Nine Built Environment Bodies Launch New Five-Year EDI Action Plan

Nine of the UK's leading professional bodies for the built environment announced in early February 2026 that they had agreed on the next phase of their joint B.E. Inclusive equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiative, extending the collaboration into a new five-year programme running from 2025 to 2030.

The initiative was first launched in 2022 with six founding institutions, and has since expanded to nine with the addition of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES), the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT), and the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) in 2025. The current nine signatories collectively represent over 400,000 built environment professionals and include the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Landscape Institute (LI), and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

The refreshed 2025–2030 action plan formalises a renewed programme of joint work focusing on data collection and analysis across the professions, talent pipeline development, and industry culture change. The recent B.E. Inclusive chief executive meeting was described as an important milestone in reviewing progress to date and shaping delivery of the new plan.

RIBA CEO Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick MBE said: "As we enter the next phase of the action plan, we reaffirm our commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion across the built environment. By taking a clear, action-focused, collaborative approach, we can build a profession that reflects the society we serve."