2.182
Malta
0.580
UK
0.532
Australia
0.458
Hong Kong
0.390
New Zealand
0.263
Antigua and Barbuda
0.235
Canada South Africa
0.067
Malaysia
0.062
Sri Lanka Botswana Pakistan
0.054 0.042 0.029
Bangladesh
0.019
Ghana
0.017
Uganda
0.004
Figure 6 Ratio of architects/1,000 population22
These figures should also be seen in the broader context of the capacity of built environment professionals and with research undertaken by Cities Alliance in their report entitled ‘Human Resources Capacity Benchmarking’23 which has established benchmarks for Local Authority staffing from which it has suggested shortages in planning capacity at local government level amounting to 857 Planners in Ghana, 388 Planners in Mozambique and 115 Planners in Uganda.
22 With regard to the number of registered architects shown for Malta it should be noted that the numbers for Malta include those of Warrant holders as a ‘Perit’, which is a combined profession for Architects and Civil Engineers. Holders of the Warrant graduate from the University as Architects and Civil Engineers. The law is in the process of revision and Warrant holders will, in future, be classified as ‘Perit (Architect)’ and ‘Perit (Civil Engineer)’. Both Warrant holders can undertake work as an architect or as a civil engineer and it will be up to the individual to regulate in which area they practice so long as he is professional competent in that area. In Cyprus, the numbers include both architects and civil engineers. Both sets of data have therefore been truncated here. 23 http://www.citiesalliance.org/sites/citiesalliance.org/files/ Final%20Report%20on%20Municipal%20Staffing%20 Toolkit_0.pdf
Survey of the Architectural Profession in the Commonwealth
The Institute of Architects Pakistan further illustrates the issues, reporting 5,637 registered architects, with 523 members in the Institute of Planners Pakistan. Based on the ratio’s referred to above, urban population figures would suggest a requirement for circa 28,000 architects and 12,000 planners, highlighting a significant shortfall in both disciplines. While these figures, and the ratios upon which they have been based, may be subject to error and are certainly subject to challenge, the figures highlight a critical lack of capacity amongst architects and planners in some of the most vulnerable countries of the Commonwealth which are urbanising most rapidly, particularly when set against the targets contained in SDG 11, to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
19