The immediate past president of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), Ian Tant, has been appointed vice president of the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), it has been announced.
CAP is a volunteer-based global organisation, founded more than 40 years ago to represent planners across the Commonwealth.
Mr Tant, whose term as vice president will last two years, will bring international experience from his time as RTPI president to support CAP in raising the profile of planning internationally, as well as advocating the need to create better planning capacity where it is most needed.
He said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed to represent our UK Planners in CAP and look forward to working with international friends and colleagues who I met during my year as RTPI President in promoting great planning, climate action and the investment of resources in planning and planners across the Commonwealth.”
Mr Tant, who succeeds RTPI past president Peter Geraghty FRTPI as CAP vice-president, will sit on the CAP Executive Committee, which decides on advocacy and budget matters. He will also have voting rights in the election of the next CAP president, which is due to take place in November 2020.
It has also been announced that RTPI Licentiate Olafiyin Taiwo has been appointed to lead CAP’s Young Planners’ Network.
CAP currently represents more than 40,000 planners from 27 Commonwealth countries in Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Caribbean.
One of the organisation’s key aims is to raise awareness that planning is a fundamental part of governance for sustainable human settlement.
A recent survey conducted by CAP revealed a significant shortage of planners in those Commonwealth countries most vulnerable to climate change and the ongoing process of rapid urbanisation.
According to United Nations figures, the number of people living in towns and cities will rise to five billion by 2030, compared to the current figure of 3.3 billion. The commonwealth hosts a third of the global population and 50 per cent of projected urban growth will take place there.
The RTPI is also a member of CAP.
