2007
Innovation and the city: How innovation has developed in five city-regions
Date: 14/12/2007
Author: Glenn Athey, Catherine Glossop, Ben Harrison, Max Nathan and Chris Webber
This week NESTA released Innovation and the city: How innovation has developed in five city-regions. This was written for NESTA by the Centre for Cities.
Cities Outlook 2008
Date: 10/12/2007
Cities Outlook 2008 looks back at the recent economic performance of UK cities as well as the main policy milestones of 2007. It also looks ahead to the prospects for UK cities in 2008 and beyond.
The case for better transport investment: agglomeration and growth in the Leeds City Region
Date: 28/11/2007
Author: Adam Marshall and Chris Webber
The case for better transport investment: agglomeration and growth in the Leeds City Region shows that the potential returns on transport investment in British cities are going uncounted and unrecognised by transport planners.
City Solutions: Delivering Local Growth
Date: 27/11/2007
Author: Ben Harrison and Adam Marshall
This report considers the existing delivery arrangements currently available to local authorities, and asks whether new delivery vehicles – such as Local Asset-Backed Vehicles (LABVs) – are needed to lever in the resources and skills required to deliver local growth. It is part of the joint City Solutions project undertaken by Centre for Cities and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
London's Links: Who Benefits From London's Success?
Date: 12/11/2007
Author: Paula Lucci and Patricia Seex
There is no doubt that London plays an important role in the UK economy, and has been a key driver of economic growth. But how much of London’s recent economic growth spills out to other parts of the UK?
Time to show we mean business
Date: 20/09/2007
Author: Adam Marshall
SBR should be a stepping stone to greater financial devolution. But more radical changes to the local financial tool-kit will depend on SBR’s success, so it’s important to get the policy right. A permissive framework, with clear minimum standards, legal safeguards for businesses, and the option to hold a local vote, is the only way to build on the emerging consensus between business and local authorities. Otherwise, England’s cities and towns could miss a golden opportunity to lay the foundations for future economic growth.
City Solutions: Financing local growth
Date: 28/08/2007
Author: Ben Harrison and Adam Marshall
Supplementary Business Rates (SBRs) have recently been proposed as a mechanism to allow cities to generate additional funds for infrastructure investment. This paper presents new analysis that illustrates their possible contribution and the main challenges that must be tackled by city leaders, business and central government if SBRs are to finance local growth. It is part of the joint City Solutions project undertaken by Centre for Cities and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
OECD review of Newcastle in the North East: one year on
Date: 19/07/2007
Author: Patricia Seex and Adam Marshall, with Michael Johnson
Following the OECD Review of Newcastle in the North East (July 2006), Newcastle City Council commissioned the Centre for Cities and IPPR North to produce a follow-up, independent assessment of progress made over the past year.
Two-track cities: The challenge of sustaining growth and building opportunity
Date: 09/07/2007
Author: Glenn Athey, Paula Lucci and Chris Webber
This paper suggests that UK cities face a number of significant challenges in the years ahead. We have two-track cities those that have experienced success and renaissance in recent years, and those that have not. All cities still face the challenge of sharing opportunity and have concentrations of deprivation and worklessness. Those cities that have experienced high levels of economic growth face a number of challenges relating to sustaining growth such as congestion and environmental degradation.
What role do cities play in innovation, and to what extent do we need city-based innovation policies and approaches?
Date: 01/06/2007
Author: Glenn Athey, Max Nathan and Chris Webber
This report presents interim findings from the research project on innovation in cities that the Centre for Cities is conducting for NESTA and reveals that innovation is concentrated in a number of cities and urban areas in the UK, although there are some innovation poor as well as innovation rich cities.
Connecting Cities: Local transport, economic connectivity, and economic growth
Date: 21/05/2007
Author: Adam Marshall with Ben Harrison
Connecting Cities reflects the views of local stakeholders in five of England's regional cities, where local transport has been the subject of intense debate in recent months. The report is based on a series of five seminars - and brings together a range of messages for national decision-makers.
The Route to Growth: Transport, density and productivity
Date: 25/04/2007
Author: Chris Webber and Glenn Athey
This paper gives policymakers and city leaders a brief and accessible guide to the economic theory behind agglomeration economies the wider economic benefits generated when people and businesses locate close to each other. It also explains the critical role this concept is playing in current transport policy debates.
The Lyons Inquiry into local government: delivering devolution?
Date: 27/03/2007
Author: Adam Marshall
This paper sets out the Lyons Inquiry's headline conclusions and examines the Government's immediate reaction, and what will happen next.
Paying for 2012: The Olympics Budget and Legacy
Date: 22/03/2007
Author: Max Nathan and Tracy Kornblatt
Why has the Olympics budget gone up, who should pay, and what we will get for our money?
Getting the Connections Right
Date: 05/03/2007
Author: Adam Marshall
This paper argues that Eddingtons key recommendations if implemented would shift the balance of transport investment toward London, the Greater South East, and a few Northern city-regions. This shift, together with a long-term investment strategy and greater financial devolution, is critical to sustaining urban economic growth. Additionally, the paper challenges the Government to develop a transport policy that delivers Eddingtons growth agenda without undermining long-standing social and environmental objectives.
A Question of Balance
Date: 05/03/2007
Author: Max Nathan
This paper assesses the Barker Review of Land Use Planning, exploring the role of planning in urban growth. It finds a case for managed reviews to green belts. But the jury is out on reforming the town centre first approach, and proposals for planning major infrastructure need further work.
Loosening the Leash How local government can deliver infrastructure with private sector money
Date: 26/02/2007
High-quality infrastructure, especially transport, is a critical component of strong economic performance. Yet the UK has under-invested in infrastructure for decades, especially in its major cities.
Casinos and Regeneration: The story so far
Date: 16/02/2007
Author: Ben Harrison
On 30 January 2007, the Independent Casino Advisory Panel announced that the city of Manchester would host the UKs first supercasino. The city came from behind to beat the frontrunners, Blackpool and Greenwich. This note deconstructs the decision, before critically assessing the relationship between casinos and regeneration more generally. It focuses on the regeneration issues around supercasino development. It concludes with some lessons for Manchester.
