RTPI Awards for Research Excellence

This research presents a novel method for determining optimal tree placements to maximize cooling benefits in urban environments, addressing challenges in tree modeling and where to plant trees for better cooling benefits. A rapid simulation model, evaluated using field measurements from an urban park in Hong Kong, is combined with a genetic algorithm to identify near-optimal tree layouts. The method can automatically identify locations for new trees and rearrange existing ones, with evidence showing trees can cool three times most if planted at the right place. This approach is faster than existing methods and can assist designers in positioning the trees in the right places.

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Drawing on collaborative case study research with a local authority, this paper develops understanding of how urban design is implemented through the planning system. The paper concludes that greater knowledge of the varied stakeholders who collectively deliver urban design, and how they interact, could help planners to address an often-lamented 'implementation gap' between the aims of urban design policy and the outcomes delivered.

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This paper has helped to shape the broader debate on TOD by adding a spatial dimension, especially through focusing on the under-researched regions, and advocating for the (re)integration of transport and land-use planning. Whilst focused on England and highly policy-applied, the paper has resonance with debates globally about TOD, smart growth, housing affordability and sustainable development. Additionally, the paper has influenced and 'speaks' to wider academic and practitioner audiences through being published in a highly respected, quantitative Transport Geography journal therefore raising the profile of planning scholarship and research but also being Open Access.

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Against the background of global climate change, this paper examines how English local planning authorities are balancing heritage conservation with the challenge of climate change, and the difficulties they face in achieving this. Drawing on empirical evidence from listed building consent applications and the opinions of local actors, the paper examines the energy-efficiency measures applied for by local applicants, how local assessors are responding, and the issues preventing decarbonisation. A mixed-methods approach has been used to understand how local assessors are navigating contradictory layers of ethics, legislation, case law and popular opinion to balance these highly politicised and contested agendas.

A comparison of the policies of Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) responsible for rural areas within South East England to determine the extent to which they enable the acceleration of renewable energy (RE) development that mitigates climate change and promotes energy resilience. The study’s development and ratification of a criteria-based policy evaluation framework has the potential to contribute to widescale policy improvement and standardisation, applying positive weightings to ensure the expedition of RE delivery at the pace and magnitude required to address national net zero targets.

The journey from planning consent through to delivery and ongoing occupation / operation is under researched in studies of the development process. Project hindsight – a study of practitioner’s experiences of the implementation stage of nationally significant infrastructure projects – addresses this gap and provides policy and practice recommendations informed by a closer understanding of what drives successful delivery.

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The research behind the writing of the book involved a range of methodologies. The young people were always at the centre of the research, with consideration given to their different learning styles and needs. Participatory action research was used throughout the case study projects, with outcomes and processes being constantly reflected upon and being learnt from. Whilst some quantitative methods were used as part of the discovery process about young people's perceptions, the book relied upon a discussion of qualitative outputs from the reflective process, enabling a candid perspective of planning from young people and from non-planners to be drawn out.

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This piece of research reflects a trajectory of engaged research in the area. It is co-authored by two community activists in North Kensington (Belson and Picardi) and a UCL scholar that has collaborated with activists in North Kensington for seven years (Sendra). The paper explores the generative capacity of activist movements defending their community assets from commodification or closure to produce new forms of social infrastructure.

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Condoland is the first 'deep dive’ into how high-rise neighbourhoods are planned, designed and developed in Toronto, Canada, and how a neighbourly style of development celebrated in one city – in this case ‘Vancouverism’ – doesn’t always work when introduced elsewhere. The book offers a warning for cities about relying on private development to deliver housing. It shows how residential high-rise property – 'condominium development' – has been consumed by a focus on the investor market, and that its urban form has evolved to suit that market. Condoland raises key questions about the resilience of neoliberal city planning in global cities experiencing 'vertical urbanization'.

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Janet Askew is a chartered town planner and a past President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). She is the Vice-President of the European Council of Spatial Planners,  a former chair of the International Committee of the RTPI, and a trustee of the RTPI Trust.  She is the Chair of the RTPI Partnership Board of Glasgow University, and a Visiting Professor of Planning Law at Ulster University in Northern Ireland. She has worked in both practice and academia, in universities in UK, across Europe and in Taiwan. Her main area of research is in planning law, specialising in legal and regulatory regimes. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and events across Europe and beyond and has advised various governments on planning regulations and planning systems. She is a member of the International Platform of Experts in Planning Law, and is currently acting as an advisor to the German ARL (research academy) on planning reform.

