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.
External blog posts by colleagues
Nature rebounding in the peri-urban landscapes that the industrial revolution left behind: North West England’s carbon landscape
Janice Astbury and 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 and Jiancheng Chen - 14 July 2017
Beijing’s green infrastructure – addressing climate change in a rapidly urbanising megacity
Wei Zheng and Cecilia Wong - 6 July 2017
The challenges of sustainability and well being in the contexgt 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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A lonely new year: how can we prevent loneliness in older age?
16 January 2019
The post-Christmas lull is deemed to be a particularly lonely time for many individuals. As ‘Blue Monday’ fast approaches, Natalie Cotterell, PhD student in Social Statistics, discusses the challenges to successfully tackling loneliness. Approximately 14% of the UK population has reported that they often feel lonely, and this number rises to up to 73% when […]
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The return of industrial democracy: preparing the ground for dealing with wayward capitalism?
2 January 2019
Miguel Martínez Lucio, Professor in the Work and Equalities Institute and the Alliance Manchester Business School at The University of Manchester, and an expert of worker participation, trade union questions and the role of the state, discusses the renewed interest in industrial democracy and the need for a strategic plan. There is a growing interest […]
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Empire and the World War One Centenary: Remembrance as racialisation?
17 December 2018
Dr Meghan Tinsley, a Presidential Fellow in Ethnicity and Inequalities, reflects on the four years of the First World War centenary, asking to what extent collective memory of the war remains white and Eurocentric. She argues that in pursuit of a more global narrative of past and present, history curricula should emphasise three themes: the […]
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Open creative Labs in the urban context: Why do they proliferate
29 November 2018
A blog post by Oliver Ibert, Verena Brinks and Suntje Schmidt, The Leibniz Institute on Research on Society and Space (IRS). Oliver Ibert was Hallsworth Visiting Professor to MUI in October-November 2018 During the past two decades, cities around the world have witnessed an impressive proliferation of a new type of places dedicated to work […]
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Immigration in its place: how policy needs to recognise geography
14 November 2018
Ken Clark, Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, examines the Migration Advisory Committee’s recent report and discusses the need for place-based migration policy. The Migration Advisory Committee has persistently rejected calls for regional variation in the framework that regulates migration in the UK. It is clear that patterns of migration, and thus its […]
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Humanity in the spotlight: the investor’s responsibility
8 November 2018
As The University of Manchester prepares to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Dr Lara Bianchi from the Business and Human Rights Catalyst at the Alliance Manchester Business School discusses the responsibility investors have in ensuring human rights are part of a company’s strategy. 82% of all of the growth […]
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What happens to those who ‘miss the mark’ in GCSE English and maths?
6 November 2018
As part of the publication of a new working paper on the characteristics and post-16 transitions of GCSE ‘lower attainers,’ Ruth Lupton, Sanne Velthuis, Stephanie Thomson and Lorna Unwin reflect on the progress made by those with lower GCSE attainment during the 16-18 phase, and highlight the need for appropriate, high-quality post-16 provision for all […]
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Stop describing modern slavery as ‘evil’
5 November 2018
David Gadd is Professor of Criminology and Rose Broad is Senior Lecturer in Criminology both at the University of Manchester. They are working together on the ESRC funded Perpetrators of Modern Slavery Offences Project. This blog highlights how: modern slavery and immigration law have become intertwined; referring to modern slavery as ‘evil’ idealises victims in […]
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Is the Immigration Act 2016 a racist policy against BME citizens in the housing market?
22 October 2018
Dr William Shankley, a research associate at the Centre of Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE), examines the impacts of the Immigration Act 2016 on black and minority ethnic (BME) citizens within the housing market and asks if it is a measure to further the government’s hostile environment. There is a long history of BME households facing […]
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Can British universities be sites for reparative justice?
15 October 2018
This October is Black History Month, and despite some local councils’ attempts to dilute and replace it with ‘diversity’ agendas, the ongoing Windrush scandal has served as a stark reminder of some of the continued misunderstandings about Black history in Britain. Dr Karis Campion discusses the responsibility universities have in creating honest conversations on their […]
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Expert reaction – Environmental Audit Committee report
30 July 2018
The Environmental Audit Committee launched its report on heat-related deaths and included a series of recommendations for the Government. Dr Claire Hoolohan Research Fellow at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, considers how suitable recommendations in this report around water use are, and what additions she’d like to see. Claire’s current project, working with […]
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UK modern slavery policy: the structure of the problem and government commitment
27 June 2018
In the context of renewed criticism of the 2015 UK Modern Slavery Act, Rose Broad and Nick Turnbull discuss human trafficking and modern slavery policy development. They find continuities in policy that, despite being repackaged as ‘slavery’ have resulted in unintended consequences and implementation difficulties leading to recently highlighted failures. In the last 12 months, […]
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Little – if any – evidence to suggest increased stop and search can reduce levels of violent crime
14 February 2018
The use of stop and search has reduced in recent years in London, but there have been recent calls to increase its use. Matteo Tiratelli argues that a new study finds little, if any evidence, to suggest increased stop and search can reduce levels of violent crime. As violent crime has risen, there’s been a […]
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What’s not to like about regeneration?
8 January 2018
Appraisals of regeneration have previously focused on the benefits such schemes bring, rather than also looking at costs and risks. Here Dr Julia Kasmire and Matjaz Vidmar use Glasgow as a case study to ask who stands to benefit the most from regeneration. Glasgow’s regeneration scheme has promised 15,000 new jobs but it is not […]
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Discover Society blog
13 December 2017
On the ‘meat edge’? Meat consumption and reduction in middle class urban China
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Official Statistics are a public good – they need to be richer
6 December 2017
This week, the Office for National Statistics held its Economic Forum at The University of Manchester. Here, Professor Diane Coyle reflects on the event and the case for more regional statistics. The city devolution deals mean the new combined authorities around the country have a pressing need for the statistics relevant to their geographies The […]
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What is the smart city for? Understanding the needs of cities
28 November 2017
A blog post by Professor James Evans, Manchester Urban Institute, University of Manchester and Steve Turner, Smart Cities Lead, Arup. The term smart cities conjures up futuristic visions of drone-ports and self-driving cars set amongst shiny high-rise buildings and green landscapes. But do such visions reflect the actual needs of cities? In England over half […]
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Charting a course to better jobs in Greater Manchester
26 October 2017
Resolution Foundation research reveals five key challenges: halting the region’s relative decline, addressing the growth in ‘atypical’ work, ending the pay squeeze, encouraging progression and ensuring young people can access well-paid work. Getting people into work should be a priority, but more attention needs to be paid to the types of jobs. People on zero […]
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Learning from the draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework process
6 September 2017
Graham Haughton, Professor of Urban Planning at The University of Manchester outlines 12 lessons from the recent debates around a new Spatial Framework for Greater Manchester. The Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) is a 20 year strategic plan for the city region. The draft GMSF was planned for what should have been an election free […]
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Where next for green architecture: How will the demise of London’s Garden Bridge impact future investment in urban greening? by Dr Ian Mell
18 August 2017
London’s proposed “Garden Bridge” is no more. After years of controversy, Sadiq Khan, the city’s mayor, has finally sunk the idea into the Thames.
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