CAA Knowledge Sharing Partnership by Commonwealth Association of Architects

CAA Knowledge Sharing Partnership

Results from a Fact Finding Survey

Acknowledgements

The Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) wishes to express its appreciation to each of the signatories to the CAA Knowledge Sharing Partnership for their contribution to this Fact-Finding Survey, which lays the foundation for a programme of activity aimed at addressing the broad range of issues that have been identified.

The CAA recognises the contribution made by the following Focal Points, representing each of the 16 signatories to the Knowledge Sharing Partnership.

Organisation

Architectural Association of Kenya

Nigerian Institute of Architects

Rwanda Institute of Architects

South African Institute of Architects

Uganda Society of Architects

Zambia Institute of Architects

Institute of Architects Bangladesh

Institute of Architects Pakistan

Antigua & Barbuda Institute of Architects

Barbados Institute of Architects

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

Jamaican Institute of Architects

Trinidad and Tobago Institute of Architects

Kamra Tal-Periti, Malta

Royal Institute of British Architects

Australian Institute of Architects

Table 1, List of Focal Points and contributors to this survey

Name

Mr George Arabbu Ndege

Dr Mokolade Johnson

Mr Emmanuel Nyirinkindi

Dr Gillian Adendorff

Ms Jacqueline Namayanja

Mr Fidelis Kabwiri

Ms Shafinaz Sameen

Ms Maira Khan

Ms Curisa Smith

Ms Neomie Tavernier

Mr Mike Brennan

Ms Camille Douglas-Stephenson

Mr Ricardo Newallo

Perit Joeaby Vassallo

Mr Adrian Malleson

Mr Justin Hill

Mr Andrew McFadden

Introduction

This document comprises the findings from a Fact-Finding Survey that has been undertaken by the 16 signatories to a Knowledge Sharing Partnership developed between member organisations belonging to the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA). The 16 signatories represent 10 ODA* and 6 non-ODA countries from all 5 regions of the Commonwealth, namely:

Africa: Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia

Asia: Bangladesh and Pakistan

Caribbean and Americas: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Canada, Jamiaca, Trinidad & Tobago

Europe: Malta and United Kingdom

Pacific: Australia

The aim of the Fact-Finding Survey is to enable a comparative study to be undertaken to assess knowledge sharing needs and opportunities among the signatories. The findings will be used to help build an understanding of the ecosystem in each country together with the barriers and enablers to sustainable urbanisation facing each member organisation. The output of the study will also be used to identify issues of common concern, thereby enabling us to prioritise topics which will have the greatest impact for those with the greatest need.

Membership of the CAA Knowledge Sharing Partnership remains open to any CAA member organisation who may wish to become a signatory.

Peter Oborn RIBA HonMRAIC HonMRTPI HonFIStructE HonRAIA President, Commonwealth Association of Architects

The 16 signatories to the Knowledge Sharing Partnership

UNITED KINGDOM

NIGERIA

MALTA

BARBADOS

JAMAICA

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

RWANDA

SOUTH

UGANDA

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

Key Findings

Signatories were invited to complete an online survey, the aim of which is to establish knowledge sharing priorities in the areas of advocacy, capacity development and climate action. The Fact-Finding Survey comprised 100 questions grouped as follows:

1. The Profession

1.1 Regulation of the Profession

1.2 Educational Capacity

1.3 Professional Capacity

2. Policy, regulatory and standards environment

2.1 Policy Environment

2.2 Regulatory & Standards Environment

2.3 Policy Coordination, Implementation and Delivery

3. Quality of the built environment

3.1 Housing and Inclusion

3.2 Basic Service Provision

3.3 Sustainability Issues

3.4 The Urban Environment

4. Engagement With The New Urban Agenda

5. Knowledge Sharing

Policy, Regulatory and Standards Environment

A broad range of policy areas are ineffective because of weak public policy, outdated legislation, and a lack of enforcement.

Responses from respondents in both ODA and non-ODA countries were broadly consistent, with the overwhelming majority of respondents citing failure to implement and/or enforce existing legislation coupled with legislation that is outdated, inadequate, inappropriate, or missing as the principal reasons for ineffectiveness across a broad range of policy areas. Respondents also cited poor use of data and ineffective data sharing as areas requiring improvement.

The majority of policy areas were considered to be ineffective or only moderately effective. Housing, planning, energy and transport were identified to be among the least effective policy areas. Public procurement policy was also considered to be ineffective with poor transparency and accountability and a focus on lowest cost rather than value for money.

