The actual Awards are announced at a ceremony in London on 23 February, we wish Lucy all the best of luck!

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Professor Gordon Dabinett leads on significant report for Sheffield

The findings of one of the most significant reports into what it is like to live, learn and work in Sheffield in 2012 have been released by Sheffield First Partnership.

The State of Sheffield 2012 report tells the continuing story of the city’s development over the last few years, how the city has changed and the challenges it faces in difficult economic times in the future.

The report, unique in bringing together in one place all public analyses and information on Sheffield’s socio-economic and environmental situation, shows that Sheffield is a city that has become more cosmopolitan and safer with many neighbourhoods and communities seeing marked improvements in their quality of life and environment.  Sheffielders generally are healthier and living longer and the city has grown in population size over the last five years and will continue to grow in the immediate future.

New businesses and new jobs have been created in significant numbers and more Sheffielders live and work in the city - 85 per cent – more than many major cities in England. Sheffield also has an increasing number of residents who are educated to degree level of over 27 per cent, which is high for a core city.  Sheffield also exhibits strong community cohesion and falling crime rates.  Sheffield has improved relative to other cities and other areas of Europe, says the report, but is also has challenges for Sheffield to meet such as child poverty and deprivation, wellbeing and educational attainment.

The continuing financial and economic uncertainty globally is an issue for the city in that this could see the living standards falling for many residents and workers in Sheffield and recent improvements for some households
threatened.  The city needs to be able to boost new job creation, youth unemployment and maintain social cohesion and it is important to ensure the city of the future is resilient to global change and becomes more environmentally sustainable.

Professor Gordon Dabinett from Town and Regional Planning at the University of Sheffield was commissioned to lead on the report’s compilation for the SFP’s Sheffield Executive Board (SEB) which consists of the leaders from the public and private sectors and voluntary and faith representatives. The report will be used by the SEB to help influence how key organisations across the city work together to boost the quality of life and the economic fortunes of Sheffield.

"The starting point of the story is that Sheffield's population is growing, if you consider 15 years ago that was not the case. That is a major improvement for the city.  People are now choosing to come and live and work in the city so that's quite an important step forward."said Mr Dabinett.

In the short term, it has also agreed to run a Sheffield 2050 programme starting this year, working with the University of Sheffield to develop some shared ideas about what the future of the city could look like and making sure SEB’s current plans are robust enough to achieve that future.

It is also planning to look at developing a city approach to community budgets, which is a more radical approach to public sector reform, about where public sector agencies can make the most of their funding by working together on initiatives rather than funding them alone.

See the below for the media coverage;

BBC, Sheffield Telegraph

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Ex TRP student becomes president of the RTPI for 2012

20 January 2012

Ex student Colin Haylock has become President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). Colin studied MA Town and Regional Planning at the department of Town and Regional Planning at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 1974.

The RTPI is the UK's leading planning body for spatial, sustainable, integrative and inclusive planning. The RTPI exists to advance the science and art of planning (including town and country and spatial planning) for the benefit of the public.

Colin will be concentrate during his year on the key priorities of the Institute. Assisting members and making the case for planning and for planners, showing that planners shape truly great places and add value to business, and promoting planning as a profession will be at the heart of his Presidential year.

Colin Haylock said; “We face uniquely trying times in the UK. At this vital time for planning, my mission will be to make the case for planning and for planners by helping to take forward the work of the Institute across a number of crucially important areas. In my role I particularly want to take forward the RTPI’s highly successful planning myths campaign and to help boost confidence in the planning system and thereby improve understanding of the planning profession. I will work alongside the other built environment professions to ensure we do everything possible to secure high quality developments.”

Craig Watkins Head of Department for Town and Regional Planning said; "We are absolutely thrilled within the department that Colin has become president of the RTPI. This achievement will be an inspiration to our current students. We wish Colin every success in his new role and we do hope he can join us at this year's annual Alunmi event."

Colin currently runs a consultancy Haylock Planning and Design. He has over 35 years professional experience specialising in urban regeneration and development in sensitive environments such as conservation areas. He has worked extensively in both the public and private sectors. Colin currently also lectures at Newcastle University and University College London.

Colin studied the MA in Town and Regional Planning at TRP, the 12 month course in is an innovative course aimed at enabling students from a wide range of backgrounds to gain the skills and knowledge relevant to a career in planning. The course is fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), allowing graduates to become chartered members of the Institute once necessary RTPI practice requirements have been met.  Students of the course develop their knowledge of the world in which they will practice as a planner. They engage with and critically evaluate concepts and ideas about urban and rural communities, bringing together theory and practice to imagine new opportunities to enhance urban and rural living.

