Two new studies to be funded by RTPI Practitioner Research Fund (PRF) grants
In August 2025 the RTPI Research Team issued a call for proposals for the RTPI Practitioner Research Fund grant. PRF grants are given to enable planning practitioners to conduct a study on a topic relevant to the profession.
The grants are funded by a legacy from the Town and Country Planning Summer School, which ran from 1933 to 2013 and played a major role in the evolution of the discipline. It advanced the science and art of town planning, attracted some of the most influential figures in the discipline’s history, and inspired generations of young planners.
Volunteer assessors from five RTPI regions met in November to choose which projects to fund, based on their quality and likely benefit for the planning profession including practitioners, policy-makers and academics.
We are delighted to announce the two winners below.
Project topic: Impact of Birmingham’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood on women’s safety
Cerys Atchison, of consultancy CA Town Planning, will investigate how Birmingham’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods influence both safety and the perception of safety for women. As these schemes have now been in place for several years, and as the city prepares to introduce further modal filters and extensions, this is a timely opportunity to provide a deeper assessment of their social impact and role in shaping everyday experiences of safety.
Cerys Atchison said “I’m delighted to receive this grant and to work with the RTPI on a project that addresses an issue of growing importance in planning practice. Concerns about women’s safety in public space are well documented, yet there is still limited evidence on how large-scale street interventions such as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods shape people’s everyday experiences of feeling safe or unsafe. Birmingham’s LTNs provide a valuable opportunity to explore this in depth. I hope the findings will support planners in designing more inclusive and safe places.”
Click here to learn more about the project and to contact Cerys.
Project topic: Planning and mental health implications of ‘tiny homes’
Daniel James of consultancy Plan Research will carry out an interdisciplinary study of ‘tiny homes’ and the people that live in them.
Local authorities and housing organisations have implemented housing schemes based on these prefabricated structures, intended to tackle homelessness more quickly and at a lower cost than conventional construction.
Many ‘tiny homes’ do not meet the UK’s Nationally Described Space Standard published in 2015, or the Republic of Ireland’s Design Standards for New Apartments published in 2018. In both these standards, the minimum is 37 square metres of floor space per dwelling, which is the smallest permissible studio apartment for a single person.
While people living in caravans have been the subject of planning case law for many decades, ‘tiny homes’ have been presented as a new housing solution despite being functionally similar to caravans lived in by gypsies and travellers, or tourist caravans used year-round by permanent residents.
Daniel James said “Any discrepancy between attitudes to ‘tiny homes’ and caravans creates uncertainty for planning and housing officers regarding accommodation for some of the most disadvantaged people in society. While anyone can become homeless, this risk is greatly increased for marginalised groups, and so spatial standards for accommodation can be considered an equalities issue. The aims of my research are to provide relevant evidence regarding ‘tiny homes’ to planning and housing professionals, to encourage critical evaluation of these proposals, assist local authorities in preparing consistent responses to schemes, and to inform residents of ‘tiny homes’ about planning policy and minimum space standards.”
Click here to learn more about the project and to contact Daniel.
Photo credits
The image used on this page of Habitat 67 is sourced from Flickr under a Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic agreement.
Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada, designed by architect Moshe Safdie.
Photo credit: Gaétan, CC BY-SA 2.0
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grand_marcheur/12279127303
Images under Creative Commons licence allow commercial use and have been reproduced by the RTPI under the terms of the aforementioned attribution agreement. The image shared is that of the copyright holder and is reproduced under license.
