RTPI to fund early career research on social value, housing delivery, and community
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has awarded early career research grants to three new projects, focusing on the social value of developer contributions, market-led housing delivery, and the role of community in planning decisions.
The grants, now in their fourth year, will fund a year-long planning project for graduates now studying for, or within five years of completing, a PhD.
Read more about the three winning proposals below.
Project topic: ‘Land value capture and social value: towards a framework for measuring planning’s social contribution.’
Dr Malachy Buck MRTPI, of London South Bank University, will investigate how planning obligations are used, valued and reported to deliver social value in England.
Despite the common objectives of planning and social value, their standards and frameworks do not always align. Developer contributions via Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy have delivered significant community benefits such as affordable housing and health and education infrastructure, yet local authorities and developers calculate and report these benefits in different ways. This risks inconsistent delivery and reporting, undermining support for new development and trust in the planning system.
This research, focussing on London and North West England, will develop recommendations for planning policy and practice, and a simple tool and guidelines for practitioners to support accurate and fair valuation of development contributions, to help support delivery of genuine social value through development.
Dr Buck said “Social value is an increasingly important concept in the built environment sector, yet little research examines the intersection of planning and social value. Through engagement with the sector, this research will help support accurate and reliable reporting of social value.”
Learn more about the project and to contact Dr Buck.
Project topic: ‘Getting houses built: the role of local authority planners in managing market-led housing delivery.’
RTPI Student member Qingyuan Guo, a PhD researcher at the London School of Economics, will explore how local authority planners enhance housing delivery in contexts where it depends on private developers operating in high-pressure markets.
Many local authority planners have faced the huge challenge of ensuring housing delivery in their jurisdiction meets the housing delivery test. They need to find ways to design and implement policy in a highly politically sensitive domain, where actual delivery is made by private developers over whom local authorities have limited control.
The research will explore how planners use their creative agency to initiate policy change and manage implementation, focussing on Southwark, London and St Albans, Hertfordshire.
Qingyuan Guo said “I’m delighted to have won this funding from the RTPI. If you want to understand how local government housing strategies actually function on the ground, or if you are a practitioner determined to drive change within bureaucracy for better policy and public value, this research is for you.”
Learn more about the project and to contact Qing Guo.
Project topic: ‘What do we mean by community? Co-creating practical tools for planning practice.’
Anna Hope, of the University of the West of England, will develop tools to support planners in understanding and working with community more effectively. The project will draw on her recently-completed PhD research which introduced PORTAL, an integrated framework for understanding ‘community’ across multiple dimensions: from tangible, physical features (people and places) to more intangible aspects (such as its role as a source of creativity and new ideas).
The project will engage with planners and community representatives in South West England. It will develop, pilot and launch a set of resources, including a simple community diagnostic checklist and a set of practice cards. The aim is to help planning officers to see community dimensions more clearly and to plan engagement activities that are effective, proportionate and fair.
Anna Hope said “My PhD outlined a simple framework for understanding community, which has potential to improve community engagement practices across multiple arenas. I’m excited to develop and trial tools that have a real, positive impact on both planning practice and community empowerment.”
Learn more about the project and to contact Anna Hope.
