Projects – Urban Transformations

Bright Futures: Reinventing European Industrial Towns and Challenging Dominant Post-Industrial Discourses

project

While discussions around post-industrial towns in Europe are frequently characterised by a discourse of decline, this overlooks the success of many small towns in navigating the changing economic realities of the last few decades. Bright Futures:…

Development Frontiers in Crime, Livelihoods and Urban Poverty in Nigeria (FCLP)

project

Conventional analyses of crime, based on European research models, are often poorly suited to assessing the specific dimensions of criminality in Africa. Development Frontiers in Crime, Livelihoods and Urban Poverty in Nigeria (FCLP) aims to provide…

Knowledge in Action for Urban Equality (KNOW)

project

With over half of the world’s populations living in urban areas, improving the living conditions in every country depends on humanity’s capacity to address urban challenges. Knowledge in Action for Urban Equality (KNOW) is a response…

Understanding and Enhancing the Community Value of Traditional Retail Markets in UK Cities (Markets4People)

project

While traditional retail markets have played an important role in the life of towns and cities for centuries, they now face increasing pressure as the rise of corporate retail, alongside public sector cuts, have left many…

A World of Rust Belts?: Deindustrialisation and Its Impacts in Cities in the Global South

project

There has been much discussion in Europe and the US over the last few decades on the impacts of globalisation on Western industry, with production increasingly outsourced elsewhere: indeed, this has formed a central element in…

The Financialisation of Urban Development and Associated Financial Risks in China

project

The rapid growth of China’s housing and infrastructure in recent years has been sustained in part by the emergence of novel land-based financing mechanisms. However, while these models have supported significant economic growth, there is still…

The Economic Impacts of Brexit on the UK, its Regions, its Cities and its Sectors

project

The implications of Brexit on local economies are likely to be particularly significant in many of the areas that voted most strongly for it. Developing a robust response to this period of change requires a detailed…

Urban Development amid the ‘New Scramble’ for Africa

project

Against a backdrop of rapid urbanization and increasing Chinese engagement in Africa, cities across the region are now being shaped profoundly by Chinese finance, investment and infrastructure development. Yet despite growing attention to China’s role in…

Rurality as a Vehicle for Urban Sanitation Transformation (RUST)

project

Access to basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity is still limited for many millions of urban residents across India. This is particularly the case in informal settlements and recently urbanised areas, many of which…

Cities of Making: Resources for Activating New Urban Industry through Technology, Spatial Design and Transition Governance

project

Across Europe, urban manufacturing has witnessed widespread decline as shifting global economies have seen much of this activity offshored elsewhere. Cities of Making: Resources for Activating New Urban Industry through Technology, Spatial Design and Transition Governance…