This research will consider how local authorities can measure the outcomes of planning in order to track and improve the impact of planning.
The research is exploring how local authorities and national Governments can go beyond simple metrics like speed of processing applications and number of housing units delivered. This means assessing planning on the explicit aspirations of planners and politicians, in terms of placemaking and social, economic and environmental value.
It will go beyond principles to actually propose and test methods for measuring outcomes. It will also demonstrate how this information can be used to assess local and national performance.
The research will build on RTPI's previous work around the Value of Planning as well as the Scottish Government's 2018 report Monitoring the Outcomes of Planning.
The research is funded by RTPI along with:
- Major contributions from the Scottish and Irish Governments (the latter jointly with the Office of the Planning Regulator)
- Minor contributions from the Welsh Government and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government in England.
A consortium led by Kevin Murray Associates has been appointed to lead the research and began work in January 2020. The research will be published in late Autumn 2020. You can reach the project team at [email protected]
Project Documents
- Blog: Why measuring planning outcomes is vital. By Iain MacPherson, associate director of Kevin Murray Associates (Jan 2020)
- Invitation to tender (October 2019)
- Blog: Why planning needs better outcome measurement. By Tom Kenny, policy officer at RTPI (October 2019)
For more information please email Rhian Brimble at [email protected]