The CAP Awards for Outstanding Planning Achievement in the Commonwealth seek to champion the very best examples of planning practice in the Commonwealth. Commonwealth Association of Planners Awards for Outstanding Planning Achievement in the Commonwealth The CAP Awards for Outstanding Planning Achievement in the Commonwealth seek to champion the very best examples of planning practice across Commonwealth countries. The Awards aim to: Disseminate outstanding planning practice in the Commonwealth, particularly where applicable across different Commonwealth countries. Demonstrate the valuable role that planners and planning have in the Commonwealth in helping to create resilient and sustainable communities and adequate shelter for all. Promote the ways in which the science and art of planning can benefit the public and improve the well-being of society in the Commonwealth and help deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 2026 CAP Awards - Call for Entries! Entries are now open for the 2026 Commonwealth Association of Planners Awards for Outstanding Planning Achievement in the Commonwealth. 1. Planning for Human Settlements/Plan Making in the Commonwealth 2. Planning for climate change and adaptation 3. Planning for equitable and inclusive human settlements 4. Planning for conservation of the built and natural environment and cultural heritage 5. Young Planner award Young planning students or professionals are invited to submit an essay entry on the topic: Digital Twins and Participatory Futures: Democratising Urban Planning through Immersive Technologies. For inquiries: Annette O'Donnell annette.odonnell@rtpi.org.uk Submission Deadline: September 21st, 2026 (24:00 UK Time). Download Awards Booklet! Categories: Previous Award Winners 2025 Winners 2024 Winners 2023 Winners 2022 Winners were announced on 30 November at CAP's Biennial Meeting Shortlisted Entries 2021 As part of this year's 50th anniversary celebrations, the results of the 2021 CAP Awards were announced at the City Expo Malaysia on 8 November. The ceremony was led by CAP President, Eleanor Mohammed. Winners and Commendations Shortlisted Entries 2020 The winners of the 2020 CAP Awards were announced in a special web-based event on World Town Planning Day, 8 November, hosted by CAP President, Mrs. Dyan Currie AM. Winners and Commendations 2019 The winners of the 2019 CAP Awards were announced on 9 November at the 50th anniversary conference of the Ghana Institutre of Planners in Accra, Ghana. Winners Shortlisted Entries 2018 The inaugural CAP Awards were announced on 16 October in Capetown during the SAPI Planning Africa Conference and CAP biennial business meeting. Winners Shortlisted Entries

