05 October 2022 < Back Commonwealth Association of Planners East Africa Planning Network Formed to Address Challenges Cities Face 05 October 2022 The establishment of the East Africa Planning Network in June of 2022 will further the planning of sustainable, resilient cities and human settlements in East Africa. 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. It was signed by the Rwanda Urban Planning Institute, Uganda Institute of Physical Planners, Tanzania Institute of Town Planners, Kenya Institute of Planners, and Commonwealth Association of Planners. “With cities growing at a rapid rate across East Africa, there is an urgent need for shared knowledge, tools and skills among planners, so that cities and human settlements are inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable,” said Kelley Moore, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP). “The coming together of the East Africa Network is an important beginning,” said Hon. Grace Tubwita, President of the Uganda Institute of Planners. “Our keeping together shall bring progress and working together shall ensure successful sustainable urban development in East Africa.”President of the Kenya Institute of Planners, Joakim Nyarangi, called the formation of the East Africa Network an idea whose time has come. “It brings with it the strength in Unity of Purpose to take required action to achieve sustainable urbanisation within our region and the larger Commonwealth.” The Rwanda Urban Planning Institute (RUPI), President, Vivien Munyaburanga, said: “Together we can tackle the challenges of urbanisation and the sustainable development of human settlements in Africa.” 221005-NEWS-ITEM-CAP-East-Africa-Network.jpg 221005-NEWS-ITEM-CAP-East-Africa-Network.jpg 1/1

07 July 2020 < Back Commonwealth Sustainable Urbanisation 07 July 2020 The Commonwealth Sustainable Urbanisation Programme was launched on 24 June by HRH The Prince of Wales. The Programme is a series of online free sessions which focus on engaging with the theme of sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth. With nearly 50% of the projected increase in the world’s urban population to 2050 forecast to be in the Commonwealth, there has never been a more important time for members of the Commonwealth to come together to tackle the challenges of climate change and rapid urbanisation; challenges which have now been compounded by the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. The programme sets out to: Build on the momentum which has already been developed in response to the need for sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth. Inform and strengthen a call to action on sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth through exchange of ideas and good practice. In the face of the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, to advocate for the centrality of SDG 11 in reviewing the targets and achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals. Promote inter-disciplinary, cross-sector collaboration and engagement to address the challenges and unlock the opportunities presented by sustainable urbanisation across the Commonwealth. The programme is structured around the following key question: How can we collaborate more effectively to leverage the power of the Commonwealth to achieve sustainable urbanisation? The launch event is available as a recording online here . This online series will continue with weekly events through early September. The schedule of events and links to registration are here . 2020_Sustainable_Urbanisation_Programme.jpg 2020_Sustainable_Urbanisation_Programme.jpg 1/1

