Challenges faced by rural communities are being investigated by a consortium of academics after the RTPI appointed academics to consider what may need to change.
Rural Planning in the 2020s, as it has been named, will look at rural planning in the UK and Ireland and how it may need to adjust to changes such as flooding and climate change.
The aim for the consortium is to consider how rural communities can meet policy and practice objectives to achieve sustainable development.
Investigations will involve round table discussions and engagement with those working on the ground in rural areas.
John Sturzaker FRTPI, professor at the University of Hertfordshire has been chosen to lead the consortium, with findings expected to be available in May 2022.
Sturzaker said: "Rural communities in the UK and Ireland face some particular challenges, many of which have been thrown into sharp relief by Brexit and Covid-19, and they are often at the sharp end of the impacts of climate change, such as increased flooding.
"In this project we will be exploring how rural communities in the different regions and nations of the UK and Ireland are adapting to these sorts of issues and highlighting examples of interesting and innovative practice."
Head of policy, practice and research at RTPI, Richard Blyth said: "The challenges that rural communities are facing in the 2020s are wide and varied. The urgent need to tackle and adapt to climate change, as well as to understand and address the short and long-term impacts of the pandemic are not just matters affecting our towns and cities.
"The implications on rural communities are great, and we need to ensure that the planning system can equip rural communities and local authorities with the right tools to meet these challenges head-on. We believe that this project will benefit greatly from the wealth of knowledge and expertise of this academic consortium, and we eagerly await their findings and recommendations on this vast and important topic."
