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

The Commonwealth Association of Planners welcomes national planning institutions in commonwealth countries. MEMBERSHIP IN CAP Membership in CAP is open to institutes of professional planners in Commonwealth countries, or countries temporarily withdrawn from the Commonwealth. • See our MEMBER INSTITUTES . INDIVIDUALS If you belong to your national organisation and it is a member of CAP, you are already benefitting from CAP membership! If you live in a Commonwealth country but your national planning institute is NOT a CAP member, consider contacting your national organisation and share with them the BENEFITS OF JOINING . Currently, we are considering other Membership options and will soon post details on this page. Are you a young planner? I you are a planning student or have less than 10 years post-qualification experience, learn about the YOUNG PLANNERS’ NETWORK . OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED • To VOLUNTEER, contact annette.odonnell@rtpi.org.uk

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

14 July 2015 < Back Meet CAP's New President 14 July 2015 Dy is the Director of Planning and Environment at the City of Gold Coast (Australia’s second largest local authority) and has extensive experience in leadership and management in strategic planning, business process improvements and development assessmen Dy is the Immediate Past National President and a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia and the current President of the Commonwealth Association of Planners representing 40,000 planners across the Commonwealth. Dy is also the Director of Planning and Environment at the City of Gold Coast (Australia’s second largest local authority) and has extensive experience in leadership and management in strategic planning, business process improvements and development assessment. She has a strong track record of delivering major projects across a diverse range of planning programs and enjoys a strong professional network across all levels of government, the development industry and the planning profession. Dy is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Southern Queensland and a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. She is also a Fellow of the Urban Development Institute of Australia and is known for her commitment to working with the Development Industry and for her proactive attitude and results driven approach Dyan Currie, FPIA HonRTPI FDIA Former-President-Dy-Currie.png Former-President-Dy-Currie.png 1/1

CONTACT US If you are interested in becoming a member of CAP, please visit our MEMBERSHIP page. Send Thank you. We will be in touch soon.

2022 CAP Planning Awards AND THE WINNERS ARE ... Planning for the Climate Emergency Award WINNER Creating Happier and Greener Communities in Nanumba North Municipality (Ghana) The judges also commended: The Revision of Functional Master Plan and Detailed Area Plan to make the Rajshahi Metropolitan Development Plan (RMDP) Disaster Risk Sensitive (Bangladesh) Planning for Cities & Human Settlements/Plan Making Award WINNER The City of Ekurhuleni Growth Management Strategy (South Africa) The judges also commended: Activities to Enhance Behaviour Change on Sanitation and Form Hygiene Environment in Urban Slums (Khulna City, Bangladesh) Planning for Equitable and Inclusive Cities and Human Settlements WINNER Glasgow Children & Young Peoples Climate Charter (Scotland) Planning for Conservation of the Built & Natural Environment and Cultural Heritage WINNER Milford Opportunities Masterplan (New Zealand) 2022 AWARD SHORTLIST Planning for the climate emergency Chair: Professor Barbara Norman Creating Happier and Greener Communities in Nanumba North Municipality Ghana Participants: Joshua Mumuni, Senior Development Planning Officer in the Local Government Service, Ghana; the Ghana Institute of Planners and the Nanumba North Municipal Assembly This project aims to embed a commitment to environmental sustainability and tackle climate change within the Nanumba North Disaster Preparedness Action Plan. Implementation is key to the activities, including afforestation, agro-forestry and enforcement of building regulations that are designed to reduce the incidence of rainstorms and flooding in communities of the Nanumba North Municipal Assembly. Disaster Preparedness Action Planning has been mainstreamed in the District Medium-Term Development Plans. These activities have been implemented and have created happier and greener communities in Nanumba North Municipality. As part of sustainability of the activities in the Disaster Preparedness Plan, opinion leaders and farmers have been educated on the need to adopt resilient farming practices such as agro-forestry. Revision of Functional Master Plan and Detailed Area Plan to make the Rajshahi Metropolitan Development Plan (RMDP) Disaster Risk Sensitive, Rajshahi, Bangladesh Participants: Rajshahi Development Authority, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and Data Experts (Pvt) Limited, Rajshahi Development