2 2
KEY FINDINGS
2.1 CRITICAL LACK OF CAPACITY AMONG BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROFESSIONALS
There is a continuing critical lack of capacity in many of the Commonwealth countries which are rapidly urbanising and are among the most vulnerable. While it is acknowledged that there is no specific target regarding the number of built environment professionals required in each country and that numbers alone are only one measure of capacity, it will be seen from the results of this survey that there is an acute imbalance between the number of built environment professionals in each country when compared with the rate of urban growth; a situation which is further aggravated when the results are correlated with levels of prosperity and vulnerability7. By way of example, the average ratio of architects per thousand head of population in Commonwealth countries which are members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), ie Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, is 0.455 whereas in Uganda it is 0.005. Similarly, in the case of town planners, the average ratio of planners per thousand head of population in OECD countries is 0.215 whereas in Tanzania it is also 0.005. These figures are particularly concerning when one considers that the rate of urban growth in OECD countries is, on average, 1.55% whereas in Tanzania it is currently 5.1% and in Uganda 6.2%. The survey results also need to be considered in relation to the cumulative impact of continuous high rates of urban growth, eg Uganda’s urban population is projected to quadruple by 2050, adding an additional 35million urban dwellers while Tanzania is expect to add a further 54 million urban dwellers in the same period (Table 1 and Table 2)8. 7
See Appendix II for further detail
8
See Appendix III for further detail
16
BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
Planning for climate change and rapid urbanisation