Urban Planning Society of China

What Urban Planning Society of China does

The China Association of City Planning (CACP / 中国城市规划协会) is a national-level, industry-wide social organization (社会团体) founded in 1993 and registered with China's Ministry of Civil Affairs under the policy guidance of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD). It is the sole state-authorized national industry association for China's urban planning sector, with exclusive mandate to manage the National Registered Urban Planner credentialing system (processing approximately 1,500 new certifications per month) and to organize the Outstanding Urban Planning Design Award — the only state-approved planning award in the country, held biennially since 1998.

CACP's core products and digital infrastructure comprise five interconnected platforms: (1) the Member Service System (user.cacp.org.cn) for membership management, event registration, and bidding; (2) the National Registered Urban Planner Management System (zgxt.cacp.org.cn) for professional credentialing and continuing education; (3) the Project Evaluation System for award applications; (4) the Bidding System for industry tenders; and (5) the Urban Planning Micro-Classroom (weplanning.cn) for online continuing education. It also co-publishes the peer-reviewed 'Urban and Rural Planning' academic journal (ISSN CN31-2128/TU) with Fudan University and produces a biweekly Planning Newsletter. The organization operates with a lean staff of 8 employees, supported by 8 specialized professional committees covering planning design, urban surveying, information management, exhibition, female planners, youth planners, overseas institutions, and planning research centers.

CACP's business model is nonprofit membership-based, generating revenue from institutional membership dues (planning institutes, design firms, universities, government-affiliated research bodies), per-person event registration fees (e.g., 1,000 CNY per attendee for annual professional committee meetings), professional training and certification service fees, and standards/publications sales. Its primary customer segments include urban planning design and research institutions (the core institutional membership), government planning departments, urban planning academia, and individual registered urban planners required to complete 108 hours of continuing education per three-year cycle. The Fifth Council comprises 20+ governing organizations representing major planning institutes from Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and other key cities, plus Tsinghua University's School of Architecture.

Name

Urban Planning Society of China

Legal name

中国城市规划协会

Website

https://cacp.org.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The China Association of City Planning (CACP) is the sole state-authorized national industry association for China's urban planning sector, managing the Registered Urban Planner credentialing system and the state-approved Outstanding Urban Planning Design Award. It serves hundreds of planning institutes, design firms, universities, and government bodies through membership services, conferences, technical standards, and continuing education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Architecture, Planning & Surveying (AIA, Planning, Land Surveyor CE) (EDAAALAG)

Keywords

• Urban planning services
• Professional certification programs
• Industry association services
• Continuing professional education
• Planning standards development

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues and annual fees: The association collects membership dues from its member units. Annual fees are paid by member organizations including planning institutes, design firms, universities, and government-affiliated research institutions.
2. Event registration fees: The association charges registration fees for annual conferences and professional events. For example, the 2026 Planning Design Professional Committee Annual Meeting in Nanning charged 1,000 CNY per participant.
3. Professional services and training: The association offers continuing education for registered urban planners, training courses, and certification services, which generate service fee revenue.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Urban Planning Society of China (CACP) is the national-level industry association for urban planning in China, providing professional certification management for Registered Urban Planners, organizing the biennial Outstanding Urban Planning Design Award, developing industry standards and technical guidelines, and offering continuing education, conferences, and publications for member institutions and individual professionals. It serves as the official channel between China's urban planning industry and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Product overview

The China Association of City Planning (CACP) operates a comprehensive digital service ecosystem consisting of multiple interconnected platforms. The core infrastructure includes the Member Service System for membership management, the National Registered Urban Planner Management System for professional credentialing, a Project Evaluation System for the Excellent Urban Planning Design Award, and a Bidding System for industry tenders. Supporting these are the Urban Planning Micro-Classroom for continuing education and two publication platforms: the bimonthly Urban Planning academic journal and the biweekly Planning Newsletter. These systems collectively serve the urban planning industry's professional development, credential management, project collaboration, and knowledge sharing needs across China.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Registered Urban Planner Management System (注册城乡规划师管理系统)
• Outstanding Urban Planning Design Award (优秀城市规划设计奖)
• Urban Planning Micro-Classroom (城乡规划微课堂)
• Urban and Rural Planning Journal (《城乡规划》杂志)
• Annual Conferences and Professional Committee Meetings
• CACP Group Standards Program (团体标准)
• OPDI International Exchange Program (Planning Design Overseas Institutions Working Committee)
• Member Service System and Bidding Platform (会员服务系统)

