Every year flooding affects communities around the UK. The Chartered Institute for Water and Environmental Management recently contended that although there has been expert agreement for many years about reforms, policy change has been slow. In part, this is due to the complex governance system within which flooding occurs. In this article, Professor Graham Haughton […]
Build in haste, repent at leisure? Post-pandemic planning at the precipice
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to discussions on what shape planning should take post-crisis. Here, Prof Iain White, Prof Graham Haughton, and Dr Nuno Pinto outline how current regulations have exacerbated difficulties for some people in lockdown, discuss how opportunistic developers or politicians may seek to hijack the policy responses, and suggest solutions to ensure […]
How modelling can become a debate-support tool, not just a decision-support tool
As many politicians around the world inform the public of their responses to the coronavirus outbreak, they frequently refer to the science on which their decisions are based. In this blog, Professor Graham Haughton, Dr Nuno Pinto and Professor Iain White explore the changing nature of how modelling tools are forming political and public debate. […]
Learning from the draft Greater Manchester Spatial Framework process
Graham Haughton, Professor of Urban Planning at The University of Manchester outlines 12 lessons from the recent debates around a new Spatial Framework for Greater Manchester. The Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) is a 20 year strategic plan for the city region. The draft GMSF was planned for what should have been an election free […]
Brave New Manchester? The dark side of devolution deals
Devolving power to our cities and regions has been heralded as a ‘new era’ and an exciting opportunity for positive change. Manchester has led the way in England, becoming the first region to take control of its health and social care budget on April 1st. But, asks Graham Haughton, is there a ‘dark side’ to […]
Is Devo Manc an experiment, a template or a trailblazer?
The emergence of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to deliver ‘Devo Manc’ builds on a long history of effective cooperation between ten local authorities. Not all English cities and regions share such a history. Has Manchester become the template for English sub-national governance, and if so, should we be worried, ask Kevin Ward and […]
Groundhog Day: Why the Government needs a new approach, to stop failing on flooding
The ferocious storms and heavy downpours at the end of 2015 contributed to one of the wettest months in the UK since records began. And with saturated soils and rain still falling in early 2016, the flood risk continues for many parts of the UK. Graham Haughton and Iain White argue that Government flood policy has […]
Hebden Bridge – Britain’s second city?
The BBC’s Evan Davis says Britain needs a second ‘super city’ – and this could be Hebden Bridge. Dr Iain Deas, Prof Graham Haughton and Dr Stephen Hincks are sceptical. In his BBC series Mind the Gap: London v the Rest, Evan Davis argued that the UK’s economy is held back because London is our […]
Evan Davis has overlooked role of policy in London’s transformation
London’s dominant economic role is not an accident of history but rather the result of policy and subsidy, explain Dr Iain Deas, Prof Graham Haughton and Dr Stephen Hincks. BBC presenter Evan Davis argues that government should do more to help large and successful cities prosper. In his recent series, Mind the Gap: London v the Rest – and […]