Spatial Policy & Analysis Lab

Call for Interest opens for 2026 Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education The University of Manchester has announced the Call for Interest for lightning talks and research posters for its upcoming international conference, Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Balanc...

📣 Call for Interest now open!

The University of Manchester invites educators, researchers, and innovators to join the 2026 international conference:
Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Balancing Equity, Access & Innovation.

🗓️ 9–10 June 2026

🔗: www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/c...

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Blue geometric background with white heading text: “What’s On This Week”. Below, four rounded boxes list workshops with dates and titles: Tuesday 18: Academic Writing for PGRs in Science and Engineering Tuesday 18: Writing a Literature Review in Humanities Wednesday 19: Monthly Career Conversations – CV Masterclass Session Thursday 20: Effective Research Presentation Logos for The University of Manchester and Researcher Development @ Manchester appear in the top right.

Researcher Development Workshops – Week of 18 November 2025

We’ve got a cracking line-up of workshops to help you write smarter, present better, and polish that CV like a pro.

Dates and links in the thread 👇

Step by step: How mayors can make the case for devolution through integrated transport - Centre for Cities To get the most bang for their buck from integrated transport, mayors must prioritise steps based on their existing network and urban form.

Integrated transport can transform access to jobs.

Our latest blog shows that better-connected networks in six big cities could put 1.2m more residents within easy reach of their city centre — a major win for productivity and growth.

Read more 👉 buff.ly/26kRyYs

We're delighted to partner with BEYOND 2025 Conference, showcasing innovative research shaping Greater Manchester's future and promoting the University's support of creative industries.

📅 24–26 November
📍The Lowry, Salford Quays
More info: https://ow.ly/lgFN50XpPHB

Coming up in a couple of weeks!

Cecilia Wong took was on the panel at Monday's 'Reimagining New Towns' event, responding to the report of the New Towns Task Force from a spatial planning perspective.

Cecilia recently co-authored a blog (with Mark Baker and Sui Zhang) available here: blog.policy.manchester.ac.uk/posts/2025/1...

High Hopes, Hard Realities: Civic Universities at the crossroads Get ready to dive deep into the challenges and opportunities facing civic universities today at High Hopes, Hard Realities - see you there!

The third annual Brian Robson Lecture - 'High Hopes, Hard Realities: Civic Universities at the crossroads' - will be delivered by Professor John Goddard OBE on 27 Nov 2025. Book your place via the following Eventbrite link. We hope you can join us there!

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/high-hopes...

Join us on 26 Nov at @manchester.ac.uk for an event to discuss digital solutions to sustainable housing expansion with a panel of experts, and try out the DSH.

To register, please email digital-solutions@manchester.ac.uk with your name, role, organisation, and any dietary/access requirements.

New call for papers: What is the future for global development?

We are pleased to announce that GDI is hosting a conference in April 2026, and we are now accepting abstracts for papers and posters.

Please see the full Call for Papers for more info as well as the form to submit: bit.ly/4omBJ6o

Housing, poverty, and digital exclusion: the multiple ways in which digital inequalities and housing inequalities intersect Given the importance of digital technologies in shaping everyday life, it is widely accepted that digital exclusion is a key facet of poverty. Relatedly, housing inequalities, and the broader struc...

New paper on the interactions between housing and digital inequalities. It highlights how the built environment shapes experiences of digital exclusion, and that housing can be an important focus for improving connectivity. Particularly salient at a time of increasing digitalisation in planning🏠💻

High Hopes, Hard Realities: Civic Universities at the crossroads Get ready to dive deep into the challenges and opportunities facing civic universities today at High Hopes, Hard Realities - see you there!

Still time to register to attend the 3rd Brian Robson Lecture delivered by Professor John Goddard on 27 Nov 2025 at the University of Manchester. Book your place via the following Eventbrite link. We look forward to seeing you there! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/high-hopes...

University contributes to UN Global Sustainability Forum < Social Responsibility In July, the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI), a partnership between global higher education and the United Nations, hosted the HESI Global Forum 2025 as part of the UN High-Level…

@julianskyrme.bsky.social represented @manchester.ac.uk at the HESI Global Forum 2025, part of the UN High-Level Political Forum, joining global experts to explore how universities can drive inclusive and equitable SDG solutions🌍
Read more: www.socialresponsibility.manchester.ac.uk/all-news/uni...

We need #HealthyHomesNow! We're campaigning for political commitment to ensure that all new homes are healthy, secure & genuinely affordable. We’re seeking amendments to the Planning & Infrastructure Bill to deliver healthy homes & neighbourhoods.

