The format
How to apply it
Using the results
Different versions

Capacitycheck can be used either to assess the present skills, awareness and understanding of an individual or organisation; or to determine what capacity a person, project or organisation requires.

Training and education
Some uses of Capacitycheck	What it can create
Individuals planning their own continuing professional development (CPD).	A personal development plan
Devising training programmes (for councillors, design champions, communities, clients and various types of professionals, for example).	A training programme and training materials
Devising education courses in urban design.	The curriculum for an urban design course
Devising education courses for other built environment specialisms where it is important to increase the urban design and placemaking content.	The urban design content of a course
Professional institutes planning how to enhance the urban design content of their accreditation standards, their accredited courses, and their CPD events and requirements.	Improved accreditation and CPD standards, and a programme for CPD events and courses

Planning for professional development

"The time has passed when someone would select a profession, engage in years of study and stay in that profession for a complete working life. People now adapt and change their jobs as interests and opportunities present themselves. Capacitycheck helps them to ensure that they have considered all the skills they might need to further their own individual career path."

Colin Davis

Coordinator, Public Realm Information and Advice Network

Policy and guidance
Some uses of Capacitycheck	What it can create
Deciding the coverage of a local authority's planning policy and guidance.	A programme for formulating policy and publishing guidance

Training for planners and elected members

"A complex mix of skills is needed to create places that add to the quality of life of all who live, work and visit an area. I welcome Capacitycheck as a way of helping build the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to design living space and communities. I particularly endorse training for planners and the elected members determining planning decisions."

Phil Kirby

President, Planning Officers' Society

Local authorities, agencies and other organisations
Some uses of Capacitycheck	What it can create
Setting out a minimum urban design capacity that organisations should have. (The raw Capacitycheck framework does not constitute such a minimum capacity, but it provides a method for deciding what that capacity should be). Organisations could be persuaded to achieve this capacity, and the government and other agencies to support them in this.	A regional or national standard for urban design capacity
Organisations assessing their own urban design capacities, creating an objective benchmark to check against annually.	A benchmark of the organisation's urban design capacity

Design skills for Scottish planning authorities

"Planning authorities who are keen to translate their overall commitment to facilitating better design into practice on a day-to-day basis will be able to use Capacitycheck in many different ways as a support tool. The flexibility and functionality of Capacitycheck is unique. That is a key reason for supporting its use by Scottish planning authorities as part of the wider design skills capacity building that is occurring."

Emma Richardson

Programme manager, The Improvement Service, Scotland

Design champions
Some uses of Capacitycheck	What it can create
Setting out recommended standards of awareness and understanding for design champions.	A regional or national standard for design champions, and training programmes to achieve it.

Capacity building for design champions

"We plan to use Capacitycheck in drawing up our training programme for the region's design champions. It will help us to find out what they know and understand, and to work with them in deciding what are the most important priorities."

Frances Downie

Director, Shape East (the architecture and built environment centre for the Eastern Region)

Decision-making
Some uses of Capacitycheck	What it can create
Acting as a checklist to aid balanced decision-making.	An audit trail for balanced decisions

Skills assessment for construction management

"Turner & Townsend were pleased to be involved in the consultation stage of the development of Capacitycheck. We used it in formulating our successful bid for reappointment on the English Partnerships framework panel for project and cost management services. We see Capacitycheck as bringing a structured approach to assessing skills and capability gaps at the initiation of a project, as well as a checklist to ensure that the fundamental principles of creating sustainable places are being addressed through the project's life-cycle."

Mark Richards

Director, Turner & Townsend Project Management

Employers
Some uses of Capacitycheck	What it can create
An employer deciding what sort of person to hire, and drawing up a job description and person specification.	A job description and person specification
Carrying out an annual review of an employee and discussing with them how to improve their urban design capacity.	An annual review and personal development programme

Urban design training for London boroughs

"In organising urban design training for local authority officers and councillors, we want to make sure that every event is useful and provides just what each individual needs. Capacitycheck has been really useful, helping me think about what people might need to do, and what knowledge and skills they need. It is the basis from which I am building a new three-year urban design training programme for all London authorities."

Esther Kurland

Director, Urban Design London

Projects
Some uses of Capacitycheck	What it can create
Drawing up the brief for an urban design project.	A project brief
Assessing the range of skills required to undertake an urban design project.	A specification for a balanced, multidisciplinary project team
Drawing up lists of practices that will be invited to tender for urban design projects.	A list of approved practices
Assessing potential project teams as part of a tender process, to ensure that they have the capacity to deliver the urban design project.	An assessment of the urban design capacity of a potential project team

Formulating briefs and appointing teams

"There can be only benefit in encouraging higher levels and a deeper understanding of urban design. Capacitycheck can be used by anyone interested in the urban design process. My hope is that clients will use it when formulating briefs and in appointing consultant teams that demonstrate the right mix of skills for the job rather than a do-it-all approach to urban design."

Ben van Bruggen

Director of Urban Design, Savills Planning and Regeneration

Accreditation
Some uses of Capacitycheck	What it can create
Assessing urban design practitioners (and related professionals) for purposes of accreditation.	Accreditation standards

Raising standards of professional excellence

"The use of a well-thought-out urban design competency framework – like Capacitycheck – could prove important in setting standards of excellence for built environment professionals, and their employers, involved in shaping successful places through the application of urban design principles and practice. This could raise the status of urban design without creating another narrow and exclusive profession."

Carlton Roberts-James

Head of Skills, CABE