Authority, Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, Data Experts (Pvt) Limited, Troyee Associates This project aims to reduce the impact of specific hazards (drought, flood, earthquake, fire). Disaster risk reduction measures were mainstreamed into the project, Revision of Functional Master Plan and Detailed Area Plan to make Rajshahi Metropolitan Development Plan (RMDP) Disaster Risk Sensitive, by revisioning the Functional Master Plan and Detailed Area Plan of RMDP 2004-2024. The goal is to reduce the vulnerability of people and infrastructure by identifying appropriate (safe or low-risk) locations for settlement and construction and by defining and applying adequate building standards during plan implementation. Numerous surveys and studies conducted inside the project area presented a precise picture of land use, demography, urbanization, drainage, urban economy, socio-economic conditions, environmental conditions, social and municipal services, transportation, recreation, heritage and tourism, and most importantly, disaster risks. The strategies and recommendations recommended by the sector experts help to achieve the project goals and objectives. Rajshahi Ghana Shortlist Planning for cities and human settlements / Plan making in the Commonwealth Chair: Viral Desai Activities to Enhance Behaviour Change on Sanitation and Form Hygiene Environment in Urban Slums Khulna City of Bangladesh Participants: Community Re-Construction Centre (CRC) and Japan Association of Drainage and Environment (JADE) This project addresses three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): good health and well-being (Goal-3); clean water and sanitation (Goal-6); and sustainable cities and communities (Goal-11). The results and experiences of the project activity are titled “Activities to Enhance Behaviour Change on Sanitation and Form Hygiene Environment in Urban Slums at Khulna City of Bangladesh” with funding from Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE) grant of Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency (ERCA). The City of Ekurhuleni Growth Management Strategy, South Africa Participants : City of Ekurhuleni and BC Gildenhuys & Associates The City of Ekurhuleni's Growth Management Strategy (GMS) was developed in response to a rapidly changing environment. High rates of urbanisation, growing unemployment and a struggling economy, compounded by the impact of COVID-19, have meant that the City Council has had to rethink its spatial planning approach to achieve its long-term development goals. The Growth Management Strategy used new and innovative spatial analysis techniques, underpinned by technology and driven by a strong data and evidence-based methodology. The GMS encapsulates the principles of accountable, responsive, and responsible governance by setting objectives and fact-based guidelines to measure city development performance, formulating an appropriate response to change, and promoting a more sustainable and resilient city form. The strategy's formulation was driven by the view that if we cannot quantify, we cannot measure, and if we cannot measure, we cannot manage. Barbados Physical Development Plan Amendment Participants : Urban Strategies Inc. Barbados is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) and member of the Commonwealth located in the Eastern Caribbean. It has an area of approximately 430 square kilometres and a population of approximately 287,000. With only a single level of government, planning matters across the island are guided by the Physical Development Plan (PDP), which addresses everything from strategic development policies to land use policies to place-specific community plans. The PDP (2022) integrates sustainability policies that address social, environmental, and economic resiliency relating to human settlement at the national and community scales. Khulna South Africa Planning for equitable and inclusive cities and human settlements Chair: Professor Carole Archer Glasgow Children & Young Peoples Climate Charter Glasgow, Scotland UK Participants: Glasgow City Council The Glasgow Children and Young People’s Climate Charter is an intergenerational declaration and promise, setting out a plan of how the city, and the city’s children, will tackle the climate crisis together. Alexandra Park Revitalization Plan, Toronto, Canada Participants: Urban Strategies Inc. (Cyndi Rottenberg-Walker - CIP), N. Barry Lyon Consultants, Public Interest, BA Group, URS Corp., Levitt-Goodman Architects, Jon Harstone, Halsall Associates, Architects Alliance, DTAH, Novus Environmental, BA Group, GHD, exp, The Atkinson Housing Cooperative Inc. The Revitalization Plan for Alexandra Park creates a new mixed-use, mixed-income neighbourhood for an 18-acre, 1970’s-era social housing complex in Downtown Toronto. Its Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) tenants, most of whom are first-generation Canadians who identify as visible minorities, were deeply involved in developing the plan. This plan improves accessibility to amenities and community services, provides economic