By Kristin Agnello, CAP Women in Planning Coordinator and CAP Vice-President, Canadian Institute of Planners < Back When Planners Design, We All Win 16 July, 2019 By Kristin Agnello, CAP Women in Planning Coordinator and CAP Vice-President, Canadian Institute of Planners “To inspire designers—too long the servants of producers—to better serve humanity as the ambassadors of the end-users: the citizens of the world.” ~Montreal Design Declaration, 2017 Nestled in the heart of the Cité du Design, the room is buzzing with debate, deliberation, and innovation. To my left sits a graphic designer and to my right, a social design researcher - both engaged in the debate about the future of design and what it means for society. Professionals, academics, government and privately-funded researchers, and nonprofit design organizations – representing a wide-variety of disciplines – are gathered at the Design Declaration Pre-Summit Meetings in Saint-Étienne to discuss the world’s most wicked problems and the role of design in solving them. Pressing and highly complex, wicked problems have multiple causal factors and high levels of disagreement about the nature of the problems – and the approach to addressing them. Flashback to October 2017, when delegates from 22 international organizations, representing over 500,000 creative professionals – met for the first time to discuss design as a driver of innovation, growth, development, and prosperity. This inaugural World Design Summit Meeting in Montréal concluded with the ratification of the unprecedented Montréal Design Declaration in the presence of three UN agencies. The Declaration proclaims the potential of design to achieve global economic, social, environmental and cultural objectives and marks the first time that the design community - across disciplines - began speaking with one voice. The Design Declaration Pre-Summit Meeting that took place in Saint-Étienne in April 2019 represents the first milestone on a path toward realizing the aspirational goals and vision outlined the Montréal Design Declaration. This meeting focused on the development and deliberation of three key projects that were identified as highest priority by the Declaration Signatories in a recent internal survey: design metrics; design research and education; and government design policy. Design Metrics Too often, planning and design discourse is bogged down with jargon, technical details, and industry-specific references. But, how we articulate design intent is critical to conveying the value of design to society. Conversations must begin early and include everyone in society, utilizing metrics that are relevant to designers and non-designers alike. By not adequately conveying the value of planning and design, non-designers may undervalue the role and potential of design for social transformation, and – perhaps more importantly – underestimate the social and economic costs of bad design. Design Research and Education Design thinking is increasingly being recognized in business, government, and beyond, as a core skill and a key indicator of success. The time has come to ensure that design education adequately equips professionals with the skills necessary to take on management and governance roles. There is currently a significant gap between academia and practice in the design disciplines and discussions are underway about how to address this gap through mentorship, co-operative work terms, and reimagined educational approaches. If creativity and innovation are to be valued, then we must prepare our students and professionals with the skills needed for them to be valuable. Government Design Policy If design is to be leveraged worldwide to improve the lives of everyone, everywhere, then perhaps it is time to reevaluate the policy directions that impact – and are impacted by – our government leaders, funding agencies, and agents of change. To create an international design policy – by designers for designers – that embraces intersectionality and drives social and spatial change could address specific challenges in design standards, nomenclature, evaluation, and education. However, to be effective, such a policy would require a powerful cohort of leaders who will champion the power and potential of design in all disciplines and discussions. The Design Declaration and the Future of Planning Reflecting upon the discussions that took place at both the World Design Summit Meeting in Montréal and the Design Declaration Pre-Summit Meeting in Saint-Etienne, there is great potential to leverage planning and design to confront social and economic inequities and address environmental concerns. It cannot be understated that the environmental and social emergencies that we are facing have prompted an urgency that has never before been articulated in our profession: we cannot build our way out of disaster once it has occurred. Planning needs to remain a forward thinking profession, driven by innovation, intersectional collaboration, and creative exploration. If the heart of design and invention is prototyping, perhaps there is an opportunity to approach planning – and through it, the wicked problems of the world – within a mindset of exploration, experimentation, and critical reflection. “Because everyone deserves to live in a well-designed world.” For more information about the Design Declaration Summits, please click here . Click here to read the Montreal Design Declaration Previous Back to Top Next

08 May 2017 < Back World Urban Forum 08 May 2017 The capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, will host the Ninth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF9) in 2018. UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, as the convener of WUF, announced the decision on Monday 3 November as the culmination of a six months bidding process. United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UN-Habitat Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos, has informed Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government of Malaysia, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, of the decision during the Fifth Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) that is currently being held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 3 to 5 November 2014. After the bilateral meeting held with the Minister, Dr. Clos remarked that, in addition to its excellent bid, Kuala Lumpur was “bringing the WUF back to Asia. The continent has hosted the Forum once in 2008 in Nanjing, China, but it is where more than half of the world’s urban population lives,” he said. “This region has accounted for about 65 per cent of the demographic expansion of all urban areas across the world since the beginning of the 21st century.” Clos extended his congratulations to the city of Kuala Lumpur and the Government of Malaysia for its commitment towards sustainable urban development by hosting the Forum. “At the World Urban Forum, thousands of stakeholders meet every two years to share practices and knowledge on how cities are built, planned and managed”. WUF9 will be the first Forum to be held after the Post 2015 Development Agenda Process and the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development – Habitat III in 2016. The Habitat conference is a global legislative conference organized every 20 years to review and define the urban agenda and pave the way for UN-Habitat’s vision towards a new urban future. Click here for full details NEWS-ITEM-2018-World-Forum-2.jpg NEWS-ITEM-2018-World-Forum-2.jpg 1/1

31 May 2018 < Back Committee of the Whole - Meeting with Accredited Commonwealth Organisations 31 May 2018 The Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting of High Commissioners or other Senior representatives of all Commonwealth countries took place on 20 March 2018 at Marlborough House, London. The meeting included an opportunity for civil society organisations to present to COW issues which civil society wishes to promote to heads of Government. CAP, represented by Clive Harridge, worked with the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) on behalf of all civil society organisations to prepare a paper for COW entitled “A More Sustainable Future”. CAP was most honoured to be given this responsibility. The paper was one of five papers presented by civil society to COW, the others being: A Fairer Future A More Prosperous Future A More Secure Future Partnerships in the Commonwealth The full civil society report including the section prepared by CAP and CAA is available here: Submission by Commonwealth Civil Society Organisations 2018-Committee-of-the-Whole.jpg 2018-Committee-of-the-Whole.jpg 1/1

