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A digital future for planning
A digital future for planning. Credit: Digital Task Force For Planning.
Co-founder of the Digital Task Force For Planning and former independent trustee of the Landscape Institute, Dr Wei Yang, argues for a transformation of planning methods for a digital era.
I believe the fundamental objective of the built and natural environment profession is to create a balanced system where people, nature and society coexist in harmony. An interconnected, holistic ecosystem.
In practice, balancing housing, infrastructure and resource needs with the protection of natural capital and climate resilience requires multifunctional land use. This is where spatial planning can play a vital strategic role in developing a long-term vision and framework for communities by considering multiple scales, balancing competing demands and guiding land use and resource allocation decisions.
Spatial planning practice extends beyond the legislative planning system. As an applied social, environmental and behavioural science, its scope encompasses cities, rural areas and marine environments. By adopting a place-based systems approach, spatial planning unites expertise from both built and natural environments. This integration is crucial, as no single discipline can tackle today’s complex challenges alone. Digital technologies and scientific innovations present significant opportunities for spatial planning. The landscape sector plays a pivotal role in shaping sustainable, resilient environments and so engagement is key.
Looking ahead, it is essential to reimagine spatial planning in the digital era – not simply digitising the current system, but transforming planning methods to fully harness new technologies. A digitally enabled spatial planning methodology could help us to integrate nature more effectively into living environments, enhance communication among stakeholders and ensure planning decisions reflect community needs. Engaging communities through digital platforms and traditional methods leads to outcomes that harmonise development with environmental preservation. Advanced modelling and simulation tools facilitate further scenario testing and outcome prediction, supporting land optimisation strategies that balance urban growth with biodiversity conservation and agricultural productivity. Furthermore, real-time monitoring enables ongoing assessment strategies, ensuring that strategic nature-based solutions remain central to planning decisions.
The Digital Task Force for Planning is a not-for-profit social enterprise co-founded by Professor Michael Batty of University College London and me in October 2022. It was formed to implement several urgent actions identified in our report, A Digital Future for Planning: Spatial Planning Reimagined.1 In the report, we outlined a collective vision for the future of planning, positioning spatial planning at the forefront of addressing grand challenges and envisioning a planning profession equipped with new digital tools, expertise and improved data. More recently we have established strong partnerships with key stakeholders. In 2024, we signed two landmark memorandums of understanding with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Ordnance Survey (OS) to advance our collaborative efforts in digital planning.
The Digital Planning Directory
The first project to be delivered under our partnership with MHCLG is the development of a Digital Planning Directory – a comprehensive and user-friendly online resource for listing digital planning service providers, tailored to meet the diverse needs of stakeholders in both the public and private sectors. Seed-funded by MHCLG, the Directory will include a range of UK digital planning service providers, including: community engagement; visualisation, 3D modelling and animations; Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and mapping; environmental and sustainability services; planning and urban design services; land search and assessment; plan-making, planning application and data management systems; artificial intelligence (AI) and software solutions; organisational digital transformation and digital twins.
We welcome organisations and practitioners from across the landscape sector with state-of-the-art digital solutions to join the Directory.
The Directory will open for entries from digital service providers at the end of September 2024, with a launch expected in mid-January 2025.
Our goal is to unlock the full potential of spatial planning in the digital era by acting as a convenor, facilitator and enabler of digitalisation in spatial planning practice and education. We aim to reinvigorate the profession by integrating advanced digital tools and cross-disciplinary knowledge. By addressing digital skill gaps, promoting open-source research and fostering collaboration, we strive to create an innovative ecosystem that benefits society and the environment, prioritising public good and supporting a sustainable future for everyone.
This is a crucial step in developing the digital planning ecosystem. Following this, we will organise a series of interdisciplinary programmes to promote best practices and advance digital transformation in mainstream practices and education. The landscape profession plays a vital role in bridging the built and natural environments, making crucial connections that enhance our living environment. The future of built and natural environment practices should be interdisciplinary and digitally empowered and the contribution of landscape professionals will be essential for shaping a digital future that benefits people, nature and society.
Dr Wei Yang is co-founder and CEO of the Digital Task Force for Planning and chair of Wei Yang & Partners.