By Ian Tant, CAP Vice-President < Back Planning in the UK with COVID-19 20 April, 2020 By Ian Tant, CAP Vice-President The arrival of the coronavirus pandemic required measures to be introduced through the Planning systems (each of the UK nations has its own system) to ensure that the planning system continues to function and to respond to urgent pressures. As with many Commonwealth countries, the Corona virus COVID-19, started to make itself felt around the end of February and into early March. As the number of cases rose, UK Government measures went from the advisory – washing hands frequently, bumping elbows in greeting, standing 2 metres apart – to the compulsory by the 24th March. Whilst not using the word “lockdown”, the measures introduced by the Government came close to this with the instruction to “Stay at home; save lives; protect the National Health Service”. It is still possible to leave home but only for essential purposes – food shopping (as infrequently as possible), daily exercise, journeys to work only for those who cannot work from home. Traffic is still on the roads but at much reduced levels; flying has almost come to a halt; and many, many firms have moved their staff to home working. Video conferencing has spiralled. Measures have also been introduced through the Planning systems (each of the UK nations has its own system) to ensure that the planning system continues to function and to respond to urgent pressures, for example giving blanket planning permission (known as permitted development rights) for restaurants to convert to take-away outlets and for the creation of new medical facilities – including the conversion of major conference venues in cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow to new hospitals. In local government, planning applications continue to be submitted and are being processed. Site visits are allowed provided applicants and others stay away from the officers while on site to observe social distancing. Importantly, decisions are being made, either through increasing delegation to chief officers or through remotely-attended planning committees: in England the Government has introduced new legislation that allows councils to hold meetings remotely . The Royal Town Planning Institute has responded speedily in its own procedures – indeed, it was ahead of the Government in introducing its measures. All travel by volunteers was suspended on the 2nd March, initially until late April but now until the 31st August. Early orders were made for the purchase of additional laptops and for software licences with the result that all staff were enabled to work from home with only a strictly limited attendance at the headquarters office in London to maintain essential services, including information technology. Once the emergency measures were put in place and everyone was safely at home, attention turned by late March to the ‘new business as usual’. This not only involves maintaining regular member services but also developing thought leadership on what should happen in planning now and into the coming years. A member survey was instigated to understand how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting Planning and what our members wish to see the Government doing next. There has been regular liaison between the Chief Executive and Government representatives with suggestions and proposals for measures to protect the planning systems and to deliver positive outcomes. One example is the proposal that the life of planning permissions (normally limited to 3 years) should be extended during the crisis so that development can continue to be delivered post-COVID. The measure has already been introduced through legislation in Scotland and may be spread throughout the UK soon. But increasingly attention is turning to the medium and longer term. There is a recognition that it is not only the RTPI that is facing a ‘new normal’ – many patterns of living and working will have been affected. Some of these changes are highly positive and are likely to have a lasting effect. The use of internet conferencing and home working is a clear example of a positive effect: travel is much reduced with consequential environmental benefits in air quality and noise levels. For those of us living under airport flight paths, the sudden awareness of bird song has been startling! But there are other consequences: broadband availability and bandwidth has been severely tested. Notably, even the Automobile Association has suggested that as a nation we should be investing further in broadband capacity rather than in roads. Moreover, there is a recognition that not all our homes are suitable places for families to be ‘locked’ within. Small flats with limited or no amenity space are proving particularly problematic, especially where urban parks have been closed or where social distancing limits access to play space. How will we adapt to the likely loss of retail outlets? Some of our town centre and high street businesses may not return post-COVID and there will be a task in remodelling our town centres – especially if demand for office space is permanently affected by the increased levels of home working. Planning has an important role to play in reshaping our town and city centres and in debate over improved space standards for housing. We will need to resist calls for lower densities and a return to the suburbanisation of housing: there remains a real emergency in climate and biodiversity while rapid urbanisation is likely to remain a feature around the world. As Planners we need to redouble our efforts to ward off deregulation and to argue the benefit of good design of our homes, buildings and places to enable us to adapt to any future pandemics. Now is the time to rethink our approaches and to prepare for a positive future once the crisis has passed. Previous Back to Top Next

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07 July 2020 < Back Survey of Planning Built Environment Professions Released 07 July 2020 A survey of Planning Associations and Built Environment Professions in the Commonwealth released on 24 June. Responses from 4 disciplines across 33 Commonwealth countries were received. The key findings of the survey reveal that: There is a critical lack of capacity in many of the Commonwealth countries which are rapidly urbanising and are among the most vulnerable. There is a lack of educational and institutional capacity to grow the professions fast enough in many Commonwealth countries. There is increasing recognition of weakness in built environment policy (ie planning policy and building code) in many Commonwealth countries in terms of standards, implementation, and enforcement. The survey results are a critical tool to consider the capacity of many Commonwealth countries to resource the growth of their cities and are available for use by the profession at http://commonwealthsustainablecities.org/survey/ 1/0

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

COMMONWEALTH WOMEN IN PLANNING NETWORK The Commonwealth Women in Planning (CWIP) Network focuses on gender equality and the participation of women in shaping the built environment. With this goal in mind, CWIP members are exchanging knowledge, expertise, and experience on the role of women in the planning profession and the impact of planning and design on women’s safety, prosperity, and empowerment. Vision To ensure all self-identified women and girls have the social, economic and political power to shape our shared built environment. Goals and Objectives The Commonwealth Women in Planning Network supports CAP in its mission to advance the worldwide promotion of planning as a fundamental part of governance for sustainable human settlement. CWIP is dedicated to providing a gender-based lens through which we can examine the built environment, advance the Sustainable Development Goals , and support women in the Planning profession. CWIP's manifesto proclaims the potential of planning and design to advance gender equality to achieve global economic, social, environmental and cultural objectives in cooperation with CAP member organizations. The Commonwealth Women in Planning Network aims to: Advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (in particular Goal 5: Gender Equality, Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals) through planning practice and research. Advance partnerships with CAP member organizations, UN Women, Women in Cities International, Women Transforming Cities, and others to enhance our collaborative thinking. Provide a collaborative platform to support Women in Planning and other emerging professionals working in the built environment. Promote relevant publications written by CWIP members (including blog entries, journal articles, student research, white papers, and books) to advance information-sharing and collaboration between international planning professionals. Develop a toolkit for professional planners to assist them in applying a gender lens to planning projects and research around the globe. Mary McConnell is now leading the CWIP network. Want to join? CAP member organizations are invited to join our CWIP network. For more information, contact Mary McConnell at capwomeninplanning@gmail.com READ: Engender: City Planning and the Development of the Commonwealth Women in Planning Manifesto New article by Jenna Dutton in Planning West: CELEBRATING THE IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN IN PLANNING ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH View Manifesto View Action Plan

