the built environment sector that share and support our values, ethical ambitions and quality standards. We have a broad network of partners across the UK and Ireland that includes the following organisations among other partners:
- The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
- The Construction Industry Council (CIC)
- The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
- The Landscape Institute (LI)
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
- The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
We have Memorandums of Understanding with multiple international planning organisations. We also have global partnerships and collaboration with organisations including:
These trends are impacting our profession, and therefore our role as a professional body:
Research predicts that by 2030, more than 85 million jobs globally could go unfilled because there aren’t enough skilled people to take them.
Technology enables planners to work more efficiently and productively and to better collaborate with government agencies, partners and the public. Advanced tools such as artificial intelligence, 3D modelling software, data analytics and geographic information systems are helping planners to design cities that meet residents’ evolving needs and expectations. We will support our members to make the most of the opportunities presented by technology while navigating its challenges. Similarly, the RTPI is embracing digital innovation through our digital first strategy, which is driving technological adoption within member services and interactions with members.
Planning is pivotal to the decarbonisation of the global economy and sustainable development. It can help to deliver all the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but particularly Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities. As well as combatting the climate and nature emergencies, planning can help to address the problem of rising social inequality by creating opportunities for communities through sustainable economic growth and high-quality housing. The SDGs are due to be delivered by 2030, the end date of this strategy. Already, the RTPI has aligned many of our objectives with the SDGs and we are using our status as a global professional planning body to influence better outcomes for people and the environment.
Diversity and inclusion are critical to building a better, fairer world that can respond to its major social, economic and environmental challenges. To address these challenges – which include skills shortages and the climate and nature emergencies – planning must become more adept at engaging with a broader group of people. It must also enable them to develop skills in specialisms such as sustainability. The RTPI provides education and actively promotes a diverse and inclusive professional network. 
Globalisation impacts on planning through new technology, new transport systems and new ways of living. At the same time, it is driving global approaches to policy, problem solving and the sharing of best practice and ideas. As an institute that serves a diverse and international membership, the RTPI is working to establish planning as a positive force for global sustainable development. We are also helping to grow the capability and capacity of planning and planners where they are most needed.
Evolving economic and political events are impacting on what planners do and where and how they do it. Through their work, planners are expected to bring economic and social value to their communities. They do this by delivering affordable housing, healthy living spaces, better air quality and robust infrastructure, including transport systems. Through our policy, research, communication, marketing and events, and our prestigious status as a learned society, the RTPI promotes good planning policy and practice that is in the long-term public interest. 
The past couple of decades have brought some rapid changes to the planning policy landscape across regions and nations. These changes often make the planning system harder – instead of easier – to navigate. With the advent of digital innovation and likely evolution in the regulatory environment, there will be more changes to planning policies and heightened expectations of planners to deliver these changes as quickly as possible. The RTPI provides planners with the expert support and guidance to navigate change as they progress in their careers, while we campaign for positive reforms.
Strategies for success
The following initiatives have underpinned the implementation and success of our corporate strategy since 2020. Working with our members across the nations and regions, we will continue to build on our suite of successful initiatives – and potentially refresh them – between 2025 and 2030:
- Awards – an awards programme that showcases and rewards outstanding achievements in planning.
- BALANCE – an initiative that expands the reach of RTPI volunteers and school ambassadors to a greater number of schools and colleges.
- Brand strategy – to further enhance our strong brand and values so that they more effectively connect the RTPI with our members, the public and governments.
- Chief Planners of Tomorrow – a work shadowing programme to inspire the next generation of chief planners.
- CHANGE action plan – to improve diversity and inclusion within the planning profession.
- Climate Action Plan – outlining the RTPI’s strategy for achieving its climate-related targets.
- CPD Strategy – supporting RTPI members’ continuous learning.
- Digital transformation programme – including a new website, a new learning management system and the creation of a digital journey for members.
- Displaced Planners Fund – supporting planning professionals worldwide who have been displaced due to conflicts or natural disaster.
- Education for Everyone – a detailed review of the existing entry model into planning, with the aim of broadening pathways to chartership.
- Events and Training Strategy – a comprehensive approach for delivering events and training across the whole organisation, including the regions and nations.
- EXPLORE – a work experience pilot programme that encourages young people to enter the planning profession.
- Good Governance – continued innovation of best practice for and responding to changing requirements, including from the Charity Commissioner.
- GROWPLAN – a comprehensive growth strategy to grow the RTPI’s membership by 10% between 2020 and 2030.
- Information campaigns – campaigns such as ‘It Takes Planners &’, which help to raise public awareness of the pivotal role played by planners in creating healthy, sustainable communities.
- International strategy – establishing planning as a positive force for global sustainable development.
- Member Value Proposition Survey – a survey of 2,000 RTPI members across the UK and globally to understand member satisfaction with the RTPI.
- Member welfare helpline – free 24/7 confidential helpline for RTPI members.
- NURTURE – a comprehensive mentoring and global knowledge exchange programme.
- Politicians in Planning Network – relaunched in 2022, this network includes around 800 elected representatives involved in planning and planning decisions.
- Research strategy – a broad-based, flexible strategy for independent research that enables us to advance knowledge across all sectors of planning.
- RTPI Training – a practical training programme that provides exceptional CPD for planners and their teams.
- Volunteer Hub – an online hub for RTPI members who are actively involved in volunteering.
- Volunteering strategy – celebrating the support and involvement of the Institute’s volunteers.
While these initiatives and others remain relevant to the current priorities and challenges faced by our members, we recognise that further initiatives may also be needed. Additional strategies will be developed as appropriate, to enable the RTPI to respond flexibly to new and emerging priorities.
Our future priorities
We are confident that our profession has a bright future. Despite technological advances, human mediation of space and places will remain critical to the evolution of the built environment sector for the foreseeable future. Trusted, qualified, professionally competent planners have a key role to play. With that in mind, we intend to continue to grow our membership.
Our target is to have 30,000 members by 2030.
We want every planner in the UK and Ireland to recognise that being an RTPI member is fundamental to them being effective in their role and provides formal recognition of their professionalism. Additionally, we want every organisation that employs planners to recognise and support the value of RTPI membership. We will champion the important work of our members, wherever they are living and working in the world.
To enable us to achieve our membership target, empower our members and support the progress of our profession over the next five years, we have identified three sets of priorities that we have organised into pillars: purpose, practice and people.
The priorities outlined in our Empower 2030 strategy are big, important ambitions – and that is a deliberate choice. We believe that by working together to achieve these priorities, we will strengthen our Institute and deliver even greater value to our members. We will also help to transform the global planning system so that it better serves society while reinforcing the invaluable contribution that planners make to the world.