Significantly, respondents in ODA countries cited lack of enforcement of national building code and construction health and safety as major issues of concern. Several respondents noted the absence of mandatory building code together with lack of mandatory energy code and building code that is outdated and/or not fit for purpose; issues which are of particular concern in light of the high rates of urban growth being experienced in these countries.

Policy Coordination, Implementation and Delivery

Lack of alignment between different tiers of government was identified as one of the main reasons for poor policy implementation and delivery.

Significantly, decentralisation and increased public participation are considered to have been among the principal drivers of increased effectiveness within both central and local government.

Capacity development and Knowledge Sharing

ODA countries seek support in advocacy, capacity development, and climate action. This includes promoting the profession’s value to policymakers and the public, offering Continuing Professional Development (CPD) content, and sharing international best practice.

Respondents were invited to express their appetite for support across the areas of advocacy, capacity development and climate action. All of the respondents in ODA countries seek support in all three areas, while the overwhelming majority of respondents in non-ODA countries also seek support in the area of climate action.

Capacity development priorities for member organisations are contained on Table 8, from which it will be seen that the principal areas of interest are as follows:

Advocacy

1. Advocating the value of the profession to policymakers and the public

2. Advocating the value of sustainable development and ethical practice

Capacity Development

1. Provision of CPD content (including project and practice management)

2= Accelerate learning by sharing international best practice

2= Develop opportunities for mentoring/ internship

3. Develop collaborative research opportunities.

Climate Action

1. Accelerate learning by sharing international best practice.

2. Capacity building in green building technologies and climate skills

3. Positioning member organisations as climate leaders.

4. Need to engage clients in climate/ sustainability issues.

Other areas of interest include engagement with policymakers, wider industry participation, leadership skills and community engagement.

Conclusions of the Fact-Finding Survey and Next Steps

The CAA will develop a programme of action that responds to these findings, by working together with members of the Knowledge Sharing Partnership.

The responses to Fact-Finding Survey have identified a number of shared challenges facing member organisations in their efforts to support their members deliver development that is inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. The issues that have been identified touch upon a broad range of topics, from policy development to programme delivery, from education to practice.

Following analysis of the findings, the CAA has distilled a draft capacity development framework around the following five thematic areas: Leadership, Governance, Education and Knowledge Sharing, Finance and Integrated Design (see Table 2).

The next stage of work will be to agree which of these topics we should be focusing on and prioritising, how we should engage with each topic (eg policy paper, existing knowledge product, online event etc), who should be involved (ie subject matter expert(s) from member organisations and/or external partners/collaborators) and when we might reasonably expect to deliver.

Background

The CAA Knowledge Sharing Partnership has been developed in response to the findings of the Survey of the Built Environment Professions in the Commonwealth1, which identified that:

1. There is a critical lack of capacity in many of the Commonwealth countries which are rapidly urbanising and are among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts.

2. There is a corresponding lack of educational and institutional capacity to grow the professions fast enough in many Commonwealth countries.

3. There is increasing recognition of weakness in built environment policy (ie planning policy and building code) in many Commonwealth countries in terms of standards, implementation, and enforcement.

The findings of the survey are important if the opportunities presented by urbanisation, to increase prosperity and strengthen resilience, are to be realised. and the risks associated with poorly planned cities, such as inequality, informality, and vulnerability, are to be avoided.

Country context

The CAA has collated data from a range of authoritative sources5 to illustrate the differing contexts among each of the 16 respondent countries. An analysis of the figures contained in Table 3, reveals that two thirds of the respondent countries are eligible to receive Overseas Development Assistance. Moreover:

• Projected urban population growth:

The urban population in respondent countries is projected to double by 2050, with more than 90% of that increase taking place in ODA countries, ie a total projected increase of over 420m in ODA respondent countries compared with ~28m in non-ODA respondent countries.

• Carbon emissions:

The average level of CO2 emissions per capita is currently ~1.67MT per person in ODA recipient countries compared with an average of ~8.7MT per person in non-ODA respondent countries.

• Prosperity:

The average Gross National Income in ODA respondent countries is ~$8,500 per annum which compares with ~$45,000 per annum in non-ODA respondent countries.

• Vulnerability:

The average Climate Risk Index in ODA respondent countries (~41) is twice as high as that in non-ODA respondent countries (~81).

The above figures highlight the urgent need for capacity building, knowledge sharing and support, especially when read in conjunction with the other findings contained in this report.

Contrasting country contexts

94% ~420m increase in ODA respondent countries

Projected urban population growth by 2050

~1.67MT in ODA respondent countries

~8.7MT in Non-ODA respondent countries

Current carbon emissions per capita

6% ~28m in non-ODA respondent countries

Survey Results

1. The Profession

Respondents were invited to express their opinion regarding the principal issues facing the profession together with the education of architects.