CAP's Young Planners’ Network connects and mobilises planning students and young planners across the Commonwealth, bringing a youth perspective to the work of CAP. YOUNG PLANNERS YPtop The CAP Young Planners’ Network connects and mobilises planning students and young planners across the Commonwealth to help address the needs of young planners and youth more generally, and to contribute a youth perspective to the work of CAP. CAP is a co-founding member of the Commonwealth Youth for Sustainable Urbanisation Network. If you are a young planning student/professional (aged 15-35), you can be too! LEARN MORE . You are eligible to join CAP's Young Planners’ Network if you are a planning student or have less than 10 years post qualification experience. Go to: Aims and Objectives Priorities Thematic Topics Activities Connect with us Get in touch CAP Essay 2020 Winners AimsObjectives 2023 has been declared a year dedicated to youth-led action for sustainable and inclusive development. Learn more Aims and Objectives Inspire Young people are attracted to the Planning profession and the association. Improve Young planners are equipped to confidently meet the immediate needs and future demands of their communities and the global world. Influence The value and purpose of planning is recognised locally, nationally, globally across sectors and other Commonwealth Nations join the association. BACK TO TOP Priorities Connect Provide a platform for members to support each other, network, develop skills and capacity, exchange and share information/ideas, build professional knowledge and ethical practice. Campaign Raise the profile of planning profession and the importance of engaging young people and young planners from conception to delivery Collaborate Work together with other professionals, relevant national, Commonwealth and international governmental and nongovernmental organisations. Contribute Actively participate in improving the quality of life and well-being of communities BACK TO TOP Thematic Topics Planning and Public Health Climate Action and Biodiversity Gains New Urban Agenda and Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals Disaster management and Humanitarian Response The Planning System and children/Young People Urban Resilience Rapid Urbanisation Rural-Urban Migration Planning Education Planning Profession and Capacity Building Planning Profession and Young People Leave no one and no place behind – Improve the quality of life and experiences of all particularly young people. Professional and Career Development Support BACK TO TOP Activities Webinars Virtual Study Tours Training Events CPD Sessions Networking Sessions Mapathon Social events BACK TO TOP Connect with Us Let’s have a chat, share your stories, ideas and achievements to inspire others on our social media platforms: Twitter - @CAPYoungPlan Facebook Page - @YPCAP Facebook Group – CAP Young Planners Network Instagram – @capyoungplanners LinkedIn Page – www.linkedin.com/company/capyoungplannersnetwork LinkedIn Group – CAP Young Planners Network BACK TO TOP Get in touch Our activities are planned by the steering group and sub-groups who meet regularly to organise and discuss future activities. Sub-groups are run by volunteers and always looking for new members to join. We are interested in articles and papers you have written about Planning in your country or work and if you have an idea for events or would just like to get more involved in the network, email me at capyoungplannersnetwork@gmail.com . I look forward to hearing from you and sharing any ideas you have. BACK TO TOP Priorities ThematicTopics Activities Connect Olafiyin Taiwo CAP Young Planners Network Coordinator capyoungplannersnetwork@gmail.com Previous YP News 2020 CAP Young Planners Essay Competition Winner s CAP congratulates the winners of the 2020 Commonwealth Young Planners’ Network Essay Competition. The winners were announced in a special web-based event on World Town Planning Day, 8th November 2020, hosted by CAP President, Mrs Dyan Currie AM. In her remarks, the winner, Kloe Ng of Singapore Institute of Planners said “Thank you for this award. Whilst it has been a tumultuous year, Planners have undoubtedly risen to the challenge.” To read their essays, click on the winners names: 1st Place: Kloe Ng (Singapore) 2nd Place: Wendy Jo Misfud (Malta) 3rd Place: Olumuyiwa Ojelade (Nigeria) 4th Place: Olasunkanmi Habeeb Okunola (Nigeria) 5th Place: Maddi Marks (Australia) CAP Young Planners Essay Competition 2020 sought entries from Young Planners on the critical theme of “Post Covid Building Resilience: The Role of Planners in the Commonwealth”. Prizes of £100, £60 and £30 in vouchers to the 3 best entries. See the full details of the Call for Entries See the SHORTLIST for the CAP Young Planners Essay Competition 2020, announced on Oct 13, 2020 Faces of CAP Young Planners Network June 21, 2020 Moments that tell stories… At CAP Young Planners Network, we are currently working on new content and extending our reach to Young People and other Young Planners. But we need your help! ... Full details LatestYPNews