For more information about the MA in Town and Regional Planning click here

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Professor Gordon Dabinett visits Korea

Professor Gordon Dabinett recently visted Korea to give a Keynote speech at the 8th World Technopolis Association (WTA) International Conference. To read more about Gordon's trip and view images click here.

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Professor Simin Davoudi from Newcastle University hosts research seminar at TRP

14.11.12

Professor Simin Davoudi from Newcastle University will today host the seminar Resilience: A bridging concept or a dead end? In room D3c 3.30pm to 5pm in the Georgrpahy and Town Planning building.  Simin Davoudi is Professor of Environment Policy and Planning at the School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape and the ‘Justice & Governance’ Theme Coordinator at Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (NIReS), Newcastle University. For more information about her click here.

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TRP students hold first charity fashion show to raise funds for Peru

07.12.11

Students from the Department of Town and Regional Planning have raised £250 for the charity Coats for Cachi.  Coats for Cachi is a charity which seeks to send aid to Cachi Baja village in Peru.  The village, which lacks many basic resources, consists of 58 families and is situated six hours east of the Peruvian capital, Lima. 

The charity is run by Jorden Maguire and Emma Mounsey, two TRP students on the MPlan course.  Both students arranged a fashion show at the Raynor Lounge in Sheffield to raise funds for the project.  The event saw people donate old winter coats which were modeled by students on a runway.  The coats dontated will now be sent to Cachi to help the villagers through winter.

Emma Mounsey said, "In winter, the drop in temperature claims the lives of many children who lack the coats and clothing that they need to survive. After the initial donations to Cachi, we hope to regularly donate to sustain the project, whilst starting new similar projects in other rural villages and shanty towns. We are currently in the process of becoming a registered charity, it's early days but we are passionate about this project."

Jorden Maguire said, "We are not only looking to gain support and raise money for this cause but also educate local schools and groups about why our world operates as it does; with some living in luxury and others barely managing to survive. It is with your support that we will be able to grow this project and try and make a difference in the world."

For more information, images of the fashion event and how you can help visit the Coats for Cachi page here.

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TRP submits memoranda to a House of Commons inquiry

05.12.11

Two members of staff from the department have been involved in submitting two memoranda to the new inquiry on Housing Finance being mounted by the House of Commons Select Committee on Communities and Local Government.

The Communities and Local Government Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Communities and Local Government. The committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders. 

The first memoranda has been submitted by Professor Tony Crook (along with Prof Peter Kemp at Oxford University) on institutional funding of the private rented sector and the other by Tony Crook and Dr Ed Ferrari (along with colleagues at the University of Cambridge) on the role of planning obligations in funding new affordable homes. 

Both memoranda can be dowloaded to the right of this page.

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TRP student scoops dissertation prize award 

01.12.11

A student from the Department of Town and Regional Planning (TRP) has scooped a top prize and £500 for his dissertation.

Chris Bird, MA Commercial Property student, was awarded the Investment Property Forum Educational Trust (IPFET) dissertation prize for the best dissertation on real estate investment and finance. The prize was awarded for the second time.

Chris' work was selected by his tutors ahead of his peers and endorsed by the External Examiner and the IPFET. Chris' dissertation “Overseas Investment and Liquidity in the London City Office Market: A Transaction Based Analysis” explores international property investment.

Chris today said, “It is a privilege to accept the award. I have a close connection with China after studying Mandarin and living in the Far East for two years, so relished the opportunity provided by the dissertation to explore international property investment. Although data constraints meant that I was unable to focus exclusively on Chinese property transactions, contacts that I had developed through the London Field Trip sponsored by the IPFET and through my work experience meant that study into overseas investment in the comparatively transparent London office market was possible. With help from my supervisor and other tutors, it was interesting to draw on both academic and industry research publications and this helped me to develop critical reviewing skills. It was interesting to explore evolving trends in the dominant overseas investors in the London market. Having your hard work acknowledged by your tutors and the IPFET has made it a very rewarding process.”

Dr Cath Jackson, the Programme Director for the MA Commercial Property commented, “Chris’ dissertation was inspired by his time spent living in China and I’m really pleased that he was able to combine his interests with his studies. He chose a topical and interesting area for his dissertation, but also one which presented him with a number of methodological and data challenges. I’m thrilled for him that he produced a really good piece of work and that we were able to recommend to the IPFET that he be award the Prize for Best Dissertation.”

