{"id":900264,"date":"2026-04-17T08:23:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/900264\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T08:23:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:23:16","slug":"the-sheffield-declaration-putting-principles-back-into-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/900264\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sheffield Declaration: Putting principles back into planning"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a>Image: \u00a9 SAKhanPhotography | iStock
\n The Sheffield Declaration aims to provide a hopeful pathway to healthy placemaking, which can restore public and professional confidence in the planning system<\/p>\n

Democratic planning is a vital way of securing a peaceful and sustainable future<\/a> in an era defined by crisis and conflict. But is the planning system currently fit for purpose?<\/p>\n

With plummeting morale among young planners, a worrying lack of public trust in the system and widespread prioritisation of private profit over public interest, it\u2019s time for an urgent rethink of business as usual.<\/p>\n

A project from the Town & Country Planning Association (TCPA) and academics at the University of Sheffield is aiming to do just that. The recently launched Sheffield Declaration<\/a> emerged from a workshop hosted by the university in late January as part of a year-long project that champions a return to values-led planning.<\/p>\n

It comprises of a new ethical code for planners and sets a new purpose for planning. The Declaration was codesigned with over 50 students, researchers and practitioners.<\/p>\n

A profession rooted in social justice<\/p>\n

While it hopes to set planning\u2019s future direction of travel, the project owes much of its inspiration to the past. The Sheffield Declaration builds on a rich tradition of planners standing up for the public interest.<\/p>\n

For the TCPA, it is also built into our organisational DNA. Ebeneezer Howard established the TCPA (then called the Garden City Foundation) to advance his vision for a fairer society. Howard\u2019s 1989 book, To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform, outlined a practical framework for making this vision a reality.<\/p>\n

Between 2020 and 2023, the TCPA\u2019s Tomorrow 125 project revisited Howard\u2019s ideas to explore their relevance to contemporary challenges. We were left with a renewed sense of urgency and confidence in the role of vision-led planning in addressing modern challenges. This has been a continuing source of inspiration for our work in Sheffield.<\/p>\n

A new purpose for planning<\/p>\n

At January\u2019s workshop, there was broad consensus on the foundational principle that planning should be about achieving sustainable development, in the long-term public interest. And there was wide agreement about the need for a new narrative that challenges the frequent claim that planning is a blocker to progress.<\/p>\n

The Sheffield Declaration\u2019s new purpose for planning recognises that planning is the way that society takes responsibility for our planet and the flourishing of all people, both now and in the future. It does this through:<\/p>\n