20 November 2018 < Back CAP Young Planners at CAP Business Meeting and Planning - Africa 2018 20 November 2018 Cape Town and CAP’s involvement in the Planning Africa Conference was excellent. The CAP Business Meeting was interesting with the WUF and Commonwealth Summit in the next two years there is a lot of room to be expanding the Young Planners agenda, our activities and promoting the SDGs further in the Commonwealth context. A key highlight was the launch of our Women in Planning Manifesto and the launch of our Young Planners Call for Practice , which aims to find ideas across the Commonwealth for engaging better with Young People . CAP was able to be a large part of the Planning Africa Conference, with a number of us speaking at a Plenary about Africa and the Commonwealth: The achievement of the New Urban Agenda, where we advocated for the localization of the SDGs, ensuring that they were seen positively and applied to local contexts. I was also proud to present the CAP Youth Manifesto to the Young Planners Colloquium trying to inspire Young Planners to move forward and change the status quo in the profession. It was also the inaugural CAP awards , which seen Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Enfocus, GNS Science & Integrity Professionals Limited in New Zealand win 1st prize for a project titled Innovative risk-based planning & engagement for Natural Hazards. It was very much a different experience to the discussions we have in the UK around Planning. I felt that the discussions at the Planning Africa Conference were very much progressive, focussed on governance, partnerships and tackling some of the problems that have been passed down through a colonial planning system. Planners were passionate and were acting as activists, fighting for more social justice, environmental sustainability whilst trying to be progressive about economic development throughout Africa. Government from local, regional to national, had a strong role to play in the future of South Africa and that was very much apparent from the plenary and the attendance at the Conference. It valued Local Government and seen the benefits that it can have in making positive change for the people of Africa. The issues still resonated to some level in the UK- housing, economic development and the need to deliver infrastructure across the Continent. Planners were felt to be empowered not only by their peers but by politician, NGOs and the wider built environment sector. They were told fight for a better system, one that represented Africa, and challenge politicians who do not listen to their views. Overall it was an experience I will not forget, one that allowed me to see different planning contexts, the practices that were taking place, the value others place on Governance/Government and how we could learn from other parts of the Commonwealth and apply them to our own context. Joanna Patton (Canadian Institute of Planners) and Wessel Strydom (South African Planning Institute) our CAP Essay winners also attended the CAP biennial Business Meeting and Planning Africa 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa 14-17 October 2018. They have both provided their thoughts on the conference, what they learnt and provided some excellent insights about the profession as a whole in the Commonwealth: A copy of their article is available here: Joanna Patton (Canadian Institute of Planners) Wessel Strydom (South African Planning Institute) For me it was a pleasure to meet both of these excellent town planners. We talked about each of our different planning regimes and talked about the importance of the Commonwealth in helping to deliver the SDGs. They both provided great insights into their planning careers in both South Africa and Canada and it was great to learn from them. I look forward to another 2 years of promoting Town Planning across the Commonwealth, and look forward to meeting more inspiring and enthusiastic Young Planners, like Joanna and Wessel, in the near future. Viral Desai CAP Young Planners Co-ordinator 2018_CAP_YPs_at_Business_Meeting.jpg 2018_CAP_YPs_at_Business_Meeting.jpg 1/1

26 March 2020 < Back Olafiyin Taiwo appointed as leader of CAPs Young Planners Network 26 March 2020 CAP is hugely delighted to announce Olafiyin Taiwo as the new leader of CAPs Young Planners Network. Olafiyin was selected from a very strong field of applicants and takes over from Viral Desai who built up the Network from scratch and will continue to support the Network. Olafiyin has excellent international experience of youth issues being involved in various UN initiatives and currently leading the production of a Young Planners Toolkit in collaboration with planning students and young planners from across the Commonwealth. Please do not hesitate to get in touch through the ‘Contact Us ’ page if you would like to be involved in the work of the Network. Olafiyin is a Licentiate member of the UKs Royal Town Planning Institute and a member of the Institute’s General Assembly and International Committee. Many congratulations to Olafiyin and good luck in your new role! Clive Harridge Secretary – General CAP_YP_Olafiyin_Taiwo.jpg CAP_YP_Olafiyin_Taiwo.jpg 1/1

