Spatial Policy & Analysis Lab

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 👇

Web Login Service Loading login session information from the browser...

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

UN's top court says healthy environment is a human right Experts say the non-binding advisory opinion could mark a turning point in international climate law.

Cities, closest to people and communities, are already scaling up solutions and driving progress through subnational collaboration, delivering faster, fairer, more inclusive climate action. A greener, more just future is still within reach, but we must act now. www.euronews.com/green/2025/0...

Trees on city streets cope with drought by drinking from leaky pipes Urban trees lining streets fare better in dry spells than those in parks – now it seems that leaky water pipes are the reason for their endurance

Trees growing on city streets are more resistant to drought than trees in parks because they are drinking from an unusual water source: leaky pipes.

Professor Ada Wossink leads key discussions at Westminster Energy Forum Ada Wossink, Professor of Environmental Economics, delivered a keynote address and chaired part of the proceedings at the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum conference.The event provide...

🌿 Shaping the future of land use and natural capital.

Professor Ada Wossink led key discussions at the Westminster Energy, Environment, and Transport Forum conference, shaping conversations on ecosystem preservation, climate adaptation & land use.

🔗 Read more: www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/p...

Research funder pivots to tackle UK’s ‘five biggest challenges’ Nuffield Foundation says it wants to generate ‘viable solutions to the key social questions facing the country’ under new strategic direction

A key funder for social policy research is shifting its strategic focus to tackle what it called the UK’s five biggest social and economic challenges, backed by a £150 million investment, reports @patrickjack.bsky.social
#AcademicSky

Congratulations to our PPEM colleagues on being shortlisted for the RTPI's Patsy Healey Award for Academic Excellence!

Meet the SEED Change-makers: how students are driving social impact at Manchester What happens when students are given the space, support, and encouragement to take action on the issues they care most about? At The University of Manchester’s School of Environment, Education and Dev...

What happens when students are given the space, support, and encouragement to take action on the issues they care most about?

The SEED Change-maker programme provides our students with the tools, confidence and platform to turn passion into action.

We're two years in, and just getting started

We won’t let residents block big new towns, says planning minister Labour has pledged to build ­1.5 million homes over the parliament, a goal that requires a doubling or more of present building rates

This Labour government is bringing forward the next generation of new towns.

In doing so, we want the active support of local leaders and communities, but be in no doubt that site selection will ultimately be based on what is in the national interest.

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

🎓 Congratulations to our @manchester.ac.uk humanities graduates!

From languages to law, philosophy to social sciences, our graduates are turning their studies into action for a fairer, more inclusive world. 🌎

Read more ⤵️
www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/h...

Nuno's project 'Coproducing a research agenda for responsible & transparent AI-capabilities for decision support in urban governance' aims to co-produce a research agenda for responsible & transparent AI capabilities that genuinely help with decision-making in urban governance

Cecilia's project 'Land commodification & housing affordability under capitalist urbanisation: Global dynamics & local resistance in Peru UK & US' examines how intensified financial capitalism & speculative real estate dynamics are deepening housing precarity across global cities

Congratulations to our members Cecilia Wong and Nuno Pinto who have both received @urbanstudiesfoundation.org Seminar Series Awards. Full details from the Urban Studies Foundation: t.co/myNJYdqefq

We bring together expertise in integrating spatial thinking, methods, and techniques into the planning, policy, and governance of cities and regions. We provide understanding into and solutions for the grand challenges facing cities and regions.

More: www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/planning/res...

Hello Bluesky! We're the Spatial Policy & Analysis Lab - a group of researchers in the Dept of Planning, Property & Environmental Management at the University of Manchester