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

By Becky Farr, Birmingham City Council < Back How Planners Contributed to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 05 October 2022 By Becky Farr, Birmingham City Council ‘It’s a Brum (Planning) Ting’ Becky Farr is a proud Brummie, and Development Planning Manager at Birmingham City Council. She reflects on what the Commonwealth Games has done for Birmingham, and what planning has done for the Commonwealth Games. The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has drawn to a close; a fantastic event which has been a celebration of sport, culture, and importantly of this wonderful city, which has long shied away from the spotlight but has now taken its chance to shine. I’ve loved the Games experience, although I’ll admit that I only made it 10 minutes into the BBC’s coverage ahead of the opening ceremony before I cried! In fact, being overly emotional has been somewhat of a theme over the last few days – the excitement of Uganda nearly beating the Aussies in the Rugby Sevens; the sheer perfection of Joe Fraser’s gold-medal winning pommel horse routine; and the heartbreak of David Weir’s puncture in the marathon – I’ve felt it all. I’ve also loved the positivity and buzz it’s generated, and the enthusiasm – not just for sport but for the city and region. But now the sporting excitement is over, it’s a moment to reflect on the achievements since the day in early 2017 when I was first involved in a meeting to discuss commissioning a feasibility study for Birmingham’s bid to host a Commonwealth Games. It seemed so far off, although we had far less time than previous host cities – just 4.5 years from when Birmingham was officially announced compared to the seven years usually available to host cities. Planning’s Contribution What has been delivered in these last few years is – I am proud to say – nothing short of amazing. So many people have been involved, but as a planner one of the biggest things I see when I walk around Birmingham today is the myriad ways in which planning, and planners, have contributed to delivering the Games. Some contributions are immediately visible. That beautiful Alexander Stadium which hosted the opening ceremony and athletics events? I can’t count the number of planners involved in preparing and determining the various applications necessary to make that happen. The same with the Aquatics Centre, the athletes’ villages, redeveloped rail stations, and other facilities required to host the Games. Some are less visible. Birmingham’s Local Plan provided a robust strategic framework for decisions around investment in transport and venues, and unlocked CIL contributions which have supported the redevelopment of Perry Barr station. Accelerated Growth The initial vision to accommodate athletes and officials in the new residential development at Perry Barr may have been thwarted by Covid, but it was driven by an ambition to use the Games to accelerate the growth ambitions already identified, and the scheme now being delivered in Perry Barr certainly does that! That scheme couldn’t have been achieved without a compulsory purchase order. 27 hectares of land was assembled for new public transport and active travel infrastructure, homes (now able to be occupied sooner due to not being used for the Games), green spaces, a school, and further commercial and residential development opportunities. And the venue at Smithfield is a temporary use on what will form part of a major city centre redevelopment phased over the next 20 years. Some contributions capitalised on the breadth and transferability of a planners’ skills: being part of the initial Games bid team, securing funding for infrastructure, masterplanning and design, strategic visioning, consultation, engagement and stakeholder management, housebuilding, contributing to a legacy plan and monitoring framework, project management, capturing social value, and – most especially – team work. What Comes Next? And some of our contributions are about what comes next. The Games has done a lot for Birmingham already: it has a new confidence which has united the development sector across the region, just as much as it has united communities; it has changed mindsets, and for Birmingham as a Local Authority, as a place to invest, and for me personally. It will continue to do so – influencing the way we plan, the scale of ambition we have, and the way the worlds see our city, for years to come. I’ll finish, then, on looking forward. The Games has highlighted what planning and planners can do, and given us a chance to find new ways to contribute to ‘levelling up’, deliver on challenging housing targets, create healthy and resilient places, and pursue a zero-carbon future. Specifically, planning will help deliver the strong legacy set out in our Perry Barr 2040: A Vision for Legacy masterplan , and in the Delivering a Bold Legacy for Birmingham host city legacy plan . The Commonwealth Games? It’s a Planning ting! Previous Back to Top Next