04 December 2015 < Back CAP Leads Commonwealth Civil Society’s Representations to CHOGM on SDGs 04 December 2015 In July 2015 CAP was invited to represent Commonwealth civil society organisations in preparing representations to the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed by the United Nations in September 2015. It was a great honour for CAP to be given this significant leadership responsibility and it reflects among other things the substantial and highly successful work which CAP undertook in promoting the need for an urban based SDG (now included as SDG 11). The Representations were prepared by an Expert Group led by CAPs immediate past President Christine Platt and including Cliff Hague, Paul Taylor, Dyan Currie and Clive Harridge. To help inform the Representations a short questionnaire survey was undertaken of CAP members seeking their views on the SDGs. Contributions were also received from other Commonwealth civil society organisations. The Representations were presented by Clive Harridge to the Commonwealth’s Committee of the Whole (CoW) at its meeting at Marlborough House, London on 20 October 2015. The CoW comprises of High Commissioners or Heads of Mission from all 54 Commonwealth countries. Clive’s presentation was very well received and the Committee gave strong support to the Representations. The final document, which was limited to 2 pages, was submitted to Commonwealth Heads of Government in October and is available here: CHOGM 2015: Civil Society Statement on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals: Economic and Social Values The Representations will next be considered at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in November. 1/0

05 March 2018 < Back Leading Change: New free book points way for planning across the Commonwealth 05 March 2018 Traditional planning has to change and change quickly. This is the message that opens a new, free-to-download book. Leading Change: Delivering the New Urban Agenda through Urban and Territorial Planning was launched at the Ninth World Urban Forum in February 2018. It provides a short, easy to read advocacy of the way that planning practice can contribute to addressing some of the major challenges that the Commonwealth, and so also the world, faces in the 21st century. The book argues that planning systems, and many of the practices and assumptions they embody, were largely formed in the last century, before concerns like climate change, human rights, food security or resilience came to the fore. The New Urban Agenda, agreed by the governments in Quito in 2016 at Habitat III, identifies urban and territorial planning as one of three key areas for action. It says “The quality of urban planning and design has a determining impact on the value generated by human settlements through efficient and equitable public space, streets and building areas”. So how can we rise to this challenge? The book sets out a Manifesto for Planning. It says that urban and territorial planning needs to: Be global in outlook; Be based in human rights; Integrate development with infrastructure; Be informed by budgets and be robust; Secure political legitimacy; Be tuned to subsidiarity and diversity; Be clear, simple and rapid; and Respect and capitalise upon the special characteristics of places. Chapters contain questions addressed to national governments, local governments and their associations, civil society organisation, and professionals and their associations. For example, the chapter on governance asks professional planning institutes whether women, young planners and members of minority groups are fully involved in the governance of the association? Is the Code of Professional Practice fully attuned to a human-rights based approach to practice? The International Guidelines UN-Habitat has published a set of International Guidelines for Urban and Territorial Planning. Their preparation was the result of cooperation amongst an international group of experts led by former CAP President Christine Platt. Leading Change is a sister volume to the Guidelines. It takes them and explains in a more narrative form just why they are important and how planners and others can use them. For example, the Guidelines point to the part that planning can play in increasing human security through management of natural and environmental hazards and risks. Leading Change then discusses the issue of food security, drawing on the work that CAP has done in this field. It notes that the New Urban Agenda identifies urban planning and design as a way to strengthen food system planning and urban resilience. The book then drills into more detail in discussing peri-urban development and urban agriculture, with a mini-case study, before concluding “By nurturing and sustaining local food networks, planners can boost local incomes and reduce the “food miles” travelled between producer and consumer, thereby contributing to reducing carbon emissions. Click here to download a copy of the guidelines They are “intended to be a framework for improving global policies, plans, designs and implementation processes, which will lead to more compact, socially inclusive, better integrated and connected cities and territories that foster sustainable urban development and are resilient to climate change.” CAP and its member associations can play a big part in raising awareness and using this document. Leading Change challenges us all to do what we can Some planners will find Leading Change uncomfortable; all will find it challenging. The book argues that detailed regulation of land use change is expensive, not affordable in some countries, and difficult to deliver effectively and equitably under conditions of rapid urbanisation. The authors argue that in much of the world informal development and informal economic activities are facts of life that are integral to the survival of some of the poorest people, and so should be tolerated by planners. Similarly, gender is seen as an important planning matter, though it has attracted little attention in the past. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women is one of the core human rights: planning practice should embed it in the design of transport infrastructure, the planning of employment opportunities, and the structuring of public involvement, to give a few examples. The book was commissioned by the South African Local Government Association and the South African Department of Human Settlements and UN-Habitat. In a Foreword they collectively say “We hope that this book will help national governments, local and regional authorities and their networks, professional associations, and civil society networks, across the globe, to engage with planning and use it as tool to deliver sustainable, inclusive, resilient and safe cities and human settlements.” Click here to download a copy of 'Leading Change' 2018-Leading-Change-Book.jpg 2018-Leading-Change-Book.jpg 1/1

