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Is co-production possible in planning? Notes from a roundtable on participatory cities

Roundtable on Participatory Cities, Realising Just Cities – Comparative Co-production, Mistra Urban Futures conference, Cape Town, South Africa, November 2018

By Nazem Tahvilzadeh, post-doctoral researcher Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Planning and the Environment, Division of Urban and Regional Studies, Stockholm.

Comparing perspectives on urban food: debates and site visits at the 2018 Realising Just Cities conference in Cape Town

Authors: Charlie Spring & Nick Taylor Buck, 21st November 2018

A panel of researchers, practitioners and city policy-makers from South Africa, Sweden, Kenya and the UK shared perspectives on urban food system challenges and change at Mistra Urban Futures’ recent ‘Comparative Co-production’ conference. Comparing across global north and south contexts, however blurred that dichotomy, is always challenging, so panellists were asked to respond to a series of questions designed to tease out commonalities and differences between our diverse city homes. 

A growing movement? End Hunger UK conference 2018

Author: Charlie Spring, 25th October 2018

"The most common way we give up our power is thinking we don't have any."

Beth Perry reflects back on Jam and Justice's Double Down Devolution debate, part of Manchester Histories Festival 2018. 

What do the UN Sustainable Development Goals mean for UK cities?

Nick Taylor Buck and Kristina Diprose from the University of Sheffield’s Urban Institute reflect on key learning so far from a cross-national project exploring how cities are engaging with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 4th October 2018

 

Community-led housing: a new era of cross-party support?

by Richard Goulding and Sophie King

We are undoubtedly witnessing “a moment” in the history-making of community-led housing in the UK.  Where has it sprung from? Where is it going? What are the motivations behind new forms of political support on left and right, from the centre, and at the local level? What would meaningful political support actually look like in practice and how can it be secured?

Energy Futures for Greater Manchester - By Laura Williams

‘Big Six' energy company price hikes, increasing numbers of people forced into energy poverty, market incumbents resisting change and the collapse of Carillion have all demonstrated the illusion of private sector efficiency and market primacy in the energy system – in fact the system is broken, unable to reform and in need a serious re-think!

Developing a Food Network for the North?

Author: Charlie Spring, 8th August 2018

Collaborating for fairer food futures: Sustainable Food Cities conference 2018

Author: Charlie Spring, 19th July 2018

Why are there no Community Land Trusts in Greater Manchester?

Community land trusts (CLTs) have been celebrated as a potential model for neighbourhood revival in areas of disinvestment and neglect. In the face of concerns about communities in many cities being displaced by rising land values, advocates hope that CLTs can also provide a way of enabling existing residents to remain in their homes and neighbourhoods.