Claudia is a Professor of Environmental Governance and Planning at Birmingham City University and Programme Director for the MA Planning Built Environments. She serves as a reviewer for the UKRI, various journals and publishers. Claudia teaches undergraduate and postgraduate planning and research methods modules and supervises Master’s and PhD students in Planning. Her research relates to city-region planning, climate change and social-ecological sustainability transformation with over 20 inter-/transdisciplinary national and international collaborations. Claudia led and contributed to developing cross-disciplinary approaches and methods (STEAM INC project) and tools for participatory planning and collaborative decision-making. Outputs include Participology, a resource for inclusive and critical-creative planning and decision-making using a board game format. Claudia studied geography and environmental management in Scotland and for many years worked in academia and applied research organisations. She has lived and worked in Birmingham since 2011 and became a chartered member of the RTPI in 2019.

Henry Cumbers is a policy planner currently working in the Newcastle office at Historic England. He has worked extensively on supporting the integration of the historic environment within local plans across the north. Previous experience has included working for local authorities including Sunderland, Craven and Lancaster primarily in strategic planning but also development management and regeneration. Henry graduated from Newcastle University in 2005 in Town & Country Planning and received a postgraduate diploma in 2007. Henry is also currently Chair of the RTPI North East Policy Committee.

Dr Neale Blair is a Senior Lecturer in Planning at Ulster University and is Associate Head, Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment. Neale is a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. Neale is currently the RTPI-appointee on two Partnership Boards and is a member of the RTPI’s Education and Lifelong Learning Committee (ELLC). He is Chair of the Planning Schools Forum, representing all 30+ RTPI-accredited Planning Schools across the UK, Ireland and internationally. Neale Chaired the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) advisory group that reviewed the Subject Benchmark Statement for Town and Country Planning (published April 2024). Neale has nineteen years’ experience in Planning research including spatial governance and analysis; urban planning pedagogy; planning education in developing countries; cross-border spatial planning; and the use of technology to enhance participation in planning processes. In addition, Neale has been external examiner and programme reviewer at UK universities and internationally.

Tony Crook is a chartered planner and was Pro-Vice Chancellor of The University of Sheffield and is now Emeritus Professor of Town & Regional Planning. 

He is a lay Privy Council appointee to the Architects Registration Board, an Academy of Social Sciences council member, a board member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (and chair of its Education Committee) and chairs the Construction Industry Council’s Housing Panel.  Former roles include chair of The Conservation Volunteers, Deputy Chair of the Orbit Housing Group and of the Construction Industry Council; chair of Rotherham MBC governance review, chair of Shelter Trustee Board and of Sheffield Homes Ltd; a member of the Kensington & Chelsea TMO Residuary Board and member of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the Lloyds Banking Group Housing Commission and the Housing Commission for Northern England.

His research covers private rented housing and planning obligations.  His latest book ‘Planning Gain’: (Wiley Blackwell) won the RTPI Research Excellence Award in 2016 and, jointly with Professor Christine Whitehead he won the Sir Peter Hall award in 2020 for research on land value capture and its impact on public policy. In 2004 he was elected, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and was appointed CBE in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to housing and charitable governance.

Rhys studied both his undergraduate and postgraduate at Cardiff University, which included a Placement Year at Bristol City Council. He joined Savills in July 2011 where he has provided planning consultancy advice to a diverse spectrum of clients for over 12 years. Rhys works across a number of sectors, including sport and leisure, electric vehicle infrastructure, industrial/logistics and residential. He leads on planning applications, working with and managing large multi-disciplinary teams and has experience of working alongside industry leading experts. Rhys sits on the Savills Planning Thought Leadership Group, providing review and outputs of research, opinion, and blogs.

 Rhys was elected a Chartered Member of the RTPI in March 2014 and served as Practitioner Representative on the Cardiff University / RTPI Partnership Board 2014-21. Rhys is a voluntary member of the Transport for Wales Accessibility Panel, seeking to promote inclusion for all within transport infrastructure, especially ‘hidden’ disabilities.

