 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(September 2020) |
Jonathan Manns | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Shirley, West Midlands, England |
| Occupation | Town planner, surveyor |
Jonathan Manns is a British urbanist and developer, known for his work as a practitioner as well as a writer, speaker, educator and campaigner on built environment issues. He has lived and worked in the UK and New Zealand.
Manns grew up in Shirley, Solihull, where he attended Woodlands Infant, St James CE and Shirley Heath schools before securing an assisted scholarship to nearby Solihull School in 1996. [1] He then read History at the University of Sheffield [2] from 2003-2006 and after a period living in Nanjing, China, studied Planning, Growth and Regeneration at Girton College, Cambridge from 2007-2008. [3]
Manns' professional background is in urban planning and real estate development, having qualified as both a town planner and surveyor. He has been described as "the pre-eminent British planner of his generation", "[one] of Britain's foremost urbanists" and "someone who has made a lasting and positive impact on communities and the built environment". [4] [5] [6] He has been involved with many of London's tall buildings and contributed extensively to discussions around the management of land for housing. His work has attracted international interest and he has proposed reforms to several key policy areas. [7] [8] [9] [10]
Manns has written extensively on the UK housing crisis. In 2017 he established the "House Me Now" campaign which crowd-funded the distribution of 2000 pass-it-on pamphlets around London to raise awareness of solutions amongst ordinary Londoners of possible solutions and to begin a social media debate. [11] In 2018, on behalf of the campaign, he signed an open letter, submitted by Siobhan McDonagh MP, to the UK Government, calling for the release of land close to transport nodes for development. [12]
Manns' work on Green Belts is cited widely. In 2014 he authored a history of the emergence of London's green belt, which said that it should not be treated as sacrosanct and set out the historical precedent for reform. [13] He has subsequently supported work by the London School of Economics [14] and in 2016 put forward the concept of a "Green Web" whereby new development would be accompanied by environmental enhancements and contribute to a net gain in biodiversity. [15] Manns' commentary on Green Belts has at times attracted criticisms: both that property professionals make unconvincing champions for reform [16] and that his varied public profile constitutes a form of lobbying (a criticism which has itself attracted attention [17] ). [18] [19] He has always stated his view that "public policy should be adaptable and that the emphasis should be firmly on securing the best outcomes. It should be possible to consider both whether the overall effects are beneficial and whether there is scope for improvement. If opportunities exist to deliver development more sustainably, the ability to explore and realise this should not be prevented by dogmatic defence of the status quo. England's green belt should not be off the table for appraisal and, if appropriate, amendment." [20]
In January 2020, Jake Berry MP, as Minister of State for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, concluded a parliamentary debate on local services with an invitation for Rupa Huq MP to "be a bit naughty" and establish a cross-party "Suburban Taskforce". [21] The Taskforce launched in March 2020, co-chaired by Huq and David Simmonds MP. [22] The stated purpose was "to shine a light on the suburbs in order to identify and secure the clear, long-term and properly resourced policies needed to support thriving, sustainable and inclusive suburban areas". [23] The Advisory Board was announced in August 2020, with Manns named as its Chair. [24] [25] He claimed at the outset that its importance was that "city centres and the countryside have their advocates, but suburbs – where most of us live – haven’t received the attention they deserve" [26] and on publication that the work had changed "the way we think about the types of suburbs which exist and the specific challenges they face". [27] The final Inquiry into the Future of the Suburbs, which identified a range of policy considerations and nine specific recommendations, was published in September 2022. [28] [29] [30]
Manns co-authored an analysis of growth options for the UK Government's All Party Parliamentary Group for London's Planning and Built Environment, in which he proposed new orbital rail links in West London, connecting existing communities and those which could accommodate additional growth. It encouraged West London Alliance to reconsider work it had commissioned in 2001 which flagged the scope to connect Old Oak Common and Brent Cross along the Dudding Hill line. [5] This was agreed at the following meeting of the West London Economic Prosperity Board, in December 2016, [31] and the Board voted to engage the Mayor of London around a West London Orbital in June 2017, [32] which Sadiq Khan committed himself to delivering in March 2018. [33]