development opportunities, enhances community safety, and offers a greener, more sustainable community. When construction is complete, the site will contain approximately 400 replacement TCHC units, 400 refurbished TCHC units and 1,800 new market units in a mix of apartments, condominiums and townhouses. The plan ensures that there is no displacement of tenants from the community either during construction or afterwards, and that all existing TCHC units will continue to be rented on a rent-geared-to-income basis. Glasgow Planning for the conservation of the built and natural environment and cultural heritage Chair: Jihad Bitar Milford Opportunities Masterplan Milford Sound-Piopiotahi, New Zealand Participants: Boffa Miskell: Jane Rennie (NZPI), Tim Church (NZILA), Yvonne Pfluger (RMLA) and others; Stantec: Russell Halliday, Darren Davis, Andrew Craig, Tom Young The Milford Sound Piopiotahi Masterplan (MOP Masterplan) sets a strategy for land use, transport and infrastructure, ecological conservation, natural hazard management, cultural experience and the operation of tourism within Piopiotahi Milford Sound, Milford Road, Te Anau basin and the surrounding area. The MOP Masterplan distils 16 distinct workstreams to develop an integrated programme of investment, governance and operational change that will optimise tourism and economic development for the region and enhance and protect the distinctive character of place in Milford Sound Piopiotahi. The MOP Masterplan is a holistic effort to dramatically improve a place all New Zealanders hold dear and enables the benefits of Aotearoa New Zealand’s prize attraction to be shared more fully throughout the wider Southland Region. It offers insights and solutions that are applicable for all communities that rely on tourism. Milford

09 May 2018 < Back Trudi Elliott CBE MRTPI, Appointed as CAP Patron 09 May 2018 CAP is honoured to announce the appointment of Trudi Elliot CBE MRTPI as Patron of CAP. The appointment, which had been agreed by the CAP Executive Committee, was formally announced by CAPs President Dyan Currie at a dinner held in London on 18 April 2018. The dinner was hosted by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) for international guests on the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting taking place in London at the time. The role of Patron is for a two year period and includes being an ambassador for the organisation and helping promote its objectives. Trudi is CAPs first and only Patron. Trudi has had a stellar planning career and is highly regarded in the UK an internationally. Trudi is a Chartered Town Planner and held the post of RTPI Chief Executive between 2011 and April 2018. Trudi shaped the RTPI Centenary Year programme and the Planning Horizons papers which provide a long term, global view of planning. Trudi has a wide-ranging and in-depth knowledge of planning, where she has worked in one capacity or another for the past twenty years. She has also worked as a lawyer in both the public and private sectors. Trudi has been active within the Global Planners Network and has worked closely with CAP, ISOCARP and IFHP. Trudi is a member of the American Planning Association and was instrumental in the establishment of the UK Built Environment Professionals group supporting the humanitarian sector on responding to humanitarian disasters. Trudi attended and spoke at Habitat 111 in 2016 and WUF in Naples in 2014. Trudi has sat on partnership Boards and accreditation panels for the University of Botswana, the University of Cape Town, the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Trudi writes and speaks extensively on Planning and the environment it operates in. Trudi was made a Commander of the British Empire in 2010 and was awarded a Papal medal in the same year for her contribution to the safety and planning of the Pope’s visit to the UK. Clive Harridge, Secretary- General 2018-Trudi-Elliot-Patron-of-CAP.jpg 2018-Trudi-Elliot-Patron-of-CAP.jpg 1/1

By Jua Cilliers, CAP President < Back 2024: An Extraordinary CAP Year 19 December, 2024 By Jua Cilliers, CAP President 2024 has been another extraordinary year for the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), and as I reflect on it, I am filled with immense gratitude. This year was not only about the events we attended or the initiatives we launched; it was about the connections, the stories, and the incredible individuals who made it all so impactful. 