Olafiyin Taiwo

I am a chartered spatial planner specialising in governance reform, public policy implementation and climate resilience within planning systems. Prior to and alongside my academic work, I have held senior strategic planning and policy advisory roles across UK local government and private practice, and contributed to multilateral urban governance processes, including at UN-Habitat and the Commonwealth Secretariat. 

My research examines how planning systems coordinate institutions, implement climate resilience policy and adapt to digital transformation. My current research focuses on participatory systems thinking in urban climate governance and on AI-enabled climate resilience implementation, examining how digital decision-support tools shape policy delivery in UK and South Korean cities.

My teaching and research interests focus on:

• Spatial planning and governance reform

• Multi-level governance and policy coordination

• Climate resilience implementation

• Institutional design and regulatory reform

• Participatory systems thinking in urban governance

• Artificial intelligence and digital governance in public decision-making

• Comparative planning systems

My teaching is informed by my professional planning experience and ongoing research in governance, climate resilience and public policy implementation. Modules taught include Comparative Practice in Property and Planning, Sustainable Urbanism in Coastal Communities, Policy and Implementation in Town Planning, and Planning Theory and Practice, alongside supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations.

My teaching combines studio-based learning, comparative case study analysis and applied policy engagement to support critical understanding of planning systems in practice. Through structured studio projects and case-based inquiry, students analyse live planning policies, development frameworks and coastal adaptation strategies across different jurisdictions.

This work is supported by site visits and engagement with local planning authorities and neighbourhood planning groups. Students produce evidence-based baseline analyses to inform neighbourhood and local plan development, alongside professional outputs including policy analyses, implementation reviews and strategic planning reports.

Students come from a range of disciplinary backgrounds including planning, property, geography and environmental policy, and are encouraged to work collaboratively to reflect the interdisciplinary realities of contemporary planning practice.

I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation projects in spatial planning and public policy, with recent student research examining transport and infrastructure planning, neighbourhood and local plan evidence preparation, and the application of artificial intelligence within planning systems. These projects are grounded in broader themes of governance reform, climate resilience and institutional coordination.

I welcome enquiries from students interested in these areas, particularly within comparative and digitally evolving planning contexts.

My research focuses on the institutional design and implementation of spatial planning systems, with particular emphasis on governance reform, climate resilience and the integration of artificial intelligence in public decision-making. I examine how planning frameworks coordinate actors, manage regulatory processes and deliver policy outcomes that enhance quality of life across local, national and international contexts.

Recent research includes the development and application of participatory systems thinking in urban climate governance, and the AUCRI-AI project, which investigates how AI-enabled decision-support tools shape climate resilience implementation in UK and South Korean cities. My work also engages with comparative planning systems, regulatory reform and multilateral urban governance processes, contributing to institutional innovation and internationally relevant approaches to sustainable and equitable urban development.

My research and professional practice involve close collaboration with non-academic partners across government, professional institutions and multilateral organisations. I have worked with UK local authorities, the Welsh Government and Senedd Cymru (Wales Net-Zero 2035), and have advised regional and city governments in the Global South on spatial planning, regulatory reform and climate resilience frameworks.

Internationally, I have contributed to urban governance and policy processes through UN-Habitat, UNDP, UNEP and the Commonwealth Secretariat, including engagement with city governments and participation in ministerial and intergovernmental policy forums shaping sustainable urban development.

I serve as Co-Chair (Education and Capacity Building) of UN-Habitat’s Planners for Climate Action and as former Chair of the Commonwealth Association of Planners Young Planners Network, supporting international capacity-building and policy dialogue on climate-responsive planning. I am also Executive Producer of The Planning Nation, a multimedia platform advancing public engagement in planning, governance and quality-of-life debates.

In addition, I contribute to professional and standards development through the Royal Town Planning Institute, where I serve on the International Committee, and through the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP). I also serve on the ISO/CH 314 UK Input Committee at the British Standards Institution, contributing to the development of international standards on governance and quality of life in ageing societies.