ABOUT THE SURVEY
Survey of the built environment professions in the Commonwealth
Climate change and rapid urbanisation are among the most serious challenges facing the Commonwealth. UN Habitat estimates that 65% of the 169 targets underlying the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are linked to territorial and urban development. Built environment professionals play a central role in meeting Goal 11 in designing cities and human settlements that are inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
But how well equipped are the built environment professions to meet this challenge? This is the question that the four Commonwealth associations representing architects, engineers, town planners, and surveyors set out to answer in the Survey of the built environment professions in the Commonwealth – the first such joint survey ever to be undertaken.
Key findings
A total of 61 responses were received across the four disciplines from 33 Commonwealth countries, representing a broad spectrum of countries across all five regions of the Commonwealth.
The key findings of the survey revealed that:
- There is a critical lack of capacity in many of the Commonwealth countries that are rapidly urbanising and are among the most vulnerable.
- There is a lack of educational and institutional capacity to grow the professions fast enough in many Commonwealth countries.
- There is increasing recognition of weakness in built environment policy (i.e. planning policy and building code) in many Commonwealth countries in terms of standards, implementation, and enforcement.
The findings of the survey are vital to realising the opportunities presented by agglomeration to increase prosperity and strengthen resilience and to avoiding the risks associated with poorly planned cities, such as inequality, informality and vulnerability.
Response to the survey
It was concluded that an effective response to the findings of the survey will require a multi-disciplinary, multi-sector effort. As a result, the Commonwealth Association of Architects, the Commonwealth Association of Planners, the Commonwealth Local Government Forum and the Association of Commonwealth Universities, in collaboration with the Prince’s Foundation, developed a Call to action on sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth.
Working closely with the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure, the group also attended the 10th World Urban Forum, hosted by UN Habitat. At the Forum, they committed to the development of an inter-disciplinary, cross-sector collaboration working to advance sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth.
The launch of the survey coincided with a programme of online events aimed at engaging a wide stakeholder group to help develop and built momentum around the Call to action on sustainable urbanisation across the Commonwealth.
Other related initiatives include the pilot Continuing Professional Development Programme, aimed at increasing knowledge around sustainable development and the SDGs, and an online data platform to serve as an accessible source of information for all those interested in sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth.
Background
In 2017, the CAA undertook a Survey of the Architectural Profession in the Commonwealth, which uncovered a critical lack of capacity in many Commonwealth countries.
In 2019, the CAA, together with the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy (CASLE) and the Commonwealth Engineers Council (CEC), developed an updated survey that revealed a similar situation among all four disciplines and even more extensive than reported in 2017.
With nearly 50% of the projected increase in the worlds urban population forecast to be in the Commonwealth, architects and built environment professionals have a critical role to play in helping to achieve a more sustainable future for all.
Acknowledgements
This survey has been undertaken jointly by the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), the Commonwealth Association of Surveyors and Land Economists (CASLE) and the Commonwealth Engineers Council (CEC). The authors wish to thank all contributors and participating member organisations. The survey has been published with financial support from The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund and the Commonwealth Secretariat.