Béatrice Crabb is a Chartered Planner and the International Manager at the Royal Planning Institute
The RTPI has a long history of being international and forward thinking in its outlook. Today over 7% of our members live outside the UK and many more work internationally, being at the forefront of innovation and collaborative thinking, bringing their thought leadership, skills and experience to deliver better outcomes for all.
As planners, we recognise that challenges such as the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, sustainable development and adequate housing provision for all are deeply interconnected. They are global and can only be addressed through strong and sustained international cooperation and partnerships.
As an Institute, through our International Strategy, we promote the value of planning internationally as a lever for advancing a prosperous, fair, sustainable and peaceful world, in alignment with the main international agreements on climate change and sustainable development.
We are committed to championing planning and empowering our members to lead our international action. And we understand the value of learning globally to apply locally.
Looking back to 2024, there were many highlights and achievements, including our World Town Planning Day campaign. But if I had to pick one moment, it would be the World Urban Forum 12 (WUF12), the United Nations global conference on sustainable urbanisation. For me, it represented our International Strategy in action. It was a demonstration of the Institute's leadership, convening power, and commitment to work collaboratively for the public good. As our President Lindsey Richard wrote in her post WUF12 blog, planners are central to achieving sustainable cities and communities. It therefore came as no surprise that RTPI members attended in strength, in a broad range of capacities, championing good planning as pivotal to achieving a healthy, socially, environmentally and economically sustainable future for all.
Paraphrasing the words of the new Executive Director of UN-Habitat, 'prosperous cites and communities will be well planned cities and communities'.
One of the ways the Institute promotes good planning is through our Awards for Planning Excellence. And perhaps the second highlight for me was the 2024 International Award for Planning Excellence winner, the Thimphu Structure Plan, which also featured in our Planning is Global 3 publication and demonstrates how good planning can help achieve “goals such as sustainable development, inclusivity, and addressing climate change, showcasing how diverse community involvement can lead to more resilient solutions."
2025 started with some good news as we celebrated RTPI Past President Dr Wei Yang being recognised as an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to Planning. Dr Wei Yang launched the Institute’s International Strategy and is a strong advocate for planning internationally.
As 2025 unfolds, we look forward to continuing to promote the value of planning internationally and supporting our members globally.
This January we are delighted to bring to our members more CPD content through one of our partnerships. Teaming up with the International Society of City and Regional Planners, the RTPI is co-developing a series of webinars focussing on climate resilient planning. This collaboration provides a platform for learning and the exchange of ideas. It also aims to support and encourage planners to lead on climate action and influence better outcomes wherever they are.
So please join us on 23 January at 13:00 GMT for an insightful discussion on the value of international cooperation and the role of planners in addressing climate change. For more information about this free to attend webinar and how to register click here.
For updates on the RTPI international activities please follow the new RTPI International LinkedIn page.
