RICS launches its global 'Vision for Cities' policy programme

RICS has published the first-stage discussion paper for its ‘Vision for Cities’ work programme targeted at the international property community. The paper was officially launched at MIPIM - an international real estate conference in Cannes, France on March 17, 2010

RICS Vision for Cities: Planning and delivering urban infrastructure to achieve sustainable growth follows other recent sustainability-focused publications by RICS such as the RICS Global Climate Change Strategy.

The discussion paper outlines the environmental, economic and social context in which city governments and property professionals across the globe are planning and delivering long-term infrastructure, and identifies the nine key drivers for global city growth and place shaping.

Key messages

• Environmental sustainability is closely related to economic and social sustainability, and must be at the heart of the planning and delivery of long-term infrastructure to achieve successful and sustainable growth. 
• Cities are faced with a number of economic, social and technological drivers which, to remain competitive in attracting investment and growing sustainably, means targeted investment, planning and delivery of infrastructure is critical. 
• RICS asserts that the priority for city governments in delivering infrastructure for sustainable growth is: identifying the existing and future role of their urban settlement and setting a long-term city vision and spatial plan which is not rewritten according to every political change.

Key drivers for global city growth and place shaping:

• Progressive urbanisation has already resulted in over half the world’s population now living in cities. Linked to technological, informational and economic shifts worldwide, very large cities of the future will be the principal location for human habitation, in-migration, social and economic reproduction and work.
• The technological and information revolution of the 1980s and 1990s has given major, mature and emerging cities a critical role as a concentration of the people, knowledge and talent required to support the development of the global economy.
• The international dispersal of knowledge-intensive, business and professional services (e.g. finance, legal, accountancy) facilitated by ICT development and cheaper travel, has made such cities specialised service centres for offices of businesses which enable global production networks, supply chains and trade to operate and which add value to all economic sectors.
• The creative resources, capacity for innovation and economic dynamism of these cities also gives them an essential role in supporting the economies of their wider regions and countries.
• The development of global office networks for international business services is generating significant physical, as well as virtual, mobility of people, labour, goods and commodities within and between cities. These resource flows between cities remain dependent on physical infrastructures, such as high speed internet cable and transport networks.
• The increasing complexity of high-value, specialised international business functions, requires continuing close proximity of skilled labour, suppliers, clients and competitors in densely clustered city locations to be able to compete successfully in international markets.
• Private sector investment in these clusters also provides essential investment into the city infrastructures needed to support resource flows such as high speed internet cable and public transportation as well as offices.
• Many cities are also extending outwards to form large functionally interconnected urban regions (recently referred to as global ‘mega-city regions’) that stretch beyond the metropolitan boundaries of the city. 
• These very large city regions generate high volumes of cross-cutting commuting and business travel not currently supported by sufficient rail and sustainable transport infrastructures and investment. They present a major challenge for strategic planning across local and political boundaries.

Following this, there are a number of steps policy makers can take to encourage the effective delivery of the infrastructure:

1. Developing and attracting sufficient built environment expertise to plan and deliver the infrastructure through a thriving community of built environment professionals.
2. The costs of planning and delivering infrastructure, which should be benchmarked against competitor cities to lower the infrastructure delivery costs.
3. The funding and financing for new and retrofitted infrastructure, which includes developer tariffs and PFIs/PPPs.

Commenting on this initiative, Mr. Sachin Sandhir, MD & Country Head, RICS India said “Through the ‘Vision for Cities’ policy programme, which would include targeted research and best practice approaches, RICS would seek to advise Governments and policy makers of towns and cities across the world, on planning and designing infrastructure that not only caters to short term needs but also takes full account of its economic, social and environmental impact. In India, while there is high Government focus on encouraging investments for upgrading city infrastructure including encouraging PPPs, there is a definite need for higher expertise to ensure that the states and cities make judicious use of the investments in the right projects for effective results and that is what RICS would endeavor to work towards.”

Next steps
RICS will be drawing on members' expertise throughout 2010/2011 to consider potential research to commission which could explore a number of key issues set out in the paper.

The discussion paper is available at:
http://www.rics.org/site/scripts/download_info.aspx?downloadID=4952&fileID=6160

About RICS
RICS is the world's leading self regulatory professional body for qualifications and standards land, property, construction and associated environment issues.

In a world where more and more people, governments, banks and commercial organisations demand greater certainty of professional standards and ethics, attaining RICS status is the recognised mark of property professionalism.

Over 150 000 property professionals working in the major established and emerging economies of the world have already recognised the importance of securing RICS status by becoming members.

RICS is an independent professional body originally established in the UK by Royal Charter. Since 1868, RICS has been committed to setting and upholding the highest standards of excellence and integrity – providing impartial, authoritative advice on key issues affecting businesses and society. RICS is a regulator of both its individual members and firms enabling it to maintain the highest standards and providing the basis for unparalleled client confidence in the sector.