2024 memories with Dy Currie (CAP), Remy Sietchiping (UN Habitat), Lindsey Richards (RTPI), Elisabeth Belpaire (ISOCARP), Angela Brooks (APA), Lance Brown (HPF), Mona Rady (HPF), Will Steel (CAP), Olafiyin Taiwo (CAP), Beatrice Crabb (GPN), Ifeanyi Chukwujekwu (CAP), Frank D’Hondt (ISOCARP), Victoria Hills (RTPI), Barbara Norman (P4CA), Will Bramwell (ACU). One of the standout moments for me was the relaunch of BEPIC (Built Environment Professionals in the Commonwealth) on World Environment Day. Together with Peter Oborn (CAA), Dawn Bonfield (CEC), and James Kavanagh (CASLE), we have been continuously brainstorming how we can better align architects, planners, surveyors, and engineers to address climate change and urbanisation challenges collectively. BEPIC serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of collaboration and how we can work across disciplines, to create solutions far greater than anything we could achieve alone. Another highlight was our Urban Thinkers Campus, co-hosted by CAP and P4CA, where we convened an exceptional international panel to brainstorm innovative solutions to the global housing crisis. I had the honour of moderating the session alongside Bruce Stiftel, and together we witnessed the wealth of creative ideas and actionable strategies emerging from planners worldwide. Some of my personal highlights in 2024 included contributing to the Commonwealth Local Government Forum on Gendered Cities, attending the Planning Africa Conference hosted by SAPI, engaging in discussions during UN-Habitat’s Urban Law Day on 4th July, and participating in the pre-CHOGM reception at St. James’s Palace on 2nd October, hosted by Their Majesties the King and Queen. It was a perfect opportunity in London to connect with our RTPI and GPN colleagues. Meeting with RPTI and CAP friends (Beatric Crabb, Jua Cilliers, Olafiyin Taiwo) SAPI Conference with the SAPI Exec Team and CAP rep Luke Williams The World Urban Forum in Cairo was the cherry on top of a remarkable year. CAP contributed to insightful sessions, from North-South Housing Discussions to advancing planning education. It was an absolute pleasure to share this time with so many of our CAP partners and members, enjoying both the engaging discussions and lighter moments together. A particular highlight was celebrating the announcement that Eleanor Mohammed will take the helm as Chair of HPF! The list of photo credits and cherished memories is long, but a huge thank you to everyone who made these connections and experiences so special. Panel members of the Future Foundations session, including Lindsey Richards (RTPI), Angela Brooks (APA), Robert Lewis-Lettington (UN Habitat), Anna Konotchick (Habitat For Humanity), Paulo Silva (GPEAN), Bruce Stiftel (P4CA), Jua Cilliers (CAP) Planners at the World Urban Forum in Cairo! With Lindsey Richards (RTPI), Beatrice Crabb (GPN), Elisabeth Belpaire (ISOCARP), Frank D’hondt (ISOCARP), Markus Appenzeller (ISOCARP), Angela Brooks (APA), Victoria Hills (RTPI), Luisa Bravo, Petra Hurtado. Panel members of the Transforming Education session with Peter Oborn (CAA), Paulo Silva (GPEAN), Hassan Radoine (UM6P), Olafiyin Taiwo (CAP), Aline Roldan (UN Habitat). Of course, no reflection on 2024 would be complete without acknowledging the steadfast support of our member organisations. Our focus has always been on amplifying the remarkable work being done across the Commonwealth. Thank you for your incredible efforts and dedication every single day. Your unwavering commitment makes CAP’s achievements possible. To those I’ve had the privilege of meeting and working with this year: you’ve inspired me, challenged me, and reminded me of the boundless potential within this community. A special mention to Kelley, our marvellous Secretary General, and our outstanding Board of Trustees — thank you for supporting both me and CAP every step of the way. As we close the chapter on 2024, I am filled with optimism for what lies ahead. Together, we will continue to advocate, innovate, and build a sustainable future for urban planning across the Commonwealth. Here’s to the journey ahead! CAP assemblies 2024 Warm planning regards, Jua Cilliers President, Commonwealth Association of Planners Previous Back to Top Next

By Neil Blackshaw < Back Towards Planetary Health - Revisiting the Social Determinants of Health Model June 2021 By Neil Blackshaw The way we choose to view health has a profound influence of how we pursue it. The World Health Organisation (WHO) at its foundation in 1946 defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. However, already by this time, following the advent of modern antibiotics and the emerging belief that medicine could cure everything, the medical model health, that is, the focus on doctors and clinical intervention, became more and more dominant. The WHO definition however, points the way to a more holistic conception in the struggle to achieve better health and leads to the recognition of how social conditions have a profound effect on health. This in turn suggests that it is the context of people’s lives that to a large extent determines their health. This in itself was obviously not a new idea — after all the genesis of modern town planning was very closely associated with the struggle to improve health and predicated on the role of the environment in achieving that. But with the growing dominance of the medical model that realisation was pushed into the background. However, it slowly began to reassert itself and what became known as the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) model thus gained currency in the 1990’s as a ‘counter weight’ to the continuing hegemony of the medical model of health. Its