With over 27,000 Members in over 80 countries the Royal Town Planning Institute is truly a global organisation. Representing the planning profession and supporting members in their careers and, development the RTPI is the pre-eminent membership organisation and forms part of an active global network.
Professional planners work in a wide range of contexts and jurisdictions but often share many of the same experiences and challenges, whether these be political, the balancing public goods with private interests, legislative or building trust and dialogue with communities. The role of the professional planner is both challenging and rewarding and being a member of the RTPI is a source of support and inspiration whilst also being the mark of trust in terms of professional conduct.
Being a global Institute has many advantages and the experience and skill of our membership, as demonstrated in the case studies in Planning is Global, means that we are the global authority on the urgent issues of the age including climate change, poverty reduction and the challenges of rapid urbanisation. With strategic alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda, the RTPI is part of a much larger movement of sustainable development and champions good planning and governance as the means to achieving this.
In my career I have worked internationally and had the pleasure of meeting friendly Chartered Members who have local experience and who have been happy to share knowledge and be a source of mutual support. Additionally, proudly being able to demonstrate Chartered Membership has been an advantage when bidding for work and being able to draw on resources and knowledge from the Institute has been invaluable when working on a project.
Timothy David Crawshaw MA MRTPI FRSA
RTPI President 2022