OUR HISTORY

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) was established in 1908. In January 1944 the South African Branch of the RTPI was founded in Johannesburg. In 1954 the South African Institute of Town and Regional Planners (SAITRP) was established.

In 1984, the South African Council of Town and Regional Planners was formed in terms of the Town and Regional Planners Act, 1984 (Act No 19 of 1984). As a consequence, the statutory role and functions of the SAITRP fell away

The Development Planning Association of South Africa (DPASA) was founded in January 1994, in response to concerns and perceptions amongst a group of Planners that the profession and the SAITRP was not doing enough to promote the transformation of society and the Planning Profession in South Africa, nor creating sufficient opportunities for the empowerment of Planners from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.

The SAITRP and DPASA amalgamated to form the South African Planning Institution (SAPI) on 1 July 1996.