clearest expression, in a simple but effective ‘rainbow’ diagram, was suggested by Dahlgren and Whitehead https://esrc.ukri.org/about-us/50-years-ofesrc/50-achievements/the-dahlgren-whitehead-rainbow/ . This basic diagram has been enhanced in subsequent years, in particular by Barton and Grant. What is, at least on the surface, a simple diagram, it seeks to illustrate the myriad influences on health as successive layers from the core genetic factors to the broader social, economic and environmental context within which people and communities live. The genetic and personal factors became known as proximal and the wider, what might be termed more distant factors as distal. Simple it may appear but the model is potentially very powerful and despite remaining marginal to mainstream approaches to health the influence of the model was sustained and informed an increasing number of WHO initiatives and reports such as its Health in All strategy. The latter was an attempt to integrate health perspectives in multiple strands of public polices outwith the strictly medical health programmes, such as Universal Health Care. These developments were accompanied by a growing realisation of the increasing impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Sometimes termed diseases of affluence these were, paradoxically it seemed beginning to seriously impact poor communities, increasing mortality and morbidity and imposing what was termed a ‘double burden’ on the poorest countries with persistent rates of communicable disease being accompanied by rising rates of NCDs resulting in diabetes, obesity, and cardio-vascular disease (CVD). The social determinants model offered clear insights into this process and focussed attention on the causes of ill health as distinct from the continuing and absolutely necessary efforts to improve mainstream healthcare and clinical practice. The WHO developed strategies for addressing NCDs which drew attention to the importance of physical activity, diet and increasingly air pollution. This awareness and strategy development was also widely reflected in health policy in high income countries with an increasing focus on obesity and physical activity, the latter being characterised by the UK’s Chief Medical Officer as a ‘wonder drug’. The growing realisation and insight into the ‘environmental’ or distal causes began to be reflected, we might more accurately say reintroduced, in urban planning strategies as planning for health became a distinctive strand of theoretical and policy thinking. The term obesogenic environments was coined and there are now many examples of codes and toolkits for pursuing healthy or ‘salutogenic’ outcomes. It is nevertheless still difficult to conclude that this approach has achieved more than a marginal effect on planning policies. It is clearly consistent or complementary to more mainstream concepts as ‘compact’ towns and cities but in which health is envisaged not so much as a principle but a contingent outcome. Planning for healthcare also remains fragmented, illcoordinated and often reactive with relatively few examples of strategic spatial integration of health and planning strategies. So, should the social determinants of health model still be guiding the approach to planning and development given the new context and global challenges that we face? Whilst it offers powerful if under-used insights into the causes of morbidity and mortality it is important to stress that the various societal and environmental realms within it are treated as ‘determinants’ in a mechanistic and static way. The model is thus deterministic and not truly interactive or dynamic. In other words the various influences are treated as exogenous and the possibility, indeed probability, of their being influenced in turn by other proximate and distal factors and in particular human actions are not explicitly accounted for. If a more dynamic approach were adopted that, for instance, incorporated feedback loops whether negative or positive the power of the model would, it can be suggested, be significantly enhanced. Such a new or adjusted perspective would illuminate the generation and role of the truly distal causes such as climate change and biodiversity loss and the more proximate such as local air pollution. Such an approach would also offer an alternative perspective to conventional planning and health strategies which tend to treat health as a fragmented, contingent variable. The New Urban Agenda and in some respects the Social Development Goals (SDGs) for instance, deal with health as such as a desirable outcome - that arises from addressing pollution, lack of open space, contaminated waste water for instance rather than as a fundamental and cross cutting aim of urban policy. The concept of a “healthy city” in a more holistic perspective would be viewed as a functioning self-supporting organism rather than simply as an urban area in which most people could be said to be healthy. Similarly, expanding the scale, a vision of a healthy planet would be one in which ecosystems were functioning in a stable