Manchester Urban Institute blog
Catch up on the most recent posts from our 'Urban' and 'Growth and Inclusion' blogs located on the Policy@Manchester website.
Global Development Institute blog posts in partnership with MUI
The Global Development Institute works closely with the Manchester Urban Institute, with many colleagues affiliates of both institutions. Read more about some of our joint events.
Dealing with COVID-19 in the towns and cities of the global South.
Global Development Institute - 25 March 2020
What creates a pro-poor politics and the possibility of participatory planning?
Global Development Institute - 14 May 2019
GDI Lecture: Ambitious and ambiguous public investments in African cities with Edgar Pieterse
Global Development Institute - 10 May 2019
External blog posts by colleagues
Next COVID casualty: Cities hit hard by the pandemic face bankruptcy
Mark Davidson, Kevin Ward - 30 July 2020
Beyond the rainbows: the missing voices of children and young people in this pandemic
Deborah Ralls - 10 July 2020
Temporary urban solutions help us deal with crisis – and can lead to radical shifts in city space
Michael Martin, Iain Deas, Stephen Hincks - 15 April 2020
Nature rebounding in the peri-urban landscapes that the industrial revolution left behind: North West England’s carbon landscape
Janice Astbury, Joanne Tippett - 3 January 2019
I Have Seen the Future
Diana Mitlin - 24 September 2018
Egypt is building a new capital city from scratch – here’s how to avoid inequality and segregation
Nuno Pinto, Aya Badawy - 24 September 2018
Transforming Beijing through eco-urbanisation: the development of Xiongan New Special Zone, China’s ‘second capital’
Zhan Wang, Xiangzheng Deng, Cecilia Wong, Jiancheng Chen - 14 July 2017
Beijing’s green infrastructure – addressing climate change in a rapidly urbanising megacity
Wei Zheng, Cecilia Wong - 6 July 2017
The challenges of sustainability and well being in the context of rapid urbanisation: the situation in Beijing
Miao Qiao - 3 July 2017 (First published at Blogged Environment, the blog of the Built Environment journal)
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Rise to the top: Socially responsible public procurement
19 October 2020
Amidst the social and economic challenges of a post-Brexit, post-COVID landscape, public procurement is gaining increased visibility and legitimacy as a policy tool. Effective 1 January 2021, the UK is positioned to become the first nation in the world to mandate that taxpayer-funded contracts are fully leveraged to maximise social value. A minimum 10% weighting […]
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Protecting our children’s memory – how can we tackle the scourge of poor air quality in and around our schools?
8 October 2020
Every day, children are exposed to levels of pollution, both during their journeys to and from school but also in playgrounds and classrooms. Results from a new literature review carried out by The University of Manchester suggests traffic-related air pollution, specifically particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), are detrimental to cognitive functioning in children […]
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COVID-19 and sustainable everyday routines
1 October 2020
Climate change requires rapid and fundamental transformation of our society to change the way that resources like energy and water are used during everyday routines. However, unsustainable consumption proves surprisingly impervious to policies and interventions intended to reduce emissions, not least because taken-for-granted ways of living become ‘locked-in’ by cultural and material conditions of society. […]
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Getting women’s voices into policymaking in Greater Manchester
26 August 2020
Progress toward achieving equality in life chances, so that all citizens can fulfil their potential, has been slow. Despite women in the UK having the vote for over 100 years and protection from equalities legislation since the 1970s, there are still significant inequalities in the educational, employment, care and retirement choices available to men and […]
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Recognising the role of key workers now and in the future employment landscape
18 August 2020
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the country has become more aware and appreciative of the workers now called ‘key workers’. However, organisational change and deregulation over recent years has led to high levels of job degradation in key work sectors. In this blog, Gail Hebson and Miguel Martínez Lucio introduce and present research from a range […]
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How to support refugees’ and asylum seekers’ health and wellbeing
10 August 2020
Spending time in an allotment was permitted as a form of exercise throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, and as it eases, provides a physically distanced way of socialising. In this blog, researcher Jo Biglin outlines the vital role these spaces play in the mental and physical wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees, and suggests policies to […]
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How to support refugees’ and asylum seekers’ health and wellbeing
10 August 2020
Spending time in an allotment was permitted as a form of exercise throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, and as it eases, provides a physically distanced way of socialising. In this blog, researcher Jo Biglin outlines the vital role these spaces play in the mental and physical wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees, and suggests policies to […]
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Sharing the load: How work sharing can reduce unemployment, improve gender equality, and benefit mental health