The IPFET prize is for dissertations written in the final stage of the academic year and to be considered for the prize, students must be registered on a RICS accredited degree and deliver an outstanding dissertation on a real estate investment and finance topic.

To find out more about the IPF, the IPFET, and research publications, visit http://www.ipf.org.uk/  or contact Dr Cath Jackson c.c.jackson@sheffield.ac.uk

For more information about taught Postgraduate Courses at the Department of Town and Regional Planning at The University of Sheffield visit http://www.shef.ac.uk/trp/taughtpg  or contact planning-pg@sheffield.ac.uk  

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TRP Professor launches new book

28.11.11

John Flint, Professor of Town and Regional Planning at The Department has launched his new book The Future of Sustainable Cities: Critical Reflections, published by the Policy Press.

The launch was held at the University of Sheffield and was supported by the Policy Press, the Housing Studies Association and the University of Sheffield.

The book is co-edited by John Flint of TRP and Mike Raco of the Bartlett School of Planning at University College London. The book has brought together leading scholars to explore the vital issues currently confronting cities and to develop new ways of thinking about urban sustainability in a period of economic crisis and austerity.

During the launch the audience heard presentations from Flint and Raco, followed by a presentation from Professor Ian Cole of CRESR, Sheffield Hallam University, who identified how the ideas within the book could contribute to key debates about sustainable cities. The attendees then took part in a round table discussion, which covered a wide range of topics including the challenges facing policy makers and academics, the economic, social and political consequences of the recession, and ideas for how urban sustainability may be pursued in the years ahead.

John Flint said “The challenges facing cities is, in many ways unprecedented in terms of the scale of the fiscal, environmental and social justice problems confronting them. It was very good to be able to discuss these issues with colleagues at the launch and to think about developing future critical research agendas and how these may be of use to policymakers and practitioners”.

For further details about The Future of Sustainable Cities,see the Policy Press website

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New Professor joins TRP Department from Leiden University, Netherlands 

Dr Hendrik Wagneaar has joined TRP as Professor of Town and Regional Planning. Hendrik joins the department having previously undertaken the role of Research Director at The Hague Campus, Leiden University in the Netherlands. One of his main roles in the department will be the development of a new Centre, provisionally named The Centre for Social Justice in the City.

Hendrik worked for 20 years at the Department of Public Administration at Leiden University. His main field of study is public policy analysis, his work has focused on a number of topics inlcuding citizen participation as democratic governance. He has undertaken research in disadvantaged neigborhoods in various European countries to understand how and under what conditions ordinary citizens manage to establish long-lasting, flourishing initiatives to solve complex problems in their environment. 

Henrdik has also researched invited participation: the efforts by local governments to initiate greater citizen involvement in democratic decision-making. Currently he is interested in how governments deal with the range of protests, social movements, and participatory initiatives that characterize the contemporary democratic landscape. Participation also speaks to the way policy analysts go about doing their work.

A second topic of study of Hendirk's is comparative prostitution policy. He is the project leader of a comparative study of prostitution policy in Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden. Apart from collecting precise and reliable data on prostitution, the challenges of this project is to conceptualize prostitution policy.

In the field of social theory he writes about the role of practice as the driver of dealings with, and understanding of, the social and material world. He has written theoretical papers with the philosopher Noam Cook (State University of California San Jose), and is currently applying these ideas in a number of papers on resiliency with Cathy Wilkinson from Stockholm University.

Dr Hendrik Wagenaar said today " I feel very welcome in many ways, I came here with high expectations about the academic climate, and so far they have not only been met but superseded. To use a Dutch, and to us from the Low Lands appropriately watery simile: I feel like a fish in the water."

His previous roles have included, Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration, Leiden University, The Netherlands (1991-present) and  Senior Researcher, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Leiden, the Netherlands (2000 -2006).  Lecturer in Public Policy; Law, Policy, and Society Program Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts (1990 -1991)  Instructor/Research Associate, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts. (1987-1991).

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Professor Gordon Dabinett to give keynote speech at International Conference in Korea.

Professor Gordon Dabinett from TRP will be giving a Keynote speech at the 8th World Technopolis Association (WTA) International Conference in Korea on Thursday November 17.

