Partnerships & Representatives

As long-time partners, CIP, the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), Engineers Canada, and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) signed an agreement in 2018 to confirm our shared commitments. This includes continually seeking opportunities for cross-over, cross-promotion, the sharing of resources, and the transfer of knowledge to benefit our members and society.

CIP is a founding member of the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), an organization that seeks to develop the skills of urban and regional planners across the Commonwealth in order to meet the challenges of urbanization and the sustainable development of human settlements. CIP contributes to the development of position papers and policy, including the Commonwealth Women in Planning Manifesto and the Call to Action on Sustainable Urbanisation across the Commonwealth, and supports major events (e.g. Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings). 

CAP’s activities are largely supported through volunteer contributions, which include CIP’s current representatives to CAP.

In response to the call for 70% of the members of relevant professional associations (including planners) to “have the capacity to apply climate change adaptation tools and information and communicate the business case for adaptation measures to their clients or target audiences,” by 2027, Natural Resouces Canada (NRCan) formed the Adaptation Skills Working Group (ASWG) to bring together the named professions and those who have expertise related to training in this area. CIP joined the ASWG at the time of its inception in 2022 and worked alongside NRCan to survey planners on their current levels of climate adaptation competency, as a benchmarking tool in spring 2023. 

In 2006, CIP’s collaboration with international planning organizations led to the launch of the Global Planners Network (GPN), a forum for sharing best planning practices, strengthening personal and institutional networks, and finding ways to bring planners together.

CIP’s President and Chief Executive Officer participate in GPN, sharing timely information on planning developments, coordinating international outreach activities (e.g. World Town Planning Day), and maintaining strong partnerships between the member institutes. 

Through GPN, CIP is also a signatory of the Katowice Declaration 2022: Transforming our Cities for a Better Future, which sets out the commitment of the global planning community in addressing challenges posed by rapid urbanization, poverty and inequality, biodiversity loss, climate change, conflicts and natural disasters.

UN-Habitat: In 1976, Canada hosted the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT I) in Vancouver. Participants signed the Vancouver Charter, a global manifesto for national and international action on matters of global urbanization. That conference led to the formation of the United Nations Commission on Human Settlements and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT), which launched the first World Urban Forum in 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya.

In 2003, CIP was invited to assist Canada’s federal government in preparations for the 2006 World Urban Forum in Vancouver. Immediately prior to that event, the 2006 World Planners Congress (also held in Vancouver) was attended by nearly 1,200 delegates from around the world and saw 15 countries sign the Vancouver Declaration on urbanization, development and planning. That document laid the foundation for the Global Planners Network.

During more recent years, CIP has attended the World Urban Forum, building and strengthening our international relationships, providing planning expertise by participating in sessions and panels, and adding positively to our reputation as the voice of Canadian planning.

World Urban Pavilion: In 2022, CIP signed an MOU with the Urban Economy Forum to become an official collaborator in the World Urban Pavilion at Regent Park (Toronto). The Pavilion is an initiative between the Urban Economy Forum Association and UN-Habitat, with the support of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Through this partnership, CIP and our members help to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the sharing of professional knowledge and urban innovations. CIP is an active contributor to the Pavilion’s Canada: Frontrunner of Urban SDGs and the 100+: Canada Profile on Urban SDGs project, which identifies, assesses, and catalogues completed innovative and transformative urban examples of Canadian cities, communities, and organizations for sustainable urban development.

In 2017, CIP became a member of Planners for Climate Action, founded at the 23rd Conference of Parties (COP-23) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Bonn, Germany. The initiative, convened by UN-Habitat, is comprised of associations of planning practitioners and planning educators, collectively representing tens of thousands of planners worldwide, as well as other partners active in this area. We appreciate the voluntary contributions of many members who are actively involved in P4CA committees.