3 August 2020
The need to build back better has received widespread endorsement, not only because the COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity for change but also because it has revealed the high price paid by those facing inequality in the labour market, including inequality by gender. Here, Professor Jill Rubery, Director of the Work and Equalities Institute, discusses […]
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Bogus self-employment and COVID-19: an added layer of insecurity
20 July 2020
The outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis has raised concerns about its impact on precarious and vulnerable workers when most of them have been at the front line during the crisis and their work has been revealed as essential. Dr Marti Lopez-Andreu, from the Work and Equalities Institute, investigates some of these key workers in areas […]
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How resilient were UK regions to the 2008 financial crisis? Recovery policies for COVID-19 crisis
14 July 2020
Dr Marianne Sensier, Professor Fiona Devine and Dr Elvira Uyarra have conducted research comparing the economic resilience of UK sub-regions in recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. In this blog, they map the resilience across the UK in recovery from the financial crisis and suggest policies for increasing resilience for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. […]
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The retrofitting challenge in Manchester
13 July 2020
During January-March 2020, Mateusz Ziembla, together with Dr Elvira Uyarra and Professor Jonatan Pinkse, undertook a study for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), funded by Research England, aimed at analysing the challenges associated with improving the energy efficiency of existing housing stock in order to articulate recommendations for policy action. Cost-effective decarbonisation of domestic […]
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#HereToDeliver: Valuing food delivery workers in the future
25 June 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore a new cadre of valued workers. And it’s not the corporate CEO or senior business leader but the delivery workers that are helping cafes and restaurants stay open (in some form) during lockdown. Cristina Inversi, Aude Cefaliello and Tony Dundon of the Work and Equalities Institute (WEI) […]
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The voluntary and community sector and COVID-19: Going to war without ammunition?
16 June 2020
COVID-19 has forced us all to rethink how to maintain social connections in the neighbourhoods where we live and work. For the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE), this has meant a rapid rethink in how to provide services whilst observing social distancing guidelines. In this blog, Sophie Yarker and Kirsty Bagnall, along with Tine Buffel, Patty […]
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COVID-19 and the future of urban mobility
12 June 2020
COVID-19 has comprehensively disrupted urban mobility systems. Public transport authorities are running skeleton services, while streets are less congested. In the midst of lockdown conditions, urban mobility systems look unrecognisable. Here, Dr Mike Hodson and Professor Andrew McMeekin reflect on how different areas have responded to the lockdown, and discuss key considerations that will shape […]
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Building back a gender balanced better – devolution, growth and equalities
11 June 2020
As the initial period of lockdown is slowly relaxed, the policy agenda in all parts of the UK is turning to examine recovery from the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. Policymakers in our major city regions are considering how to start up and stimulate economic activity where safe to do so; help firms and […]
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COVID-19 and the challenge of crisis urbanism | James Evans, Karen Lucas, Jim Walker and Bronwen Thornton
8 June 2020
The post COVID-19 and the challenge of crisis urbanism | James Evans, Karen Lucas, Jim Walker and Bronwen Thornton appeared first on Manchester Urban Institute blog.
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Not enough beds, not enough care: putting New York City’s COVID-19 crisis in context | Caitlin Henry
8 June 2020
The post Not enough beds, not enough care: putting New York City’s COVID-19 crisis in context | Caitlin Henry appeared first on Manchester Urban Institute blog.
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COVID-19: What should transport and mobility responses be now and beyond?
3 June 2020
The measures we put in place around transport and mobility are critical to how we emerge from this pandemic and rebuild in the coming years. In this blog, Dr Ransford A. Acheampong examines how to make transport safe as some of the most vulnerable groups are returning to work, and shows that active travel is […]
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The COVID-19 lockdown has forced us to decentralise work: let’s not go back | Matthew Harrison
27 May 2020
The post The COVID-19 lockdown has forced us to decentralise work: let’s not go back | Matthew Harrison appeared first on Manchester Urban Institute blog.
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease and COVID-19: experiences of those well versed in social distancing | Poppy Budworth.
21 May 2020
The post Inflammatory Bowel Disease and COVID-19: experiences of those well versed in social distancing | Poppy Budworth. appeared first on Manchester Urban Institute blog.
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