Town planners have urged professionals to move beyond punitive, approval-focused development control to a proactive, people-centred system that guides sustainable urban development.

A former President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Waheed Kadiri, made the call at the 2026 Young Planners Forum (YPF) Week and yearly general meeting in Lagos, themed “Beyond Control: Repositioning Town Planning for Sustainable Physical Development”.

Kadiri, a former Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), urged practitioners to prioritise guidance and compliance before enforcement, stressing that planning must go beyond marking buildings for violations.

“Planning must be an all-time issue, and control should not dictate our activities but serve as a tool. We must move from cooperation to collaboration and uphold integrity and professional ethics,” he said.

He advised young planners to master the profession, embrace data-driven planning, strengthen their financial capacity and understand its business dimension. While technology was essential, he said, it could not replace leadership and good governance.

The outgoing YPF Coordinator, Bashiru Idris, said development control alone could not build good cities, urging planners to shape development through proactive plans, reliable data and public-interest-driven practice.

He highlighted the forum’s achievements, including nine editions of the Young Planners’ Series featuring local and international academics and professionals.

Idris urged the incoming executives to complete the review of the forum’s operational guidelines, launch its website, digitise its membership database, secure sustainable funding and establish a permanent office.

A representative of the Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC), Adebisi Ogunlewe, decried poor coordination across planning, housing, transportation, water and power sectors, saying fragmented governance delayed plan implementation, wasted resources and undermined environmental sustainability.

He urged planners to expand their focus beyond development control, strengthen collaboration with government, investors and other built-environment professionals, and promote inclusive planning through wider consultation.

Ogunlewe also called for reliable databases, stronger professional ethics, greater technology adoption and effective mentorship, warning that outdated data undermined sound planning.

The Chairman of NITP, Lagos State chapter, Dr David Olawale, urged the new executives to demonstrate commitment and rally members to strengthen the profession.

“The future of this profession lies in our generation; therefore, we cannot afford to fail,” he said, calling for deeper reflection and action to correct existing shortcomings and build sustainable and livable cities.