The concept of town planning was developed out of the English public’s concern for the environment which had its roots in the middle-class reforming spirit of the mid- Victorian period.
The professional town planner came into being in 1914 with the formal constitution of the Town Planning Institute, which received its royal charter in 1959. It subsequently became known as the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
Despite its long history, there continues to be widespread misunderstanding amongst the public at large of the nature of town planning, with the nature of the town planner’s skill, work and vocabulary being obscure to many people.
