£3 million of funding to explore ‘Urban Transformations’

2 Sep 2015 01:03 PM

Four new studies to help us better understand cities and the complex role they play in society, have been awarded nearly £3 million from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). 

The projects will explore issues around social innovation, creative living and urban economies internationally. They will develop understanding and bring new perspectives to the challenges and opportunities facing UK and global urban areas as they seek to achieve urban growth against a backdrop of pressures on public funding and other challenges.

Professor Jane Elliott, ESRC Chief Executive, said: “These high-quality projects will help to fill key gaps within the current research landscape and emphasise the major contribution social science research can make to understanding and tackling contemporary urban challenges.”

The following four projects have received funding to complement the ESRC’s Urban Transformations portfolio:

• Governing the future city: a comparative analysis of governance innovations in large scale urban developments in Shanghai, London, Johannesburg – Professor Jennifer Robinson, UCL 
  This project, with co-Investigators Prof Fulong Wu and Prof Phil Harrison, explores how governments can manage urban development in an inclusive way with limited resources, how communities support one another in the face of huge changes, and how developers are playing a growing role in governance.
• Jam and justice: co-producing urban governance for social innovation – Dr Beth Perry, University of Salford 
  This project seeks to bring public, voluntary and academic sectors together to innovate and experiment in new ways of governing cities. It aims to advance both the theory and practice of co-production in addressing challenges faced by modern cities.
• Structural transformation, adaptability and city economic evolutions - Professor Ron Martin, University of Cambridge 
  The project will examine the uneven economic growth paths of some 70 British cities over the past 40 years, and in some cases over a much longer period, focussing on different patterns and speeds of structural transformation and adaptation. Using 10 case study cities, it will also investigate how local forms of governance and policy interventions have influenced how cities adapt in a world of rapid economic change and increasingly devolved decision making.
• The Urban Politics and Governance of Social Innovation in Austerity – Professor Joe Painter, Durham University 
  By investigating the impact of contrasting experiences of austerity on urban politics and governance in European cities, the project will examine how cities in the UK, Germany and Greece have faced challenges of generating financial resources, harnessing social energy and meeting material needs. It will promote social innovation in Europe by sharing knowledge and experience between cities.

The funded projects will be promoted via the new Urban Transformations website launched by Professor Michael Keith, ESRC Urban Transformations Coordinator.

Further information

For further information contact:

• Joe Painter, Professor of Geography, Durham University 
  Email: j.m.painter@durham.ac.uk
  Telephone: 0191 334 1906
• Simon Wesson, ESRC Press Officer 
  Email: simon.wesson@esrc.ac.uk
  Telephone: 01793 413122

Notes for editors

1. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK’s largest funder of research on the social and economic questions facing us today. It supports the development and training of the UK’s future social scientists and also funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policymakers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective. The ESRC also works collaboratively with six other UK research councils and Innovate UK to fund cross-disciplinary research and innovation addressing major societal challenges. The ESRC is an independent organisation, established by Royal Charter in 1965, and funded mainly by the Government. In 2015 it celebrates its 50th anniversary. 
2. The future of the city is a key challenge of the 21st century – with over 80 per cent of people in the UK now living in urban areas, and in lower income countries this figure is expected to reach 50 per cent by 2030. This is why the ESRC has selected ‘Urban Transformations’ as a major focus area for investment. Cities today provide important social, economic and political drivers that can promote creativity, business growth and the development of alternative forms of governance. Therefore, ESRC’s recently funded urban projects include a strong focus on innovative approaches to research and offer significant potential for impact.