Why I am standing for Vice President

I feel very fortunate to be a town planner, in a profession celebrating human civilisation, caring for our environment, and being creative at the same time. I couldn’t think of any other profession that suits me better.

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The reason for putting my name forward to become the next Vice President of RTPI is a strong sense of urgency that we should rebuild the connection and trust with the general public, and act immediately to modernise our profession. 

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The 21st Century is an urban century. It is expected that 70% of the world population will live in urban areas by the middle of this century. The world is desperate for best planning practices, as well as creative and systematic solutions. It is high time for the planning profession to flourish and grow. But in reality, the profession has become marginalised. There is a significant lack of adequate planning capacity worldwide.

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In the last 20 years, I have been proactively promoting joined-up thinking between different professionals and stakeholders. Through my work, I see how town planning has profound influence on people’s lives across generations. This stimulates me to become an ambassador for planning on an international stage to promote the best practices worldwide. 

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Over the course of my career, I have also been researching, promoting and implementing 21st Century Garden City approaches. Through the Garden City and New Towns research, I have become familiar with the lives of the pioneers in our profession. I somehow feel I know them in person, and I am deeply touched by their spirit and determination. 

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I cannot stop thinking what our founders would do if they face the challenges we have now. The answer is obvious, they would not wait, but act with firmness and urgency!

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Action is being taken, change is starting to occur, but in my opinion, certainly not at the speed it needs to. 

As one of the 16 women Fellows of the RTPI, I want to champion a revival of spirit for our profession by enhancing public appreciation, strengthening international collaboration on capacity building, and contributing to immediate actions on the climate and biodiversity emergency. I am also keen to do more to engage young planners and adopt new technologies to empower the modernisation.

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I believe I have the passion, commitment and skills to work with the RTPI members to champion the transformative changes the world deserves.

What I will do if I am elected

If I were to be elected by RTPI members as your Vice President from 2020, I will contribute complementary skills to the RTPI Presidential Team by bringing more international and multi-disciplinary perspective, introducing platforms to promote planning to the wider public, and supporting the RTPI’s continued commitment to equality and diversity.

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I will have three years to serve in the RTPI Presidential Team. Over that three-year period, I want to work closely with RTPI members, the RTPI Board, and other key stakeholders to support the implementation of the Corporate Strategy (2020-2029), the delivery and implementation of an International Strategy, as well as an Equalities, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Action Plan.

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In particular, I would like to develop the following initiatives with the support of RTPI members and the Board:

These are what I will do if I am elected. If you are a RTPI member eligible to vote, please vote Wei Yang by 26th September to support me.

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