He was commissioned by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to prepare the first international guidance on the measurement of land and calculation of associated metrics such as density. [34] On publication these definitions established, for the first time, a global standard for all land measurements around the world. [35] A draft was released for consultation in 2019. [36] The Guidance was published in 2021. [37] [38]
Manns served as external advisor to Wellington City Council in their development of an Underground Asset Register, which became the first of its kind in New Zealand when launched in 2024. [39] The project, supported by the Harvard Bloomberg City Leadership Initiative, attracted controversy in the months prior to launch when senior council leaders missed key decision-making meetings to join Manns and others in New York. [40]
In 2016 he was invited to co-launch the Open City "Green Sky Thinking" week. [41] He teaches at UCL [42] and is on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal. [43] He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), the Royal Town Planning Institute (FRTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS). At the time of his appointment he was believed to have been the youngest person to have been awarded Fellowship of the RTPI, and also of both the RTPI and RICS. [44]
In 2015, Manns was Convenor of the UK Government's All Party Parliamentary Group for London's Planning and Built Environment. [45] The purpose of the APPG was defined as being "to explore the social, economic and environmental issues affecting London at a strategic level and build consensus as to the ways in which these might be addressed." [46] The group, chaired by Rupa Huq MP, subsequently discussed matters from the Green Belt to the Grenfell Fire.
Manns is a Patron of the Thrive Foundation, which exists as a non-partisan charitable trust to support marginalized young people as active participants and future leaders in New Zealand's civil society. [47] He is a former member of the Advisory Board for the Patchwork Foundation, which seeks to engage those from non-traditional backgrounds in UK politics and civil society. [48] He is a past trustee of the London Society, which was founded in 1912 to promote debate around London's built environment with members of the public. [49] He also assisted with the Long Live Southbank campaign to protect and extend London's historic skate spot. [50]
Manns is a Justice of the Peace for New Zealand and was gazetted in 2024. [51]
Manns was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2022 "for services to Planning, Real Estate and to Built Environments". [52] He moved with his family to New Zealand in 2021 as his partner wanted to be closer to her mother. [53] The family settled in Seatoun, a suburb of Wellington, and within two years he had been recognised as somebody who had "genuinely moved the needle" in the country. [54] [55]
In British town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The term, coined by Octavia Hill in 1875, refers to a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where local food growing, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail. The fundamental aim of green belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently green, and consequently the most important attribute of green belts is their openness.
Sir Ebenezer Howard was an English urban planner and founder of the garden city movement, known for his publication To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform (1898), the description of a utopian city in which people live harmoniously together with nature. The publication resulted in the founding of the garden city movement, and the building of the first garden city, Letchworth Garden City, commenced in 1903.
A green belt is a policy, and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which have a linear character and may run through an urban area instead of around it. In essence, a green belt is an invisible line designating a border around a certain area, preventing development of the area and allowing wildlife to return and be established.
CPRE, The Countryside Charity, formerly known by names such as the Council for the Preservation of Rural England and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity in England with over 40,000 members and supporters. Formed in 1926 by Patrick Abercrombie to limit urban sprawl and ribbon development, the CPRE claims to be one of the longest running environmental groups in the UK. CPRE campaigns for a "sustainable future" for the English countryside. They state it is "a vital but undervalued environmental, economic and social asset to the nation." They aim to "highlight threats and promote positive solutions." They campaign using their own research to lobby the public and all levels of government.
The Greenbelt is a 203.5-square-kilometre (78.6 sq mi) protected green belt traversing Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It includes green space, forests, farms, and wetlands from Shirleys Bay in the west and to Green's Creek in the east. It is the largest publicly owned green belt in the world and the most ecologically diverse area in Eastern Ontario. The National Capital Commission (NCC) owns and manages 149.5 square kilometres (57.7 sq mi), and the rest is held by other federal government departments and private interests. Real estate development within the Greenbelt is strictly controlled.
