By 2050, an additional 2.5 billion people will be living in the world's towns and cities, almost 50% of them in the 56 Commonwealth countries. To a significant extent, the future of the planet hangs on how cities and human settlements are managed. It is in our cities that the emissions creating climate catastrophe are stoked and where change can - and must - make a difference at scale. Food security, water, basic services, migration, shelter, jobs, environment: sustainable urbanisation is about changing direction to strive for a fairer and less environmentally damaging future.

This well-illustrated book by authors from around the Commonwealth tells how the Commonwealth Association of Planners across five decades has campaigned to make a difference. It also looks ahead, scoping the urgent, practical action that is now required.

About the Author

Cliff Hague, OBE, has been President of CAP (2000-2006) and of the Royal Town Planning Institute (1996). He is Emeritus Professor in Planning and Spatial Development at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. He has been Secretary General of CAP and Chair of Built Environment Forum Scotland.

Clive Harridge was President of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 2006. He served as the Secretary-General of CAP between 2010 and 2021 and is currently a Trustee and Honorary vice president. He is a former Director and Head of Planning, Transport and Design at the international consultancy Wood.

Bryce Julyan is a Fellow of the New Zealand Planning Institute and an Honorary Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia. He leads the Planning and Engagement Practice at Beca, a New Zealand headquartered consultancy covering the Asia-Pacific region. Bryce has served on the CAP Executive Committee since 2014.

Ruiz Nik is a Council Member of the Malaysian Institute of Planners and is the Principal Director of Rekarancang, a Malaysian planning consultancy established since 1977. He has served as Malaysia's representative on CAP since 2018.

Ian Tant is a planning practitioner and a former Senior Partner of UK-based consultancy Barton Willmore (subsequently part of Stantec). He was President of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 2019 and has been the UK's vice president of CAP since 2020.

Reviews

"I welcome this text for educators and practitioners. It fills a gap in writing about urbanisation and planning focused on the Commonwealth, and particularly the historical realities of the Commonwealth. This book offers a wide range of materials by authors from varying Commonwealth countries and backgrounds that truly reflects the past, present, and future of Commonwealth urbanisation."

Dr Carol Archer

, Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy, University of Technology, Kingston, Jamaica

"The book eloquently traces the development of sustainable urbanisation and lays out a futuristic vision from a transnational planning perspective. Its unique narrative style draws on an eclectic selection of papers ranging from environment, governance and representation. Tracing key milestones, the book stands out in its diverse spatio-temporal perspective and the pragmatic institutional approach towards sustainable urbanisation and planning."

Professor Debolina Kundu

, National Institute for Urban Affairs, Delhi, India

"This unique book records first-hand accounts by activist planners of the progress of modern planning within the context of urban change over the last fifty years. It offers a holistic perspective on the future role of the planning profession for delivering sustainable urbanisation and development across the Commonwealth and beyond."

Dr. Shilpi Roy

, Associate Professor of Urban and Rural Planning, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh

"Reflecting on 50 years of the Commonwealth Association of Planners, this book, written by past presidents and key activists, provides a rare insight into an international planning institution, its initiatives to assert how planning reinvented can contribute to sustainable urbanisation, and why it matters. It offers a rich, illuminating account of planning pasts and possible futures."

Professor Alison Todes

, School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

"With the climate crisis posing an existential threat to humanity and other living systems and social inequality increasing to worrying levels, this is a very good time for the planning profession to stake stock and assess its collective performance....In summarising lessons learned from the past, the book provides a record of sustained effort and also a basis for future action. It also provides a valuable resource for the coming generation of planners."

Geoffrey Payne, International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, United Kingdom

Book Information
ISBN 9781032414027
Author Cliff Hague
Format Paperback
Page Count 242
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 220g