World Town Planning Day takes place every November 8th, bringing planners and communities together to celebrate how good planning improves the lives of people and benefits society at large, creating places to live, work and play. Argentinian professor Carlos María della Paolera started World Town Planning Day in Buenos Aires in 1949, and this week, planners from over 30 countries celebrate the occasion with lectures, school competitions, fundraising, charity events, planning awards, and street festivals. It is an opportunity for associations and institutes representing planners across the world to unite and promote planning as an important tool for global sustainable development and climate action.

Irish Planning Institute World Town Planning Day Statement 2026

Irish Planning Institute calls on students and graduates to consider planning as a career and help shape Ireland’s future

The Irish Planning Institute (IPI) is calling on students, graduates and people considering a career change to explore opportunities in the planning profession.To mark World Town Planning Day on Sunday, 8 November, the IPI is highlighting the important role planners play in shaping Ireland’s future and the growing demand for their expertise across housing, infrastructure, climate action, environmental protection and the development of sustainable communities.

With Ireland currently facing a sustained shortage of qualified professional planners, there are significant career opportunities across local and national government, private consultancy, infrastructure, environmental planning, research and the wider development sector.

The role of the modern planner has evolved considerably, extending well beyond the traditional areas of land-use regulation and development management.
Today, planning is a much more diverse and multi-faceted profession. Professional planners now operate in an increasingly dynamic environment, combining strategic planning, project management and delivery with the need to navigate complex statutory requirements and multiple strands of public policy, while helping to deliver housing, critical infrastructure, renewable energy and sustainable communities.

Despite the increasing importance of planning in delivering Ireland’s long-term development objectives, the number of graduates entering the profession remains significantly below what is required. Accredited planning programmes produced an average of fewer than 60 graduates a year between 2020 and 2024, compared with an estimated need for approximately 120 new graduate planners each year.

This shortfall reflects a prolonged period of under-supply following the sharp decline in planning student numbers after 2008. While student and graduate numbers are now beginning to recover, sustained investment in planning education, recruitment and retention will be essential to building the skilled workforce needed to meet Ireland’s growing planning requirements.

An analysis carried out by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in 2024 found that Ireland has a net shortfall of between 350 and 400 planners before expected retirements and other attrition are taken into account.

Today, planners require cross-disciplinary expertise spanning multiple areas of public policy, including climate adaptation, environmental legislation, biodiversity, transport, economic development and urban design, alongside skills in facilitation, project management and delivery.

Working alongside engineers, architects, environmental specialists, policymakers, developers and local communities, planners play a central role in helping address some of the most significant challenges facing Ireland.

The IPI is encouraging more people to consider planning as a career and help shape Ireland’s future, from delivering new homes and critical infrastructure to supporting renewable energy development, revitalising towns and cities and creating sustainable communities.

Gavin Lawlor, President of the Irish Planning Institute, said:

“Planning is one of the most important and rewarding professions when it comes to shaping the future of Ireland. We are encouraging students, graduates and anyone considering a new career to take a closer look at what planning has to offer. As we mark World Town Planning Day, it’s important that we recognise the critical role of professional planners in shaping the development of our communities.

“Planning offers a varied career for people interested in how places develop and who want to make a practical difference to communities and the environment. It combines technical knowledge and strategic thinking with project management, problem-solving, collaboration and engagement with communities and other professionals.

“It is also a career that offers a real sense of purpose. More than 80% of respondents to the IPI’s 2023 Survey of the Planning Profession said they were satisfied with their current role.

“There are now a variety of ways to qualify as a professional planner, with IPI-accredited undergraduate and postgraduate programmes available and a new apprenticeship in development. With demand for professional planners extending beyond Ireland, qualifying through an IPI-accredited programme can also open up opportunities for those who qualify in Ireland to develop their careers overseas.

“Planners are at the heart of delivering the homes people need, the infrastructure our economy requires and the sustainable communities in which people want to live and work. However, we need more people entering the profession. As our society and economy continues to grow and change, there has never been a greater need for professional planners to shape Ireland’s future.”

Global Planners Network World Town Planning Day Statement 2026

77th World Town Planning Day Statement
Great communities are built on planning!
By working together, planners and communities can create places that are inclusive, resilient and support the wellbeing of all.

Today, November 8, the Global Planners Network (GPN)–the largest gathering of national and international planning associations–proudly recognizes the 77th anniversary of World Town Planning Day (WTPD). As dedicated champions of the profession, we take this important occasion to celebrate the achievements of planning.

At a time of growing social, economic, and environmental challenges, the GPN asserts that planning is a central part of the solution, helping communities navigate change and create better futures. Great communities are built on planning!

Planning works best when it is shaped with communities. By combining Indigenous and local knowledge, lived experience, professional expertise and shared ambition, planning supports inclusive dialogue, informed decisions and places that are resilient, healthy and sustainable.

Planning empowers communities and provides pathways to prosperity. It helps deliver homes and places that meet people’s needs, address climate impacts, support health and wellbeing, and guide recovery and reconstruction. Planners turn ideas into practical action, helping communities adapt to a changing world and reduce social and spatial inequalities.

Strong planning systems, investment in planning and planning education, and sustained partnerships are essential to delivering better homes, healthier environments, greater resilience and more inclusive communities.

Planning is a public good. It connects vision with action, people with place, and today’s decisions with tomorrow’s opportunities.

On World Town Planning Day, the GPN calls on governments, communities and partners to champion collaborative, evidence-informed planning and empower under-represented voices. Together we reaffirm our commitment to planning as a foundation for resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities worldwide. Together we deliver, together we thrive, together we sustain.