1.1 Regulation of the Profession

1 Failure to implement and/or enforce existing legislation

2 Failure to regulate unqualified persons, practicing beyond their competency

3 Issues associated with drafting implementation of the Architects Act

4 Lack of government engagement/support

4 Legislation is outdated, inadequate, inappropriate, or missing

5 Lack of professional education and training opportunities

6 Lack of public awareness of the role of the architect and the value of design

6 Weak public procurement practices and the proliferation of Design-Build

Table 4, Issues affecting regulation of the profession.

1.2 Education of the Profession

1 Bridging the gap between academia and practice

1 Lack of teaching resources (eg. hardware, software, model-making etc)

1 Lack of qualified and experienced teaching faculty, and international exposure

2 Need to reduce working hours, improve salary prospects, and increase diversity

3 Insufficient emphasis on sustainable and climate smart development

3 Lack of scholarship, research and/or CPD opportunities

3 Lack of/weakness in accreditation system for schools of architecture

4 Length and cost of training compared with potential future remuneration.

4 Insufficient capacity within the profession to provide quality mentorship

4 Accelerate learning by sharing international best practice

5 Lack of training opportunities for teaching faculty (esp. studio-based learning)

Table 5, Issues affecting the education of architects.

The responses were broadly consistent between respondents from ODA and non-ODA countries and illustrate the challenging environment in which the profession operates. The responses highlight the need to make education more relevant to the needs of practice and for the profession to demonstrate its value to both policymakers and the wider public.

Respondents were invited to express their opinion about the level of market maturity across the entire project lifecycle. Market maturity in this context is defined as referring to a combination of the following:

• Capacity and calibre of the professions, ie: architecture, planning, engineering, cost consultancy in both public and private sectors.

• Regulatory environment in which the professions operate, eg registration requirements, PII etc.

• Policy environment in which the projects are to be procured: eg planning policy, building code, procurement policy etc.

• Nature of practice in the host countries, eg forms of association, forms of appointment etc.

• Standards environment in terms of professional, educational and technical standards etc.

It will be seen from the responses in Figure 2 that the level of market maturity in ODA countries is considered to be lower across the full project lifecycle, and particularly in the planning and maintenance stages.

Professional Capacity and Market Maturity

Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)

Figure 2, Professional Capacity and Market Maturity

Non-Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)