Join the campaign:
www.tcpa.org.uk/healthy-home...

Please join us for the 3rd Brian Robson Lecture delivered by Professor John Goddard on 27 Nov 2025 at the University of Manchester. Book your place via the following Eventbrite link. We look forward to seeing you there!

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/high-hopes...

Please join us for the 3rd Brian Robson Lecture delivered by Professor John Goddard on 27 Nov 2025 at the University of Manchester. Book your place via the following Eventbrite link. We look forward to seeing you there!

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/high-hopes...

One of our members, Dr Khashayar Kazemzadeh, spoke to the One Show earlier this week about the future of e-scooters in towns and cities 👇

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PPEM colleagues Ian Mell, Philip Black, Amy Phillips, Lucia Li, and Joe Ravetz also took part across the week. A write-up can be found here: www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/seed/news-an...

Guibo Sun collected the Tony Crook Award for Early Career Research on behalf of his co-author and former PhD student Dongsheng He: www.rtpi.org.uk/events-train...

Richard Kingston presented research on AI for planning, while Rob Richardson shared research on a design coding collaboration with Stockport Council

Several of our members took part in the UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference earlier in September. The annual conference brings together spatial planning scholars and practitioners, and was hosted by Ulster University in Belfast, with the theme 'Looking forward: (re-)imagining planning futures'

Congratulations to all the winners, including Dongsheng He, who's winning entry in the Tony Crook Award for Early Career Research was co-authored with our own Guibo Sun!

Long-term stewardship - Town and Country Planning Association Creating places which enable people to live healthy and fulfilling lives means providing the spaces, places and infrastructure that people need to live well and which enable the natural world to thriv...

We've produced a wealth of guidance & resources to support those interested in long-term stewardship. On 16 October our webinar will explore the practical realities of ongoing management & stewardship of large scale new communities, & wider placemaking and governance. www.tcpa.org.uk/event/stewar...

Naa sitting on a sofa

💜 “Manchester has always been the university to push against the status quo… the Manchester family is a diverse group of people, and it’s this collective voice that drives its innovative power.”

– Naa Acquah, Chair of the Alumni Association

Public lacks confidence in the next generation of New Towns, but has clear ideas for getting them right, RTPI and YouGov survey finds 73% of Brits are not confident the next generation of new towns will meet community needs in 50 years’ time.

A survey from the RTPI and YouGov reveals that the UK public has serious doubts about whether the next generation of new towns will meet future needs.
These findings echo recommendations in RTPI’s Futureproof New Towns interim report:
www.rtpi.org.uk/news/2025/au...

"The research highlights the importance of listening to communities [...] This kind of evidence is crucial for local councils and national bodies like Active Travel England as they work to design healthier, more inclusive urban spaces." - Dr Jack Benton

#ActiveTravel @ategov.bsky.social

UNEP - Shaping the Future of Global Sustainability Policy Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

🌍 Two weeks ago, we teamed up with Policy@Manchester for a packed event exploring how research drives global sustainability policy.
The panel, chaired by Prof Michael Shaver, featured: Prof Diana Mitlin, Prof Matthew Paterson and Wasundara Doradeniya.
Catch the full recording: tinyurl.com/yvehch87

A free flat for a fortnight: the German city offering perks to fight depopulation Eisenhüttenstadt, once a socialist vision but now at risk of becoming a ghost town, seeks to ditch its far-right image

Interesting article about how East Germany's Eisenhüttenstadt (iron hut town) wants to fight depopulation: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

The latest issue of Town & Country Planning journal will soon be in the post!

In this free preview article, Prachi Rampuria, Soham De and Peter Neal discuss the masterplan for a sustainable urban extension to Letchworth, the world’s first Garden City: www.tcpa.org.uk/sample-journ...

Three weeks on: How our high streets report sparked a national conversation - Centre for Cities Central government has an active role in improving high streets' performance and renewing city centres.

✍️ Three weeks on: How our high streets report sparked a national conversation...

@andrewcities.bsky.social reflects on the feedback received and discussions had in response to our recent report Checking Out 👇

Research Associate: Mission Oriented Innovation Policy for Sustainability:Manchester

We’re hiring! Join us at MIOIR as a Postdoc on an international project exploring why mission-oriented policies for sustainability sometimes fail—and how to fix them. 🌱
 
Collaborate with teams in Canada and Poland on real-world policy challenges.
 
🗓 Apply by 12 Sept 👉 bit.ly/4oc0QJh