Quantifiable outcome

• 585 planning projects received Outstanding Urban Planning Design Awards in the 2021 edition alone, demonstrating the scale of industry participation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (住房和城乡建设部)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993CACP maintains a close working relationship with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, which provides policy guidance and oversight. The ministry is listed as a key link on CACP's official website, and ministry officials regularly attend and speak at CACP events.
• Ministry of Natural Resources (自然资源部)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry of Natural Resources is listed as a key link and partner organization. It collaborates with CACP on national spatial planning standards, land use planning, and surveying standards.
• National Development and Reform Commission (发展改革委)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key link on CACP's official website, collaborating on national development planning policy.
• Fudan University (复旦大学)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCACP co-publishes the peer-reviewed journal 'Urban and Rural Planning' (城乡规划) with Fudan University and the Shanghai Culture Publishing House. The journal is co-organized by Fudan University Urban Development Institute and Shanghai Fudan Urban Planning and Design Institute, with ISSN CN31-2128/TU.
• Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key link on CACP's official website, representing academic and research collaboration in urban planning science.
• Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社科院)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a key link on CACP's official website for policy research and theoretical guidance collaboration.
• International Federation of Surveyors (FIG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCACP's Urban Surveying Professional Committee actively participates in FIG (International Federation of Surveyors), an internationally recognized organization in surveying, cadastral, and spatial planning. In 2026, CACP helped secure Haqing as the host of the 2030 FIG Congress with 73.6% support rate, the first time the event will be held in China in FIG's 148-year history.
• AIA International - American Institute of Architects (美国建筑师协会)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCACP's OPDI working committee co-organizes academic events with AIA International. The 'Public Realm of Future AI Innovation Hub'沙龙 was jointly organized with AIA International and Yale Center Beijing in July 2026.
• Yale Center Beijing (耶鲁北京中心)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCACP's OPDI partnered with Yale Center Beijing and AIA International to co-host the 'Public Realm of Future AI Innovation Hub' academic沙龙 in Beijing, July 2026.
• Sri Lanka Port of Colombo City and International Financial Center ProjectflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCACP organized a planning design consultation team that conducted multiple site visits to Sri Lanka's Colombo Port City project in 2024, providing expert advisory opinions on the project's urban planning enhancement. This international cooperation demonstrates CACP's role in promoting Chinese planning expertise abroad.
• Guangxi Urban Planning Association (广西城市规划协会)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted the 2026 Planning Design Professional Committee Annual Meeting in Nanning, Guangxi. Represents CACP's model of delegating event organization to provincial associations.
• Shenzhen Urban Planning Association (深圳市城市规划协会)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-organized the 2026 High-Quality Urban Renewal Seminar and 12th Sub-Provincial Planning Unit Business Exchange in Shenzhen. Collaborates with CACP on youth planner initiatives and industry events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• American Institute of Architects (AIA): The US national professional association for architects, already collaborating with CACP's OPDI working committee on the 'Public Realm of Future AI Innovation Hub' academic salon. Comparable as a peer professional association in an adjacent design and built-environment discipline.
• World Resources Institute (WRI) Ross Center for Sustainable Cities: A global research organization working on sustainable urban development, comparable in thought-leadership and convening role but operating internationally as an NGO rather than a national membership association. Relevant peer for CACP's expanding international advisory engagements.
• International Federation of Surveyors (FIG): The international federation for the surveying profession, with which CACP's Urban Surveying Professional Committee actively partners and just secured the 2030 FIG Congress for China. Comparable as a global professional federation, though focused on surveying rather than urban planning.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Land Institute: A global research and education organization focused on land use and real estate development, with a broader scope than CACP covering real estate, investment, and development policy. Comparable as a thought-leadership and convening organization in the urban/land-use space.

Direct peers

• Royal Town Planning Institute: The UK's chartered professional body for town planners, providing professional membership, policy advocacy, education, and the chartered town planner credential. Highly comparable to CACP as a national credentialing and standards-setting body for urban planners in another major market.
• American Planning Association: The national professional association for urban and city planners in the United States, offering credentialing (AICP), publications, awards, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable to CACP as a national-level planning industry association with similar functions (credentialing, awards, publications, advocacy).
• International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP): A global association of urban and regional planners organized around professional excellence, knowledge exchange, and planning practice. CACP already participates in ISOCARP-adjacent international fora (FIG, OPDI), and ISOCARP shares CACP's mission of fostering planning as a recognized profession.
• Chinese Society for Urban Studies (CSUS): A China-based national academic and professional society focused on urban studies research and policy. Directly comparable to CACP in the Chinese market context, with overlapping membership across planning scholars, institutes, and policy researchers.
• Architecture Society of China (中国建筑学会): China's national professional association for the architecture industry, operating under MOHURD with similar functions to CACP including credentialing, standards, awards, and conferences. A natural sister-association peer for CACP given the adjacent profession and shared regulatory umbrella.

Emerging players

• China Land Science Society (中国土地学会): A China-based national society for land science, land use, and land management professionals, overlapping with CACP on land-use planning, rural development, and territorial spatial planning. Functions as a complementary professional body within China's land and planning ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-planning-society-of-china

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Urban Planning Society of China