A new book explored the interaction of urban policy with changing perspectives on urban life and social welfare.
Source: Allan Cochrane, Understanding Urban Policy: A critical introduction, Blackwell Publishing (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Dec
The government began consultation on its plans to promote city development companies in England. It proposed that the companies would bring together key experience from the private and public sectors to improve economic development delivery across city-wide regions.
Source: The Role of City Development Companies in English Cities and City-Regions, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Consultation document | DCLG press release
Date: 2006-Dec
A think-tank report said that post offices played an invaluable, and in many ways irreplaceable, role as hubs for local communities. It quantified the social and economic value of post offices, particularly in urban areas where its importance had been overlooked. It examined the impact of post office closures on urban communities and local economies, through a number of case studies in the Manchester metropolitan area.
Source: Guy Rubin, Polly Raymond and John Taylor, The Last Post: The social and economic impact of changes to postal services in Manchester, New Economics Foundation (020 7820 6300)
Links: Report | NEF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Dec
A think-tank report examined how city design affected people's lives, and how to make cities healthy and vibrant places to live for all their inhabitants.
Source: Jesse Norman (ed.), Living for the City: A new agenda for green cities, Policy Exchange (020 7340 2650)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Nov
A new book examined issues surrounding urban regeneration management - including ethics, equality, sustainability, local governance, civic renewal, and learning.
Source: John Diamond, Joyce Liddle, Alan Southern and Alan Townsend (eds.), Managing the City, Routledge (01264 343071)
Links: Summary | CLES press release
Date: 2006-Nov
Campaigners said that higher housing densities in urban centres could help to sustain local services, amenities and public transport, and invigorated local economies - as well as making efficient use of land.
Source: Compact Sustainable Communities, Campaign to Protect Rural England (020 7981 2800)
Links: Report | CPRE press release
Date: 2006-Nov
A report by a committee of MPs said that the quality of green space was declining in 1 in 6 urban local authority areas: but 65 per cent of local authorities had not yet completed an audit of existing provision, and 70 per cent had yet to make an assessment of future needs.
Source: Enhancing Urban Green Space, Fifty-eighth Report (Session 2005-06), HC 1073, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Oct
A report (by an official advisory body) said that new ways were needed to pay for the long-term management and maintenance of parks, in order to sustain the improvement seen in recent years.
Source: Paying for Parks: Eight models for funding urban green spaces, Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (020 7960 2400)
Links: Report | Briefing | CABE press release
Date: 2006-Oct
A think-tank report examined what Britain could learn from the most successful European city models, in areas such as governance, leadership, transport, public space, and innovation.
Source: Max Nathan and Adam Marshall, Them and Us: Britain and the European City, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Aug
A report warned that brownfield redevelopment projects (such as those in the Thames Gateway and Greater Manchester) were failing to create sustainable communities. There was a danger of creating transient communities, where residents commuted long distances to work, and might end up only staying in the area for a short period. Lack of infrastructure such as transport, schools, and health facilities could hinder successful redevelopment; and there was an overemphasis on flats at the expense of family-friendly housing.
Source: Tim Dixon with Yasmin Pocock and Mike Waters, The Role of the UK Development Industry in Brownfield Regeneration: Stage 2, Volume 3, Department of Real Estate and Construction/Oxford Brookes University (01865 484202)
Links: Summary | Oxford Brookes press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Aug
A literature review examined the English New Towns programme, in order to identify lessons from that might be transferable to the Growth Areas initiative.
Source: Transferable Lessons from the New Towns, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Jul
A Church report said that investment in city and urban areas had forced many to the margins, and dramatized the gap between the 'super rich' and the poorest groups in society.
Source: Faithful Cities: A call for celebration, vision and justice, Church of England and Methodist Church, available from Church House Publishing (020 7898 1451)
Links: Report | C of E press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-May
The government announced the launch of ten "innovative new strategies" designed to help bring major investment and jobs to cities. It said that the 'City Growth strategy' would put business and business leaders at the heart of urban revitalization, and would help generate enterprise in some of the most disadvantaged areas and under-represented communities.
Source: Press release 22 March 2006, Small Business Service/Department of Trade and Industry (0845 001 0031)
Links: SBS press release
Date: 2006-Mar
A report examined the performance of 56 of the largest towns and cities in England. It concluded that they were closer to parity with other European cities than at any other time since the end of the 19th century: but only three (London, Bristol and Leeds) were among the wealthiest 50 European cities.
Source: Michael Parkinson et al., State of the English Cities, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | ODPM press release | BBC report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2)
Date: 2006-Mar
A report set out the government s initial assessment of the role that cities played in driving regional and national economic growth. It explored both the economic performance across English cities, and the different challenges cities faced in raising this performance and in reducing disparities in outcomes for their residents.
Source: Devolving Decision Making: 3 - Meeting the Regional Economic Challenge: The importance of cities to regional growth, HM Treasury (020 7270 4558)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report criticized the idea that the best way to help suburban towns and rural areas grow would be to focus solely on city centres and rely on a trickle-down of benefits to outlying areas.
Source: City Regions and Beyond, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report | LGA press release
Date: 2006-Feb
A think-tank report said that Britain s existing level of centralization was holding cities back, with consequences for the national economy as a whole. It identified greater financial autonomy as a top priority, especially for the biggest city-regions.
Source: Adam Marshall and Dermot Finch with Chris Urwin, City Leadership: Giving city-regions the power to grow, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: Summary | BBC report
Date: 2006-Feb
A report sought to develop an evidence base to underpin any sustained future move towards a clear national policy for 'city-regions' (enlarged territories from which core urban areas draw people for work and services, such as shopping, education, health, leisure and entertainment).
Source: Simon Marvin, Alan Harding and Brian Robson, A Framework for City-Regions, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | Summary | Link to working papers | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Feb
A report examined the extent and nature of city centre living, and assessed its economic and social benefits. Most residents left the city core when they started families, because of lack of space, and lack of services.
Source: Max Nathan and Chris Urwin, City People: City centre living in the UK, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Jan
A report developed an analytical framework for considering the economic linkages between cities.
Source: Pierre Philippe Combes, Gilles Duranton, Henry Overman and Anthony Venables, Economic Linkages Across Space, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Date: 2006-Jan
An article examined the relationship between overall urban scale and the spatial scale of segregation, and the implications of wider segregation for social outcomes at the individual level. Education was taken as a test case. At given scales, educational outcomes were only partly affected by neighbourhood effects for particular population characteristics.
Source: Ian Gordon and Vassilis Monastiriotis, 'Urban size, spatial segregation and inequality in educational outcomes', Urban Studies, Volume 43 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
A report said that the capacity of cities and regions to absorb and adapt innovative ideas from elsewhere would have a major impact on their ability to stimulate economic growth.
Source: Sami Mahroum, Rob Huggins, Naomi Clayton, Kathy Pain and Peter Taylor, Innovation by Adoption: Measuring and mapping absorptive capacity in UK nations and regions, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (020 7438 2500)
Date: 2006-Jan
A report said that a lack of new, well designed family homes for sale could undermine plans to revitalize inner cities. Unless developers built more homes suitable for growing families in the new mixed-income housing developments, hopes of improving schools and services for families already living in inner city neighbourhoods might not be realized.
Source: Emily Silverman, Ruth Lupton and Alex Fenton, A Good Place for Children? Attracting and retaining families in inner urban mixed income communities, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700) for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report | JRF Findings | JRF press release
Date: 2006-Jan