Urban Studies & Planning.
The Research Newsletter of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning Issue 4 | Spring 2018 Insight It is a pleasure to introduce this latest edition of our research newsletter, which showcases some of the excellent and innovative research taking place across the Department of Urban Studies and University of Sheffield to Tackle UK’s Planning. Housing Problems As Part Of New National Research Centre
The University of Sheffield is a lead the ESRC, the Centre “will serve as a vital national institution, and provide a leading voice in the UK on housing issues.” partner in the new UK Collaborative Funding for CaCHE began in August 2017 and will continue to 2022. Over the first year there will be a series of Centre for Housing Evidence evidence reviews and exemplar projects spanning six (CaCHE) which will employ robust key themes – housing and the economy; understanding the housing market; housing choice and aspirations; evidence about what works to housing and health, education, employment, poverty and inequality; place, design and neighbourhoods; and multilevel support effective housing policy and governance. practice. Recognising that there is not one single housing market in the CaCHE is a UK-wide, inclusive and multi-disciplinary centre. UK, and that housing issues vary considerably geographically, welcome CaCHE has established knowledge exchange hubs that Benefiting from more than £6m of investment from the Economic and Social Research Council, Arts and Humanities will cover the main elements of the local housing system This edition of Insight provides Since I joined the Department in Statistical Society for his work on Research Council and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, it is in Scotland, Wales and the South West, Northern Ireland, a flavour of the diversity of our September 2016, there has been much ‘A Land Cover Atlas of the United a major research initiative with the aim of making a practical Southern England and Northern England. These hubs will bring research in terms of the range to celebrate in terms of individual and Kingdom’ in which it was revealed that difference to housing provision across the UK. together representatives of housing policy and practice and of urban challenges and issues collective research achievements, and just 0.1% of the UK land area is built other voices to help develop priorities for the future work of addressed, the multitude of there is genuine excitement about upon. It is widely accepted that Britain’s housing system is not CaCHE. international contexts engaged, and the research that will be undertaken working. There are multiple crises affecting all aspects the variety of methodological and in the months and years ahead. The Our research interests continue of housing in the UK such as a lack of affordable housing theoretical approaches utilized. most significant of these achievements to be international in scope with preventing young people from owning their own home, Find out more From squatting in London to eviction – and one that cements our position new funded projects in Europe, meeting the housing needs of an ageing population, If you are interested in the work of CaCHE, or would like in Bucharest, and from peripheral as one of the strongest groupings of India and Africa. Recent academic building the right housing in the right places, and tackling to know how you might be able to get involved, contact settlements in Africa to new housing researchers in Europe appointments also support our homelessness. Housing is high on the political agenda, but the Gareth Young, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fellow for perspectives on US mega-regions, – is the establishment of the ESRC interests in addressing global urban issues affecting the housing system are complex and deep- the Northern Hub. colleagues continue to help shape UK Collaborative Centre for Housing challenges and, specifically, enhance rooted. It is the aim of CaCHE to employ robust evidence about urban planning agendas in a range Evidence (CaCHE), for which we are our connections and research in China [email protected] what works to support effective housing policy and practice in of contexts. a lead partner. Alongside this we have and Latin America. During the past @housingevidence the UK. For Professor Tony McEnery, Interim Chief Executive of continued to gain success in securing year we have also begun productive UK Research Council funding, as well discussions about how we think about as funding from the British Academy, the contemporary housing challenge the Leverhulme Trust and the from a genuinely global perspective. “ The investment in CaCHE provides a generational opportunity for European Regional Development Fund, the research, policy and practice communities to work in partnership among others. As ever, we are keen to engage with partners from academia, professional for a sustained period. The centre is uniquely placed to foster There have also been a number of practice, professional organisations collaboration across the housing sector to develop truly innovative individual achievements during the and third sector/community groups in past year. Both Alasdair Rae and sustaining and enriching our research solutions to the UK’s housing problems.” Zheng Wang were winners in the endeavours. If you would like to work Professor Craig Watkins RTPI Research Excellence Awards in with us – or simply find out more Vice President and Head of Faculty of Social Sciences, 2017; Craig Watkins has been elected about the research highlighted in this and National Director of Research for CaCHE. a Fellow of the Academy of Social newsletter – please do get in touch. Sciences; and John Henneberry has been elected a Fellow of the RTPI. Ryan Powell In December 2017, Alasdair Rae was Director of Research recognised for producing the ‘UK [email protected] Statistic of the Year’ by the Royal
2 Online edition available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/research/insight 3 In recent years, there has been an intensification of welfare conditionality (the Regulating the behavioural conditions attached to accessing welfare benefits and services) for increasing populations of welfare service users across the UK. In conjunction with researchers from five other UK universities, Professor John Flint and Dr Jenny private rented McNeill have sought to find out if this works and if it is fair.