Neil Harris is a planning academic in the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University. Neil teaches planning theory and planning practice modules on the School's professionally accredited undergraduate courses. Neil researches various aspects of the statutory planning systems in the United Kingdom. Neil has also been engaged in a range of impact work on engaging children and young people in the planning system.

Hannah is a professional town planner by background and has worked across the public and private sectors. She is currently Associate Professor of Planning Practice at the University of the West of England and was selected as The Planner's “Women of Influence 2022: Academia”. She is passionate about research informed practice, and practice informed research. Her most recent projects have included: the role of local planning authorities in delivering brownfield land (for the Planning Advisory Service); improving post-planning processes to deliver better places (for the West of England Combined Authority and winner of the 2021 RTPI Sir Peter Hall Award for Research Excellence); and project-hindsight: post-decision implementation (for the National Infrastructure Planning Association).

Kirsty Macari MRTPI FHEA studied Planning and Urban Design before undertaking 14 years of diverse roles across local government and private practice. 

She joined the University of Dundee in 2017 and is Co-Head of Undergraduate Programmes in DJCAD. Kirsty is interested in the function and relationships of planning and explores this through her current Professional Doctorate in Education focusing on experiential education to support the wellbeing of people and place.

Kirsty is a Board Member of Architecture & Design Scotland and General Assembly member of the RTPI as well as Vice Chair of the Planning Schools Forum. She served as Convenor of RTPI Scotland in 2023. 

Joe is a Strategic Land Manager working for a luxury home builder in Hampshire, with expertise in planning policy, site appraisals, strategic site promotion and development management gained from extensive experience working for a local authority, planning consultancy, a major housebuilder and latterly a partnerships business.

In addition to serving on the RTPI South East’s Regional Activities Committee focusing on Policy, Joe is part of the South Coast Young Planners Network Streering Group and also serves as a school governor. Previous voluntary roles for the RTPI held by Joe include serving on the England Policy Panel for two years and the replacement England Policy Committee for a year. 

Mark is UCL Bartlett Professor of Cities and Regions at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, UCL. He is a recognised authority on urban planning, urban & regional history, digital place connectivity, the governance of the city, public engagement, and the use of land. The author of 20 books and over 100 international journal papers, he has won £25m in research income, and supervised successfully over 30 PhD students. He has given over 400 talks worldwide on planning and has been a Visiting Professor at Berkeley California, Hong Kong, Shanghai, UNSW Sydney, Western Sydney, Guadalajara, Pretoria, Malta, Nijmegen, and Dublin. Mark was a member of the Digital Planning Task Force, the ICLRD advisory board, and chaired the Connected Places Catapult Research Panel. He is a former chair of the Regional Studies Association and has been a member of the RTPI General Assembly, the UK Chief Scientist’s Land Use Futures Foresight project, seconded to the Government Office for Science, is a former advisor to UK Government ministries DEFRA, MHCLG and DfT, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, served on the NICE NHS spatial planning & health programme, and was the Founding Director of UKRI Newcastle City Futures.

Stefano is the Founding Director of Stefano Smith Planning. He is a commercial and pragmatic development planner with over 30 years of UK professional experience of managing multi-disciplinary teams within planning, environmental, design and engineering consultancies. He has extensive experience in providing development planning and project management services in the infrastructure, commercial, industrial, housing, energy and mixed-use sectors. He has specific experience in statutory planning (including approvals & consents, developer contributions, Section 75 negotiations and expert witness), sustainability, regeneration, master planning & urban design. He is a skilled practitioner in consultation & stakeholder engagement, and the development of communication strategies. He is also experienced in the use of appraisal and assessment tools and development economics.He is a Chartered Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute (FRTPI), RTPI Board Trustee for Scotland and RTPI SEC Member.

Edward joined Lichfields in 2018, and leads on research within the company’s Think Tank. Edward previously worked at the City of London Corporation - where he managed the economic development research programme - and at Centre for Cities, where he led the research and analysis on housing, planning and city mayors.

Edward trained as a planner at the London School of Economics and has appeared in various publications and media outlets on housing, planning and local government issues, including the BBC, Economist and Financial Times.