Priorities for Capacity Development

Priorities for Advocacy

1 Advocating the value of the profession to policymakers and the public

2 Advocating the value of sustainable development and ethical practice

Priorities for Capacity Development

1 Provision of CPD content (inc project and practice management)

2 Accelerate learning by sharing international best practice

2 Develop opportunities for mentoring/internship

3 Develop collaborative research opportunities

4 Review and update curriculum

4 Development of a CPD system

4 Provision of scholarship opportunities

4 Lack of teaching resources (eg hardware, software, model-making etc)

4 Mobilise funding for increased learning opportunities

Priorities for Climate Action

1 Accelerate learning by sharing international best practice

2 Capacity building in green building technologies and climate skills

3 Positioning member organisations as climate leaders.

4 Need to engage clients in climate/sustainability issues

5 How to achieve localisation of SDGs

5 Effective operationalisation of existing policies/tools

5 Understanding funding options to drive climate action

Other areas requiring support

1 Engagement with policymakers

1 Wider Industry participation

1 Engagement with the SDG's and climate change

1 Accelerate learning by sharing international best practice

2 Leadership skills

2 Community engagement

2 Bridging the gap between academia and practice

Table 7, Capacity Building priorities for member organisations

Issues affecting Public Policy

Issues affecting National Planning Policy

1 Failure to implement and/or enforce existing legislation

2 Lack of integrated planning and/or lack of collaboration between

2 Tension between national/local priorities

2 Politics/corruption negatively impacts effective decision making

3 Lack of experienced professionals in the public sector

Issues affecting Local Planning Policy

1 Failure to implement and/or enforce existing legislation

2 Legislation is outdated, inadequate, inappropriate, or missing

2 Lack of authority and/or financial resources to implement effectively

2 Lack of experienced professionals in the public sector

2 Politics/corruption negatively impacts effective decision making

3 Lack of integrated planning and/or lack of collaboration between departments

3 Insufficient consideration of housing, infrastructure and/or climate issues

Issues affecting National Housing Policy

1 Failure to implement and/or enforce existing legislation

2 Lack of housing supply

3 Legislation is outdated, inadequate, inappropriate, or missing

3 Lack of housing affordability

3 Poor quality and design

4 Failure to integrate with public infrastructure and supporting services

Issues affecting National Transport Policy

1 Continuing reliance on private motor vehicles resulting in congestion

1 Rural areas neglected

2 Legislation is outdated, inadequate, inappropriate, or missing

2 Lack of integrated planning and/or lack of collaboration between departments

2 Insufficient public transport coupled with poor reliability

3 Failure to implement and/or enforce existing legislation

3 Insufficient focus on Non-Motorised Transport

2.2 Regulatory and Standards Environment

Respondents were invited to comment on the effectiveness of the regulatory and standards environment including governments use of data, enforcement of national building code enforcement of construction health & safety together with the effectiveness of national standards. Respondents from both ODA and non-ODA countries cited gaps in legislation, legislation that is outdated, inadequate and a failure to implement and/or enforce existing legislation as being major contributors to ineffectiveness. Respondents also cited poor use of data and ineffective data sharing as areas requiring improvement.

Issues affecting Governments use of Data

1 Poor use of data and ineffective data sharing

2 Effective use of data to help drive policy making

Issues affecting National Building Code

1 Legislation is outdated, inadequate, inappropriate, or missing

2 Failure to implement and/or enforce exiting legislation

3 Fails to reflect local conditions

4 No unified approvals process

Issues affecting Construction Health and Safety

1 Failure to implement and/or enforce exiting legislation

2 Legislation is outdated, inadequate, inappropriate, or missing

3 Corruption

Issues affecting National Standards

1 Legislation is outdated, inadequate, inappropriate, or missing

2 Failure to implement and/or enforce exiting legislation

3 Corruption

Table 9, Issues affecting the Regulatory and Standards Environment.

2.3 Policy Coordination, Implementation and Delivery

Respondents were invited to comment on the effectiveness of central government policy coordination and implementation, together with the delivery of policy by local government.

Issues affecting Central Government Policy Coordination & Implementation

1 Lack of alignment between tiers of government

2 Increased public participation has helped to drive progress

2 Decentralisation is making a difference

2 Corruption Issues affecting Local Government Policy Delivery

1 Decentralisation is making a difference

2 Overly centralised and underfunded

2 Lack of alignment between tiers of government

2 Poor use of data and ineffective data sharing

2 Excessive bureaucracy contributes to exclusion

2 Policies as manifesto’s, not then implemented

2 Varies widely by municipality

2 Tensions between national and local government

Responses from respondents in both ODA and non-ODA countries were broadly consistent, with the overwhelming majority expressing their opinion that lack of alignment between different tiers of government is one of the main issues affecting central government policy coordination and implementation. Significantly, decentralisation and increased public participation are considered to have been among the principal drivers of increased effectiveness within both central and local government.

Effectiveness of Policy Implementation, Coordination & Delivery

ODA and Non ODA

Table 10, Issues affecting policy Coordination and Delivery

Figure 6, Effectiveness of Policy Implementation, Coordination & Delivery (ODA & Non-ODA combined)

3. Quality of the built environment

Respondents were invited to comment on the following aspects of sustainable urbanisation:

1. Housing and Inclusion

2. Basic Service Provision

3. Sustainability Issues

4. Urban Environment

Obstacles to Sustainale Development

Significant challenges were identified in each area, particularly for those in ODA countries, and the following table illustrates those issues which respondents considered to be among the biggest obstacles to sustainable development.

1 Failure to implement and/or enforce existing legislation

1 Need for funding to help drive sustainable development

2 Need for political will to help drive sustainable development

2 Lack of experienced professionals in the public sector

3 Need for financial incentives to help drive sustainable development

4 Legislation is outdated, inadequate, inappropriate, or missing

4 Need to engage clients in climate/sustainability issues

4 Corruption

Table 11, Obstacles to Sustainable Development

3.1 Housing and Inclusion

Respondents were invited to comment on the extent to which their country has addressed the issues of housing and inclusion, namely:

• Access to affordable housing

• Quality of affordable housing

• Number and extent of informal settlements

• Level of social inclusion of marginalised groups

Responses from both ODA and non-ODA respondents confirm that access to adequate and affordable housing remains a universal concern, and that this is particularly significant in ODA countries which are grappling with the number and extent of informal settlements together with its consequences in terms of social exclusion.

This situation is further compounded by the fact that the same countries which are experiencing the greatest challenges are also those which are experiencing the highest levels of urban population growth, lack access to finance, and are suffering a critical shortage of professional built environment expertise.

