Dr Ada Lee is a Policy Specialist (Infrastructure and Climate Change) at the RTPI. She is currently leading the evidence collection process for the Institute’s Networks Review.
I had the privilege to moderate a panel discussion on Five Ways for Spatial Planning to Mainstream Climate Action Solutions in the World Urban Forum in Cairo earlier this month. It was a vibrant discussion and by the end of it, the star-studded panel have arrived at more than five ways for spatial planning to mainstream climate action.
These include the need for resourcing, recognition of local actions, monitoring and enforcement, support for lower-income cities, bridging the gap in planning theory and practice between the Global North and Global South, and the involvement of young people.
What was particularly relevant to the on-going work of the RTPI Policy Team was however the contribution by RTPI President Lindsey Richards, who spoke about the importance for the national tier of planning to coordinate actions.
In England, there are national planning policy documents – the National Planning Policy Framework and National Policy Statements for major infrastructure being two prominent examples. However, the nation has never had a national spatial plan – unlike in Scotland and Wales.
While we welcome government’s initiatives to develop the Land Use Framework and the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan, as well as the Chancellor’s plan to extend the strategic spatial approach to other infrastructure sectors, the RTPI emphasises the need to have a coordinating mechanism between all these national spatial plans. To this end, we are calling for a National Spatial Framework, which would comprise:
- Spatial plans for infrastructure and new towns (SSEP, Land Use Framework and other spatial plans under development);
- An overarching document that directs how these different sector-based plans should come together;
- A map that visualises the spatial implications of existing government policies.
More information of our proposal can be found in this briefing published today (26 November 2024).
Why does it matter for climate?
In the panel discussion, Lindsey explained the importance of coordination at the national tier of planning in unlocking climate action. A National Spatial Framework can coordinate between competing land use demands (such as housing, energy infrastructure and nature recovery), allowing us to achieve the many ambitions we aspire to.
It can identify areas best suited for energy infrastructure at a national level, so communities can proactively plan for these projects and make sure the outcomes will be positive. This will improve engagement and ease the delivery of the infrastructure we need as we transition to clean energy (see Clean Power 2030).
A National Spatial Framework can also help determine the best location for housing, making sure they are in well-connected locations (see our recent Location of Development report), away from flood zones and in areas with sufficient grid capacity.
Integration with strategic and local plans
Apart from the horizontal integration between sectoral spatial plans, it is equally important that there is vertical integration between different tiers of plan. As we anticipate more information in the next few months on government’s plan to reintroduce strategic planning, and further plan-making reforms, considerations for vertical integration will be essential.
Five Ways for Spatial Planning to Mainstream Climate Action Solutions – the panel
Panel members at the conference
The panel was co-organised by the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP), the RTPI, and Planners for Climate Action (P4CA). My co-moderator was Tijana Tufek Memišević, Adjunct Professor at DePaul University, and the panellists include:
- Lindsey Richards, RTPI President and Chair of the Global Planners Network
- Olafiyin Taiwo, Chair of the Young Planners Network of the Commonwealth Association of Planners, RTPI member and Senior Lecturer at the University of Brighton
- Barbara Norman, Emeritus Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Canberra
- Bruce Stiftel, Council member of the Global Planning Education Association Network and Professor Emeritus of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Institute of Technology
- Nadine Bitar Chahine, Sustainable Urban Development Advisor for Place-led Cities 4.0, member of multiple international organisations including ISOCARP, IFLA, APA, Academy of Urbanism and regional organisations in Lebanon, the UAE and Saudi Arabia
- Sebnem Hoskara, Director of Urban Research and Development Center of the Eastern Mediterranean University, ISOCARP Scientific Committee member
- Nabil Mohareb, Associate Professor of Architecture at the American University in Cairo
