Hannah David (Chair) – Planning Futures; Dr Wei Yang – Co-Chair of the Task Force (Wei Yang + Partners); Prof Michael Batty – Co-Chair of the Task Force; Prof Mark Tewdwr-Jones – Panel Member of Digital Task Force for Planning;  Oliver Norman – Principal Planning Policy Officer, LB Waltham Forest 

Recent decades have seen almost every aspect of our lives transformed through the use of new digital technologies.  This is true too of the planning sector.  However, some have argued that planning has not done all that it can to exploit the potential of new and emerging technology.

A recent report by the Digital Task Force for Planning identified the pressing need to establish core digital capacities in data, platforms, tools and techniques, together with the need to develop appropriate skill capacity within the planning profession.

The report itself provides a blueprint for digitally enabled spatial planning “which presents powerful leverage to deliver zero-carbon, environmental net gain, levelling up, and other ambitious social and economic goals committed by the government“.

This event aims to reflect on the Task Force report and consider the future of digital innovation in planning.

It will consider:

• The requirement in terms of increasing digital capacity within the planning system
• The obstacles to achieving progress
• The short-, medium- and long-term outlook for digital planning across the UK

At a time when the Government is funding new technology trials as part of its PropTech Engagement Fund, Planning Futures is delighted to bring together a panel of experts from the public and private sectors to discuss the shape of digital planning to come. This event will begin with a presentation on the report by Dr Yang, followed by a panel discussion and Q and A.