way to sustain health in the various biomes and in human populations. The human impact on biomes would in itself be seen to constitute a major determinant of the conditions for health. Thus in only one example, the destruction of vegetation and tree cover in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya has led to rapidly rising lake levels that have destroyed livelihoods and are threatening both settlements and fishing and farming. In this case human intervention has effectively fashioned the environmental and economic determinants of individual and community health in a very damaging way. The same is true of course at a global scale of the damage caused to the ozone layer by CFCs and by excess concentrations of CO2 leading to climate heating. In this sense escalating climate change and environment degradation is quintessentially a health issue. It follows that dealing solely with the downstream effects will inevitably be frustrated. Climate change and collapse of biodiversity may thus be said to be the principal ‘cause of the causes’; the ultimate distal determinants. This change of perspective requires the social determinants of health model to be considerably enhanced or expanded. The concept of planetary health which has been gaining currency in fact demands such a change in perspective. At its heart would an interactive integrated model of the planet in which the health or effective functioning of each component or subsystem demands the health or effective functioning of the others. The emphasis thus shifts upwards in the casual chain. Struggling to control and reduce high levels of intestinal disease in a settlement where the water supply is continually contaminated is an impossible and unrelenting task. So it is for the island dwellers and those in flood and monsoon-prone coastal areas as sea levels rise and weather events become inexorably more severe. Many countries in the Commonwealth have weak manufacturing and tertiary production and rely heavily on primary resources and in this sense they are disproportionately at risk from the deterioration of climatic conditions and loss of biodiversity. The causes and the effects are by no means co-terminus and acting as if they are however wellmeaning, is futile. The shift in perspective being suggested, if translated into action, would potentially have very significant benefits for the health and well-being of the people of the Commonwealth by enabling the better capture of synergies between health, planning and biodiversity interventions. It would thus contribute to the delivery of the SDGs and provide an enhanced framework for sustainable cities. Previous Back to Top Next

By Lionel Nurse < Back Richard C Gill - An Outstanding Planning Professional in Barbados, the Caribbean, and the Commonwealth 6 June 2024 By Lionel Nurse Barbados Town Planning Society recently made Richard Gill an Honorary Member in recognition of his outstanding contribution to urban and spatial planning in Barbados from its beginnings in the 1950s right up to the present day. Richard has made major contributions to the development of the island through his work in both the public and private sectors, helped establish and develop BTPS, and was involved in the original formation of the Commonwealth Association of Planners. The following appreciation of Richard is by Lionel Nurse, a long-time professional colleague and friend, former Chief Town Planner in Barbados, and author of the 2021 book, Fifty Years of Physical Planning in Barbados: 1968 – 2018 (available from Amazon). I met Richard after becoming a member of the planning office back in 1976. By that time, he had done his stint as a government planner and moved on to set up what is undoubtedly the most impressive and enduring planning firm in Barbados. Richard has made a massive and significant contribution to the practice of physical planning on the island in all the elements of planning practice. Much of his work was in development control as the planning consultant to some of the largest development projects and firms on the island. Although we were on opposite ends of the process, I valued having him as a professional to interact with and often he acted as a buffer against hard-nosed developers and landowners who saw the planning office as getting in the way or blocking their proposed developments. He had to carefully balance the equation between advocacy for his clients and his professional judgement as a planner. When thinking of Richard I always think of the term “probity“, the quality of being honest and behaving correctly. This, incidentally, is the term used by the RTPI in its professional code and its practice advice on ethics and professional standards. He and I had many long, interesting discussions on applications, conditions attached to permissions, planning theory and practice, and even my requiring too much planning gain from some developments long before the concept of planning obligations was formally put into our legislation. Our modern planners would not have experienced this, but it was not an easy transition