Urban sprawl is defined as "the spreading of urban developments on undeveloped land near a more or less densely populated city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growth in many urban areas of housing, commercial development, and roads over large expanses of land, with little concern for very dense urban planning. Sometimes the urban areas described as the most "sprawling" are the most densely populated. In addition to describing a special form of urbanization, the term also relates to the social and environmental consequences associated with this development. In modern times some suburban areas described as "sprawl" have less detached housing and higher density than the nearby core city. Medieval suburbs suffered from the loss of protection of city walls, before the advent of industrial warfare. Modern disadvantages and costs include increased travel time, transport costs, pollution, and destruction of the countryside. The revenue for building and maintaining urban infrastructure in these areas are gained mostly through property and sales taxes. Most jobs in the US are now located in suburbs generating much of the revenue, although a lack of growth will require higher tax rates.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for those working in the Built Environment, Construction, Land, Property and Real Estate. The RICS was founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental level, and aims to promote and enforce the highest international standards in the valuation, management and development of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure.
Sir Peter Geoffrey Hall was an English town planner, urbanist and geographer. He was the Bartlett Professor of Planning and Regeneration at The Bartlett, University College London and president of both the Town and Country Planning Association and the Regional Studies Association. Hall was one of the most prolific and influential urbanists of the twentieth century.
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) is the professional body representing planners in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It promotes and develops policy affecting planning and the built environment. Founded in 1914, the institute was granted a royal charter in 1959. In 2018 it reported that it had over 25,000 members.
Patsy Healey was a British urban planner. She was professor emeritus at Global Urban Research Unit in the School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape, at Newcastle University. She was a specialist in planning theory and practice, with a particular focus on strategic spatial planning for city regions and in urban regeneration policies. She was Senior Editor of Planning Theory and Practice journal, jointly published by TandF and the RTPI.
An urban planner is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning.
David Henry Rutley is a British former politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Macclesfield from 2010 until 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Americas and Caribbean from October 2022 until July 2024.
Isurv is an online information service for expertise in natural and built environments. It was launched in September 2003 by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and provides insight from verified legal experts and industry practitioners relating to construction.
Urban planning education is a practice of teaching and learning urban theory, studies, and professional practices. The interaction between public officials, professional planners and the public involves a continuous education on planning process. Community members often serve on a city planning commission, council or board. As a result, education outreach is effectively an ongoing cycle. Formal education is offered as an academic degree in urban, city, rural, and/or regional planning, and more often awarded as a master's degree specifically accredited by an urban planning association in addition to the university's university-wide primary accreditation, although some universities offer bachelor's degrees and doctoral degrees also accredited in the same fashion; although most bachelor's degrees in urban planning do not have the secondary-layer of urban planning association accreditation required for most positions, relying solely on the university's primary accreditation as a legitimate institution of higher education. At some universities, urban studies, also known as pre-urban planning, is the paraprofessional version of urban and regional planning education, mostly taken as a bachelor's degree prior to taking up post-graduate education in urban planning or as a master's or graduate certificate program for public administration professionals to get an understanding of public policy implications created by urban planning decisions or techniques.
The London Society is a British membership organisation established to encourage public interest and participation in urban planning and transport matters in London as well as to study and celebrate the capital's unique history and character. It is among the oldest civic societies in the United Kingdom.
Rupa Asha Huq is a British Labour politician, columnist and academic. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ealing Central and Acton since 2015.
Sylvia Law OBE was a British town planner who was the first woman to be elected as President of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
The Sydney Region Outline Plan (SROP) was a land use and infrastructure scheme for metropolitan New South Wales released by the State Planning Authority in March 1968. The SROP superseded the 1948 County of Cumberland planning scheme. Whereas the Cumberland scheme echoed contemporary plans for London, the SROP adopted a Scandinavian model of town centres arranged along existing railway corridors.
Matthew Carmona is an architect, planner and researcher based in the United Kingdom. His research focuses on the process of design governance and management of Public Space. He has taught at the University of Nottingham and The Bartlett, the latter since 1998.
Wei Yang FAcSS FRTPI MCIHT is a Chinese-British town planner and urban designer, an author and a scholar. She is the founder of Wei Yang & Partners and Co-founder of the Digital Task Force for Planning in London. She is a leading figure in researching, promoting, and implementing the 21st Century Garden City approach and fostering joined up thinking between different built and natural environment professionals.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
