Commonwealth Association of Planners

As the world’s population rapidly shifts to cities, unchecked and unplanned urban sprawl present major challenges. Many local and national government institutions are inadequately equipped to cope with demographic pressures and the ever-increasing demand for land, housing, infrastructure and basic urban services.

Members of the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UN-Habitat on 5 June 2023 at the second session of the UN-Habitat Assembly. The aim is to address the capacity gaps affecting local and national governments, urban professionals and academia, as well as other urban stakeholders. The focus will be on Commonwealth countries that are facing the most urgent challenges. UN-Habitat estimates that nearly 50% of the projected growth in the world’s urban population will be in Commonwealth countries, many of which are among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts.

The partners in the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative (CSCI) have strengthened their commitment to supporting sustainable urbanisation through a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The MOU formalises the strategic partnership between CAP and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF). It also establishes a framework for the partners to work together in a coordinated and mutually beneficial manner to achieve their shared goals and further leverage the power of the Commonwealth to deliver change and innovation.

“Our time is now. We’ve been talking about climate change and sustainable development since the 1970s,” Kelley Moore, Secretary General of CAP, said on RTPI’s Planning for Tomorrow’s Environment Podcast Episode 4. “We need to change the way we plan.”

She and podcast guest Simin Davoudi, Chair of Town Planning and co-Director, Newcastle University Centre for Researching Cities, went on to discuss how global awareness, government policies and local development can work together to create sustainable urbanisation, with examples.

The 3rd International Conference on Urban & Regional Planning, hosted by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners in Dhaka, will be held between 13-15 May 2023. Its theme, “Spatial Planning for Sustainable Development – Achieving National and Global Goals”, is particularly relevant as Bangladesh continues to pursue a national development programme that aligns to the SDGs. Robust urban, regional and rural planning is at the heart of achieving such an agenda in Bangladesh, the wider Commonwealth and beyond.

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The Royal Town Planning Institute has launched a new six-part podcast series exploring the intrinsic role of planners in tackling climate change. The Planning for Tomorrow’s Environment podcast is examining the way to a sustainable, viable and vibrant future with guests from across the global planning community.

The first episode, available now, features Tim Crawshaw, Immediate Past President, RTPI and Olafiyin Taiwo, Chair, CAP’s Young Planners Network and Co-Chair, UN-Habitat Planners for Climate Action Initiative.

Eleanor Mohammed was elected to a second term as President of the Commonwealth Association of Planners at the biennial meeting help November 30th. First elected in 2020, Eleanor has been a familiar figure in CAP for years. Previously, she served for six years as President of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP/ICU).

Winning entries from Ghana, Scotland, South Africa and New Zealand were announced on 30th November 2022 during CAP’s Biennial Meeting. The judges also commended two projects from Bangladesh.

CAP President Eleanor Mohammed congratulated the winners and spoke to the high quality of all the entries. “The range and quality of the winning entries shows once again the skill of Commonwealth planners. These projects also highlight the value of planning to the communities they serve and demonstrate planning’s contribution to delivering the Sustainable Development Goals.”

In celebration of World Town Planning Day, CAP announces the shortlist for the Commonwealth Outstanding Planning Awards. The shortlist illustrates the depth and breadth of planning across the Commonwealth. The shortlisted entries span the globe, from Bangladesh to Barbados, from Scotland to Canada, from Ghana to New Zealand and South Africa to the UK.

On June 23rd 2022 a declaration to advance the planning profession in East Africa was signed in Kigali, Rwanda. The declaration establishes an East Africa Planning Network, an important step forward in recognising the essential contribution of planners to well-functioning and sustainable cities...

CAP has secured ECOSOC consultative status.

ECOSOC brings people and issues together to promote collective action for a sustainable world. ECOSOC is the United Nations (UN) central mechanism for coordinating in the areas of economic social and environmental and related field throughout is agencies and subsidiary bodies and other systems. ECOSOC is the only UN body with a formal consultative body...