Interventions that are supportive of economic growth go hand in hand with those that make great places. That's why we welcome the chance to submit evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Building Communities call for evidence on how placemaking can lead to greater productivity. Our response cites the wide range of evidence that RTPI has produced on the link between planning and placemaking, and economic productivity. A full list of our research on the Economy and Growth.
Our 2018 report, Settlement Patterns, "Urban Form and Sustainability", describes how strategic planning can shape settlement patterns and urban form to increase economic productivity. In 2014, "Creating Economically Successful Places" explored the factors that contribute to economically successful places. The 2015 research “Planning as market maker’” analyses case studies in Germany, France and The Netherlands to explore how proactive planning can improve the quantity and quality of development in the built environment. It concludes that planning interventions that are supportive of economic growth go hand in hand with those that make great places, leading to better long-term economic, environmental and social outcomes.
Our research on the "Value of Planning" in 2016 demonstrated the wide range of benefits that planning and placemaking can achieve. Moreover, research by CaCHE in 2018 confirmed the connectivity benefits of design at a neighbourhood scale.
The RTPI’s research also stresses the role of strategic planning to promote productivity. Planning must lead the way for the cooperation of authorities at the scale of city-regions, with the final goal of creating “Smart City-regions” that use data and technology to improve infrastructure and create more liveable areas.