Since 2005, WTA has been cooperating with UNESCO to assist developing countries in building science and technology parks, thus narrowing the technological divide between developed and developing nations. The WTA will hold the International Conference under the theme, “Science and Technology Park Development in the Era of Fusion Technology” on November 17th, 2011 in Daejeon, Korea as part of this effort. In particular, this conference will provide an opportunity for discussion on the current issues and problems faced by developing countries on the fusion technologies and policies, and will present the successful strategies of current science and technology parks. The hopeful outcome of the conference is sustainable growth on a global scale.

Gordon Dabinett is Professor of Regional Studies at The University of Sheffield, and has qualifications in Town & Regional Planning (Heriot-Watt University) and Land Economy (University of Cambridge). He is an Academician of the Social Sciences, a Fellow and an Honorary Vice-Chair of the Regional Studies Association, and a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Institute for Economic Development. Gordon has written extensively on urban and regional development, and has published over 25 refereed journal articles and some 20 chapters in books and research reports. He undertakes research on government responses to uneven spatial development, and has over thirty years experience of working with local, regional, national government and EU agencies on a range of urban regeneration, regional development, transport and spatial development studies. He has recently been an advisor to the European Observation Network on Territorial Development and Cohesion (ESPON). He has supervised five Korean doctoral students studying various aspects of regionalism in Korea, and last visited Daejeon in 2006 when he presented to the UNESCO-WTA Workshop on High-tech Clusters in a Global Context.

Visit his staff page here

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Dr Stephen Connelly appointed Senior Lecturer

19.10.11

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New Research Director appointed at TRP

19.11.11

The Department of Town and Regional Planning (TRP) is pleased to announce the appointment of John Flint as Professor of Town and Regional Planning. In addition to undertaking teaching and academic duties, John will be Research Director at TRP, aiming to develop the department's portfolio of leading research projects.

John was previously a Professor in the Centre for Regional, Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University. His research interests are focused on urban governance, including housing, regeneration, anti-social behaviour, cohesion and citizenship. He has conducted a range of studies for funders including government departments, local authorities, research charities and councils. His current projects include a study of young
people's aspirations in Birmingham, a new book on the politics of sustainable cities and producing an edited academic collection on sectarianism in Scottish football.

John is a member of the executive committee of the Housing Studies Association and is a trustee of the Urban Studies Foundation. He is also the reviews co-editor of the Housing Studies journal and a member of the editorial advisory board of the Policy and Politics Journal. 

John today said, " I am delighted to be joining such an internationally renowned department and I look forward to working with my new colleagues at what is a challenging but exciting time for the Department and the University". 

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New research examines social housing over past 20 years

12.11.10

Research from the University of Sheffield has shed new light on how planning and policy on social housing has changed over the past 20 years. The research, led by Tony Crook, Emeritus Professor of Town and Regional Planning at the University of Sheffield, found that in the last two decades housing associations have built more small flats, housed more working households and helped create more socially balanced communities than in previous decades. These findings are set out in a new research and provide for the first time, a detailed retrospective analysis of the new homes built by housing associations in England over the period 1989 to 2009. 

The research was carried out by a team of experts from the University of Sheffield, the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics. A wide range of data enabled the team to investigate in detail what new homes were built by Englands housing associations, where these were located and who rented or bought them.

Looking in detail at the types and sizes of new homes that were constructed and how these changed over time, the team mapped where all these homes were built at postcode level across the whole of England and linked this to new analyses of social deprivation and tenure mix. Anonymous administrative data on tenants who were allocated these new homes or who bought new low cost homes provided the social, economic and demographic characteristics of the households that moved into them.

Overall housing associations built 450,000 new dwellings over the period and new dwellings built by housing associations accounted for a fifth of all new homes being constructed in 2009, with higher proportions in the southern regions of England. The research showed four major trends:

•By the end of the period two bedroom flats accounted for nearly half of all new output and overall planning densities on development sites had also increased. A smaller proportion of what was built was in the form of houses and both very small and very large flats. This mirrors a similar trend in the private sector.

•Nearly four in ten new housing association dwellings in 2009 were for low cost home ownership compared with one in ten two decades ago. Few of these were bought by existing housing association tenants.

•An increasing proportion of those who moved into new rented homes were existing housing associations tenants, those in work, and smaller younger households, especially in London.

•Only a quarter of new housing association homes are being built in areas dominated by social housing. The vast majority are either in areas of low deprivation, built by private developers as part of mixed communities, or in the areas of the greatest deprivation, built as part of public sector led regeneration programmes which include low cost homes to buy as well as to rent.

