Our work in Professional Practice

In  order to support our member organisations working in changing world, the following are among a range of initiatives developed by the CAA to support those in practice:

• Survey of the Built Environment Professions in the Commonwealth: Published in 2020 and produced in collaboration with the Commonwealth associations for architects, planners. engineers and surveyors, the survey identified three key findings including a critical lack of capacity in many of the countries experiencing rapid urbanisation, a corresponding lack of educational capacity and a weakness in built environment policy. The findings of the survey help to inform our current priorities.
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD): Launched in response to the findings of the Survey of Built Environment Professions, the CAA programme of Continuing Professional Development aims to support policymakers, practitioners, teaching faculty and students alike, and has become a regular part of our activity.
• CAA Knowledge Sharing Partnership: Working with member organisations, the CAA has developed a Knowledge Sharing Partnership which comprises members from all 5 regions of the Commonwealth.

Follow the links above to find out more about any of these these programmes.

The members of the Professional Practice Steering Committee for the term 2024-2026 include:

• Mr Nazmul Haq Bulbul, Chair (Bangladesh)
• Ms Sui-Te Wu, Co-Chair, (United Kingdom)
• Mr Saad Mahmood Khan (Pakistan)
• Mr John Peterson (Canada)
• Ms Carinnya Feaunati (New Zealand)

The CAA Professional Practice Steering Committee comprises a Chairperson together with up to five suitably experienced individuals drawn from the five regions of the Commonwealth. It reports to CAA Council and is supported by the CAA Executive Director. The role of the committee is as follows:

Generally

Together with members of the CAA Education Steering Committee:

• Liaise with the CAA Executive Director to agree a programme of bi-monthly meetings to align with the CAA Council Meeting schedule.
• Develop a coordinated programme of activity to align with the CAA Strategy for the period 2024-2030 as outlined below, e.g. benchmarking studies, surveys, policy papers, model guidelines, CPD events, good practice studies, etc.
• Co-opt Subject Matter Experts as required to deliver the agreed programme of activity.
• Provide bi-monthly updates to CAA Council and to the Editorial Board together with material for publication.

Specifically

Focused primarily on the 3 key audiences and 3 key focus areas identified in the 2024-2030 CAA Strategy, i.e. Academia (Heads of School, Teaching Faculty and Students) Practitioners (Member Organisations and Practitioners and Policymakers (Central and Local Government).

Advocacy

Together with members of the CAA Education Steering Committee, support leaders to make better evidence based decisions on built environment issues, including:

• Help to strengthen links between academia, practitioners, policymakers, and partner organisations for greater impact.
• Build an evidence base to help identify barriers and enablers to sustainable urbanisation.
• Help to stimulate demand by showcasing best practice.

Capacity Building

Address the capacity gaps in rapidly urbanising, low income countries that are vulnerable to climate change impacts, including:

• Build a knowledge sharing partnership among member organisations.
• Help to identify bankable projects which will have impact at scale.

Climate Action

Help accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and equitable world, including:

• Help to increase climate literacy among academia, practitioners, and policymakers.
• Collaborate with partners across sectors and disciplines to develop transformational scalable and replicable approaches to help address the capacity gaps, especially in secondary cities and in the public sector.

In order to help identify the barriers and enablers to sustainable urban development, the CAA has developed an Ecosystem Map which attempts to illustrate, in a methodical, systematic and evidence-based manner, the principal stakeholders and processes involved in the work of operationalising relevant policy commitments such as the Paris Climate Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. The map draws on evidence obtained from initiatives such as the as the CAA Knowledge Sharing Partnership, and continues to developed.