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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Shed housing in the UK – looking beyond stereotypes
11 March 2019
Melanie Lombard, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Sheffield Over the last decade, the phenomenon of ‘beds in sheds’ has regularly caused consternation among media and policy observers. The issue of shed housing has appeared on local and government agendas, and periodically resurfaces in the mainstream press, suggesting that is an enduring phenomenon. […]
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A New Greater Manchester Partnership for Education, Skills and Training
6 March 2019
The Greater Manchester Independent Prosperity Review, from a panel of leading economists, has listed among its key recommendations an idea Professor Ruth Lupton and Professor Lorna Unwin had put forward. Their idea is to create a Greater Manchester Partnership for Education, Skills and Training, with a similar ambition to the Greater Manchester Health and Social […]
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Can Greater Manchester blaze the trail with an inclusive local industrial strategy?
4 March 2019
Greater Manchester (GM) is one of a handful of ‘trailblazer’ areas selected to work with government on a local industrial strategy (LIS), due to be signed off in a few weeks’ time. As deliberations enter their final stages, Ruth Lupton, Head of the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit (IGAU), looks at how the strategy might shape […]
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Can Greater Manchester blaze the trail with an inclusive local industrial strategy?
4 March 2019
Greater Manchester (GM) is one of a handful of ‘trailblazer’ areas selected to work with government on a local industrial strategy (LIS), due to be signed off in a few weeks’ time. As deliberations enter their final stages, Ruth Lupton, Head of the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit (IGAU), looks at how the strategy might shape […]
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Lesbian and gay foster care and adoption: what’s changed over the last 20 years?
4 March 2019
For LGBT+ Adoption and Fostering Week 2019, Dr Stephen Hicks, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, discusses the changes in policy over the last 20 years and the impact they have had on LGBTQ+ adopters and foster carers. Only 18 years ago, same-sex couples were not legally able jointly to adopt, and Section 28 of the […]
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Why is government progress on fuel poverty stalling in England?
15 February 2019
In a recent report, the Committee on Fuel Poverty highlighted that progress on fuel poverty in England is stalling. On Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, Caitlin Robinson, Lecturer in Geography, reflects on reasons for this lack of progress and envisions a more ambitious approach to tackling fuel poverty. There is no typical profile of a fuel […]
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Is it time to address accent as part of the Teachers’ Standards?
29 January 2019
Dr Alex Baratta, Lecturer in Language, Linguistics and Communications at the Manchester Institute of Education, discusses the ambiguity of ‘articulacy’ in the Teachers’ Standards and its effects on teachers and their accents. The Teachers’ Standards state that teachers in England and Wales must use standard English and demonstrate ‘articulacy’. There is no mention of accent […]
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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 has been found to rise to […]
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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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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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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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