Béatrice Crabb is a Chartered Planner and the International Manager at the Royal Planning Institute
In my January blog post, I talked about the importance of the RTPI international engagement and highlighted the global outlook of the Institute.
This month, I wanted to talk about the importance of supporting the planning profession and planners beyond the UK. The RTPI's vision is to be the world leading professional body for planning and with members in around 80 countries we have a global footprint. Supporting the planning profession and planners worldwide is part of our mandate.
The RTPI International Strategy provides a blue print for our action by promoting the value of membership internationally, supporting planning knowledge and practice worldwide, and raising the profile of planning globally. The Strategy clearly states our objective to promote “excellence in global planning knowledge, CPD, professional skills and practice, and supporting other organisations’ efforts in this area”.
But what does that mean in practice? Our engagement in South Africa is a clear example of our strategy in action with a collaborative and equal partnership approach at its core. As an Institute we champion excellence in planning education and continuous professional development not just in the UK but also internationally. In South Africa we support planning education through our relationship with Cape Town University where we accredit planning courses. I recently had the opportunity to visit the planning school and meet with the academic team. It was a privilege to exchange with Cecil Madell, Tanja Winkler and Tania Katzscher and see for myself the fantastic work that they do to equip the next generation of planners in South Africa.
Beyond our support for planning education, we are also committed to supporting the planning profession more widely and recognise the value of learning from others in an interconnected world where the challenges posed by the climate emergency or inadequate housing provision and rapid urbanisation can only be tackled through international collaboration and partnerships.
But how does this commitment translate in practice? The RTPI and the South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the value of the profession and provide a platform to foster mutual learning. During my recent visit to South Africa, I had the opportunity to meet with the SACPLAN Chairperson, Prof. Mt niseni Fana Sihlongonyane and their Acting CEO, Bongumusa Ndwandwe, as well as the wider team. We had a very productive time and wide-ranging discussion on the future opportunities that our collaboration can provide. There is a commitment on both side for this partnership to be impactful and bring tangible actions that will benefit our members and the planning profession in general.
Béatrice met with the SCAPLAN team on a recent visit to South Africa
As 2025 unfolds, I look forward to working with SACPLAN to advocate for the planning profession, support the next generation of planners and promote knowledge exchange and the dissemination of good practice.
For updates on the RTPI international activities please follow the new RTPI International LinkedIn page.