from persons being able to do whatever they wanted to with their land to accepting an agency which decided on these matters. In the first planning case which went to court before Chief Justice Stoby, the case of Kitty Feldman at Navy Gardens v Peter Stevens, the judge made it quite clear that a sea change had occurred with the introduction of the new planning system and persons were no longer at liberty to deal with the use and development of their land as they pleased but had to seek permission first from the Chief Town Planner or the Governor in Executive Committee (pre-Independence). Richard was among that group of early planners who had to bring the whole island along with them in understanding the importance of this change. Richard was also deeply involved with and interested in development planning and plan preparation. Indeed, after the days of United Nations assistance in the preparation of Physical Development Plans (PDPs) came to an end, and we had to do them from our own resources, Richard was one of the consultants working for government on the preparation of these plans. In this regard you will see his name in the Physical Development Plan of 2003 (Approved 2013) and the 2017 PDP (Approved in 2023). In addition, he prepared jointly with Colin Jones of Robertson Ward Associates, the Speightstown Development Plan, and the Oistins Development Plan. Richard also prepared for government the New Orleans Development Plan. I also remember him working as part of the team on the Barbados Surface Transportation Study. On the administrative side, he served periods as a member and sometimes chairman of the Planning Advisory Committee, the organ created in the earlier legislation to advise the Minister on policy matters and specific applications. Richard also functioned as a panellist, hearing appeals against decisions made by the planning office and making recommendations to the Minister who then made the final decision. While I am not sure of the extent of his work outside of Barbados, Richard did appeals in other islands, including Bermuda, where he was an “independent visiting inspector” for a ten-year period. Richard was one of the first professional planners in Barbados and certainly the longest practicing one. In those early days planning was new and many people did not appreciate or care for planning and it was the planners such as Richard who had to explain and teach persons about this new thing impacting their lives. He shared that burden with Peter Stevens, Leonard St Hill, Peter Shepherd, Luther Bourne, Colin Jones, Derek Baker, Douglas Gill, Margarita Omotoso, and I would go as far down as The Reverend Alan Jones and Alloysius Blackett. Richard played a pivotal role in the development of the planning profession in Barbados and held all the key positions within the Planning Society for long periods of time. I well remember the evolution of the society and its outreach to related professions and the general public, the monthly in-house meetings of the professional planners group, and eventually the accreditation of professionals by the Society. He also generously allowed his office to become the home of the Planning Society. He was one of the first planners on the island who connected the local planning society with The Commonwealth Association of Planners, so taking the local Society into the wider context of regional and Commonwealth planning professionals. This function tonight and the honour to Richard is thoroughly deserved and I applaud Richard for his contribution and the Planning Society for so recognizing his sterling work. Previous Back to Top Next

PUBLICATIONS Reports and Reviews CAP Young Planners Essays Read the winning essays from the CAP Young Planners Essay Competition 2020 on the theme “Post Covid Building Resilience: The Role of Planners in the Commonwealth” See the CAP Blog Review of National and Local Area Planning Methodologies in the Eastern Caribbean | Part 1 | Part 2 September 2019 Survey of the Planning Profession in the Commonwealth April 2018 Good Practice Perspectives on Planning for Agriculture and Food Security in the Commonwealth Jun 2014 Promoting Better Planning A Priority for the Commonwealth N ov 2009 Reshaping the Planning Agenda Experience of Small Island States Jun 2007 Reinventing Planning a New Governance Paradigm for Managing Human Settlements Mar 2006 Overview for Promoting Sustainable Urban Development in India Planning in the Commonwealth Accreditation Professional Accreditation of Planning Programmes in the Commonwealth Mar 2011 Resilience Planning Creating Communities Building Towns in the Commonwealth Nov 2016 Role of Planning in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Nov 2007 International Partnerships Case Study Vulnerability Risk Management and Adaptation Responding to Climate Change Challenges in the Commonwealth Caribbean Gender in Planning Commonwealth Women in Planning Network Manifesto October 2018 CAP Women in Planning Network: Issues and Challenges Women in Planning Network: Progress Report Gender in Planning and Urban Development Dec 2009