Professor Tony Crook, from the University of Sheffield, commented: "Our findings show how very important planning and regeneration policy has been in influencing what and where housing associations are building. Four key planning policies have been influential: urban regeneration policy, the emphases on recycling brown-field land and on maximising densities, and the requirement on private house-builders to provide new affordable homes as part of their own sites."

Also commenting on the findings, Professor Christine Whitehead, from the University of Cambridges Centre for Housing and Planning Research, said: "Our results illustrate the pressure on housing associations to secure as many units as possible with given public funding. This, together with planning policy, has led to increasing emphasis on two bedroom flats across most of England. Housing associations have become particularly instrumental in providing for employed households squeezed out of the private market, especially in London and the South East."

More detailed information can be found here

The research team included Professor Tony Crook, Paul Brindley, Peter Bibby and Dr Ed Ferrari from the University of Sheffield, Professor Christine Whitehead, Michael Jones, Sarah Monk and Dr Connie Tang from the University of Cambridge, and Dr Becky Tunstall from the London School of Economics.

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TRP achieves excellent results from National Student Survey

28.09.11

The quality of teaching in Sheffield’s Department of Town and Regional Planning has again been recognised in excellent results from the National Student Survey (NSS) of 2011. Student satisfaction scores went up from last year in 4 of the 6 areas surveyed and TRP's overall satisfaction rating also climbed from 87% to 89%. This compares favourably with other English planning schools (see below), and TRP's leading position in UK planning research is enabling the department to provide teaching that is both challenging and well-received by it's students. TRP is particularly pleased that Sheffield’s results this year were based around the departments highest ever participation rate in the poll (98%). TRP's students are strongly encouraged to take up opportunities to evaluate the departments teaching such as the NSS throughout their time at Sheffield and to participate in the development of teaching programmes that are at the cutting-edge of the discipline.

Teaching	Feedback	Academic Support	Organisation and Management	Learning Resources	Personal Development	Overall
Sheffield	92	72	87	86	85	82	89
Newcastle	73	71	85	84	82	81	86
Manchester	77	50	68	79	83	71	73
Liverpool*	78	55	68	76	88	76	78
UCL*	54	32	52	74	58	69	66

* Information shown is for two years rather than one year because the data for one year doesn't meet the publication thresholds. Source: Unistats

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Professor Gordon Dabinett to chair rountable at ESPON Interstrat Conference

25.09.11

Professor Gordon Dabinett is to chair a roundtable at the, European Observation Network of Territorial Development and Cohesion (ESPON) in London, Friday 30 September. The conference will engage leading UK practitioners, policy makers and researchers with direct questions about what we can learn from ESPON about planning for growth. In its draft National Planning Policy Framework for England, the UK government has emphasised the need for decision-makers to attach significant weight to promoting economic growth both in preparing development plans and deciding planning applications. It has created Local Enterprise Partnerships to foster the right conditions for both short-term and long-term growth. In Europe the EU 2020 strategy aims to achieve “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”, and place-based development is fundamental to achieving these aims. This landmark conference seeks to create a new dialogue between the UK and other parts of Europe, and between practice and research by focusing on the growth agenda.  Last week, Professor Dabinett also was appointed Chair of the Conference of Heads of Planning Schools (CHOPS) at their
business meeting held at the Planning Research Conference in Birmingham.

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Dr Alasdair Rae creates data map for The Guardian

08.09.11

Dr Alasdair Rae has created a data map for The Guardian's blog.  How would England have looked if the 2010 election had been fought with the new constituencies? Would our MP's still have a seat?  Using the raw data showing which wards would sit in which new constituencies, Dr Alisdair Rae has created this map. 

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TRP academics to attend UK Planning Research Conference

07.09.11

Members of the Department of Town and Regional Planning will be attending the UK and Ireland's Planning Research Conference at the University of Birmingham 12 - 14 September.  The conference will explore the role and remit for planning during the current challenging times of climate change, economic uncertainty, financial constraints and security disorder.  The conference will include plenary sessions, parallel track sessions and mobile workshops. Lord Richard Rogers, 2007 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, will be a key note speaker at the event.

Dr Andy Inch, Dr Gordon Dabinett, Dr Ian Mell, Dr Ed Ferrari and Dr Malcolm Tait will be representing the department at the conference.  Dr Andy Inch and Dr Malcolm Tait will be contributing to a round table on 'the challenges and opportunities of localism' and all will be presenting papers, more information here.

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