09 November 2021 < Back Malaysia and New Zealand Triumph in the 2021 CAP Awards for Planning Excellence in the Commonwealth 09 November 2021 As part of this year’s 50th anniversary celebrations the results of the 2021 CAP award for planning excellence were announced at the City Expo Malaysia on 8th November 2021. The ceremony was led by CAP President Eleanor Mohammed. Malaysian young planner Elias Young Daud won the first ever CAP young Planner of the year award. Te Whaihanga a project engaging Māori in planning in New Zealand won the planning for equitable and inclusive cities and human settlements award. Urban Eels: our sustainable city Palmerston North New Zealand won the award for conservation of the built and natural environment and cultural heritage. The planning for the climate emergency award went to an eco flood management project Sistem Pemantauan Operasi Pam (SPOP) project (Malaysia). Skudi River rejuvenation plan Malaysia won the Planning for cities and human settlements/plan making in the commonwealth award and the community farming project at Kinari Low cost flat Malaysia took home the award for planning in response to natural and technological disasters. These projects along with commended shortlisted projects demonstrate the role of planners and planning in meeting the challenges faced across the Commonwealth. They demonstrate in practical ways how we can deliver the on Sustainable Development Goals and address the challenge of the climate emergency. They illustrate the role of collaboration between professionals and communities, the contribution Universities can make and the critical importance of valuing the experience and voice of indigenous communities. They illustrate the value of a plan, of place specific solutions, informed use of data ,of creativity and the learning we can share across the Commonwealth. CAP president Eleanor Mohammed said: “Congratulations to all of the award recipients. The awards showcase the power of planning and planners within the commonwealth. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit their project or themselves for an award. All of the submissions were very well done and I know the judges were challenged in selecting the winners. I also want to thank the volunteer judges, who spent a great amount of time coordinating and adjudicating the entries. It’s a lot of work and the Commonwealth Association of Planners is grateful for their time and energy." Full details of the winners and shortlisted projects can be found in the Awards section. 2021_CAP_Awards_Winners_Announced.png 2021_CAP_Awards_Winners_Announced.png 1/1

05 March 2018 < Back LSBM Lighthouse - Towards a Common Future: Sustainability 05 March 2018 Secretary- General, Clive Harridge speaks at London School of Business and Management Clive Harridge spoke about the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at an event organised by the London School of Business and Management (LSBM) as part of the LSBM Lighthouse series of events leading up to CHOGM. The focus of the talk was on sustainable development and how this is being addressed across the Commonwealth. Clive was joined by Arif Zaman (Deputy Director of the Centre for Research and Enterprise at LSBM and Olufinki Alagbala a student at LSBF. Full report on the event 2018-LSBM.jpg 2018-LSBM.jpg 1/1

24 April 2020 < Back Young Planners Network Launch Young People Engagement Survey 24 April 2020 The CAP Young Planners Network is delighted to launch a Planning Survey for young people and planning professionals. This survey will gather insights from young people and built environment professionals in the Commonwealth about what’s needed to ensure young people are actively involved in shaping their communities through Planning. To access the Survey please follow this link: survey . The Survey will help us produce an effective toolkit and design better approaches for effective engagement between young people and the Planning Systems across the Commonwealth for Sustainable Development. The Survey is targeted at young people aged 15 – 30 and built environment professionals that have experience of working with youth people on planning and development issues. It will be open until Mid-June 2020 and analysis will be publicly released later this year. Olafiyin Taiwo CAP Young Planners Network Coordinator 1/0

13 October 2020 < Back CAP Awards and Young Planners’ Network Essay Competition Shortlisting 13 October 2020 The shortlists have been announced for the CAP Awards for Outstanding Planning Achievement in the Commonwealth and for the Commonwealth Young Planners’ Network Essay Competition, 2020. The shortlisted entries span the Commonwealth from New Zealand to Canada and include entries from Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Malta and Nigeria. The winners and commended entries will be announced in a special event on 8th November 2020, World Town Planning Day to be held at 08:00 , 14:00 and 20:00 UK time. Details of the shortlisted entries for the CAP Awards can be found here and those for the Young Planners’ Essay Competition are here . 2020-Awards-Shortlist.png 2020-Awards-Shortlist.png 1/1