The RTPI is the UK's professional body for town planners, awarding chartered status and accrediting planning degrees, with offices in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
The Royal Town Planning Institute, or RTPI, is the professional body for town planners in the UK. Town planners help decide where homes, shops, schools, transport links, parks and workplaces should go, and how places can change over time in a fair and sensible way. The RTPI does not make planning decisions. It sets professional standards for people who work in planning, awards chartered status (the highest professional recognition in UK planning), accredits planning courses at universities in the UK and overseas, and speaks to governments about planning policy. Chartered members can use the letters MRTPI after their names.
The RTPI describes its aim as championing the value of planning in building thriving places and communities, creating "healthy, inclusive, economically and environmentally sustainable places". It lists its values as purpose, professionalism and passion, the highest ethics and professional standards, lifelong learning, and the long-term common good of current and future generations. It also states a commitment to a diverse and inclusive profession, supported by an action plan. It does not publish a separate formal mission statement on the page we read, so the aim above is as close as we can get to one.
The institute was founded on 4 September 1914 as the Town Planning Institute and later gained its royal title through a supplemental royal charter. Wikipedia places its headquarters in London and its own site lists offices in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff, which reflects the fact that planning is run separately in England, Scotland and Wales. More than 27,000 people around the world are members, according to the RTPI's own page and Wikipedia. The RTPI also has an international programme, so its work reaches beyond the UK.
The RTPI funds Planning Aid England, a service that helps individuals and communities understand and take part in the planning system. That tells you something about the culture: planning is presented as a public service as well as a profession. Staff at a body like this work on policy and research, events and training, education and accreditation, membership, communications and awards. The institute runs an awards programme and supports young people through apprenticeships and accredited university courses. Its own page does not describe its internal staff culture, so we have not guessed at it.
If planning interests you, the RTPI is the best place to see how the career is organised. It accredits degree and apprenticeship routes into planning, and a chartered planner is the recognised qualification. Planners work for councils, government, consultancies, developers and charities, so the RTPI website and its student information are a good first stop for choosing a course. We did not check the RTPI's own vacancies.
Website: www.rtpi.org.uk
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