Extent to which Housing & Inclusion issues have been addressed

Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)

Non-Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)

3.2 Basic Service Provision

Respondents were invited to comment on the extent to which their country has addressed the provision of basic services, namely:

• Public transport

• Energy

• Solid waste

• Water and sanitation

Extent to which Basic Service provision has been addressed

Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)

Figure 8, Extent to which Basic Service provision has been addressed

3.3 Sustainability Issues

Respondents were invited to comment on the extent to which their country has addressed the following sustainability issues:

• Levels of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation

• Resilience and adaptation to climate change

• Measures being taken to reduce the severity of climate change.

Responses from respondents in both ODA and non-ODA countries were broadly consistent, with the overwhelming majority expressing their opinion that these issues not being adequately addressed, suggesting that much work remains to be done in order to mitigate and adapt to the growing impacts of climate change.

Extent to which Sustainability issues have been addressed ODA and Non-ODA

Figure 9, Extent to which Sustainability issues have been addressed (ODA & Non-ODA combined).

3.4 Urban Environment

Respondents were invited to comment on the extent to which their country has addressed the following aspects of the urban environment:

• Access to green and open public space

• Walkability and use of non-motorised transport

• Heritage Conservation

Responses received from respondents in ODA countries vary considerably from those received from those in non-ODA countries, with respondents in ODA countries highlighting significant deficiencies in all three areas, particularly in relation to lack of walkability and use of non-motorised transport, an issue which is compounded by a corresponding lack of public transport referred to in 4.2 above.

Extent to which the Quality of the Urban Environment has been addressed ODA

Figure 10, Extent to which the Quality of the Urban Environment has been addressed (ODA & Non-ODA combined).

4. Engagement with the new Urban agenda

Respondents were invited to comment on the extent to which both their government and their members have engaged with the New Urban Agenda (NUA)7.

Launched by UN-Habitat at Habitat III in 2016, the NUA, sets out standards and principles for the planning, construction, development, management, and improvement of urban areas across five main pillars: national urban policies, urban legislation and regulations, urban planning and design, local economy and municipal finance, and local implementation.

Respondents consider that the majority of their members are only somewhat aware of the NUA while barely a third of respondents consider their members find the NUA relevant in their work. Only a handful of respondents consider that their governments are implementing the principles of the NUA and the overwhelming majority of respondents either don’t know whether their governments are reporting progress against the NUA, or know they are not.

The responses suggest that there is a need for the CAA to help raise awareness about the NUA among policymakers and its member organisations.

Perception of engagement with the New Urban Agenda among Members ODA and Non-ODA

11, Perception of engagement with the New Urban Agenda among Members (ODA & Non-ODA combined)

Perception of engagement with the New Urban Agenda by Government ODA and Non-ODA

Figure

Figure 12, Perception of engagement with the New Urban Agenda by Government (ODA & Non-ODA combined)

Country Profiles, Appendix 1

Appendix I contains the following statistics for each respondent country. The source of the information is shown below:

DATA SOURCES

Country name: https://worldpopulationreview.com/ country-rankings/official-names-of-countries

Member Organisation: From CAA database

ODA Status (2020): https://web-archive.oecd. org/2022-11-07/529238-DAC-List-of-ODA-Recipientsfor-reporting-2020-flows.pdf

Population (2022): https://data.worldbank.org/ indicator/SP.POP.TOTL

Land Area (2020): https://data.worldbank.org/ indicator/AG.LND.TOTL.K2

Registered architects: 2020 CAA Survey of the Built Environment Professions in the Commonwealth Number of Full Members: Reported by respondents to the Fact Finding Survey

Architecture Faculties (verified): Number of architectural faculties verified by the CAA from a variety of public sources.

Architectural Faculties (accredited): Number of architecture faculties verified by the CAA from a combination of national regulatory bodies and professional associations

Lower Middle Income Country

Upper Middle Income Country

Least Developed Country

Table 6, Professional and Educational Capacity

Approximate number of graduates oper annum: Reported by respndents to the Fact Finding Survey

GNI per Capita PPP (2022): https://data.worldbank. org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.PP.CD

Rate of annual urban population growth 2020 (%): https://databank.worldbank.org/source/worlddevelopment-indicators/Series/SP.URB.GROW

Urban population 2020 (‘000): https://population. un.org/wup/Download/

Urban population 2050 (‘000): https://population. un.org/wup/Download/

Urban Population Growth 2020-2050: Calculated from above.

Rate of Urbanisation 2020-2050 (%): Calculated from above.

Carbon dioxide emissions per capita (metric tons per capita) (2020): https://data.worldbank.org/ indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC

Climate Risk Index (2019): https://www. germanwatch.org/sites/default/files/Global%20 Climate%20Risk%20Index%202021_2.pdf