By Karin Taylor < Back The Impact of Coronavirus on a Small Island Developing State - Fiji 29 June 2020 By Karin Taylor The recovery of the tourism sector is vital to Fiji’s economic recovery following the pandemic, and planning will have a fundamental role to play in how that happens. March 19th 2020 was a bad day for Fiji, as the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed, having entered the country via a Fiji Airways cabin steward. The small Pacific island nation had prepared for this eventuality and immediately instigated a rigorous programme of contact tracing and isolating all known cases, which over the following few weeks climbed to a total of 18 cases in four clusters. Friday 5th June was a good day, as the Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama declared Fiji to be Coronavirus-free after the last patient tested clear of the virus. The country had escaped with just a handful of cases, and no fatalities. But at considerable cost. Fiji’s GDP is 40% dependent on tourism, which has crashed due to a complete lockdown. Soon after the first case was identified, 95% of Fiji Airways’ flights were cancelled. Cruise ships were barred from entering Fijian ports. Schools, universities and places of worship were closed and a night time curfew was imposed. Despite the country’s now Covid-free status, the curfew remains in place and most public buildings are still closed. The Government has recently passed an Act allowing employers to terminate employees’ contracts due to Coronavirus being “an act of God”. More than 40,000 people (5% of the population) have already lost their jobs, many of these being from the hospitality sector. Fiji’s economy is not strong at the best of times. Salaries are low but many Fijians count themselves blessed as they live in a beautiful country with plentiful resources. The iTaukei (native Fijian) population enjoy historic land rights and subsistence agriculture is still common in the traditional communities. The economic impact of coronavirus is therefore likely to be felt more harshly amongst the urban populations and in other ethnic groups, such as the Indofijians, as they either cannot return to their home villages, or do not have traditional land rights. The loss of an income will hit these groups much harder. The recovery of the tourism sector is vital to Fiji’s economic recovery following the pandemic, and planning will have a fundamental role to play in how that happens. There are already signs of pressure to encourage economic recovery through development and new infrastructure, though there is little money to do that without overseas investment. There will be a temptation to encourage foreign investment through what could be an unsustainable approach involving new development and infrastructure in sensitive locations, rather than a sustainable approach involving appropriate re-use of the country’s historic buildings and protection of Fiji’s natural environment in order to encourage responsible tourism. Fundamental to such decisions will be the review of the decades-old Planning Schemes for the main settlements. Such reviews however will also present the opportunity to re-think development planning in the post-pandemic world; to improve quality of life for residents of the squatter settlements and to create or conserve green and blue infrastructure for the benefit of general health and wellbeing. The planning profession in Fiji is small, and they will have their work cut out. In terms of knock-on economic impacts, there are already signs that there is less money in the system and that the environment and heritage could take a hit. The Fiji Museum, Fiji Arts Council and National Trust for Fiji, being the Government’s advisory agencies in relation to heritage, culture and the environment, have had their grants slashed and at present no money at all is forthcoming. Yet they provide a vital role in helping to conserve what most Fijians hold dear, and what visitors could come back to experience. Planners in Fiji will need the advice and support of their fellow experts, and will need the confidence to challenge and to innovate, in order to encourage the right development in the right place and to facilitate the resurgence of tourism and recovery of the economy generally in a way that improves quality of life and increases the future resilience of the country. Karin Taylor is a geographer, Chartered Town Planner and Landscape Architect specialising in landscape and heritage planning. Until February 2020, Karin was Head of Planning for the National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and spent January to March 2020 on secondment with the National Trust for Fiji. Previous Back to Top Next

11 November 2019 < Back 2019 CAP Awards: Winners Announced! 11 November 2019 The winners of the 2019 CAP Awards for Outstanding Planning Achievement in the Commonwealth were announced on the 9th November 2019 at the 50th anniversary conference of the Ghana Institute of Planners in Accra, Ghana. Entries were reviewed by the independent judging panel consisting of: Trudi Elliot CBE (Chair), Kristin Agnello, Dr Carol Archer, Viral Desai, Emeritus Professor Cliff Hague OBE and Professor Barbara Norman. Click here for full details 2019-CAP-AWARDS-Winners.jpg 2019-CAP-AWARDS-Winners.jpg 1/1