A key finding of the research Reflecting on the experiences Jenny continues – “The bespoke sector indicates that forms of support of participants who had been support provided by FIPs contrasts are more important than the subject to anti-social behaviour with the impersonal, often automated, With the private Around 20 per cent of by this. However, landlords were application of sanctions in (ASB) interventions, Jenny McNeill use of employment-related benefit also shown to evade some of these effectively achieving lasting and comments – “What was unique with sanctions. These sanctions were rented sector households now live in conditions (in spite of the illegality of positive behaviour change. In the sample of people subject to ASB largely viewed more negatively, increasing in England, the private rented sector this) and tenants were often unaware fact, mounting evidence suggests interventions was that supportive especially where legal or financial Dr Tom Moore in England, but there are or reluctant to exercise their rights. that benefit sanctions often have and intensive interventions like Family sanctions were applied without an a number of concerns Interestingly, tenancy registration a damaging impact on people’s Intervention Projects (FIPs) were accompanying package of support. shares insights from in Ireland – and landlord licensing in lives, leading to destitution, essential elements of positive changes. Whilst participants agreed in principle a recent study he about the suitability of the some parts of England – was shown hunger, survival crime, risk of FIPs were viewed positively as offering with the use of sanctions many felt direct intervention (e.g. help with they had been unfairly applied in carried out for the tenure. Research shows to improve public understanding of homelessness, isolation, worsened that private rented housing the private rented sector, including mental and physical health and housing), signposting to other services their situations. However, some Joseph Rowntree rent levels and the composition and stigmatization. and advocacy. Yet, many outcomes respondents argued that sanctions can be costlier, less secure of FIPs (such as crisis management, could be important in triggering a geography of the sector. The 5-year study involved interviews Foundation, looking at improved routines and parenting motivation to change and encouraging and of lower quality than with 52 policy makers, 27 focus groups lessons learned from Regulation of the private rented and enhanced self-confidence and engagement with, and adherence to, other tenures. with practitioners and repeat in- sector can have a positive effect on the health) are often more difficult to supportive intervention packages. the regulation of the experiences of tenants, but it is not depth interviews with 480 service These issues have led to calls for capture than more measurable ‘hard’ Conversely sanctions could also lead the only answer to the problems of the users across 10 cities in England and sector in Ireland. greater regulation of the private transformative outcomes.” to disengagement altogether.” sector. In particular, issues of housing Scotland. Many of the service users rented sector, particularly given that undersupply and affordability affect interviewed had complex support there are more young people, families, tenancy access and sustainment. In needs and their vulnerabilities meant and low-income households renting Ireland, there are measures in place to behaviour change was complex and from landlords. incentivise landlords to let housing to varied over time. In Ireland, there is a regulatory system low-income tenants for longer periods Find out more involving long-term tenancies of up to of time, creating additional tenure four years, with eviction protections, security. www.jrf.org.uk/report/ mandatory registration of tenancies England is increasingly an outlier in its regulation-private-rented- with a statutory body, a dispute Support more important under-regulation of the private rented sector-england-using- resolution service for use by landlords sector. New regulations were lessons-ireland and tenants, and limitations on the introduced in Scotland in 2017, bearing [email protected] frequency of rent increases. than sanctions find researchers @Tom_Moore85 similarity to those in Ireland. As the Longer-term tenancies were shown to private rented sector continues to have advantages: landlords can only expand, it is likely that calls for policy on major study of welfare evict according to strict conditions intervention aimed at regulating the and criteria, and tenants can take sector in a way that balances the cases to the dispute resolution interests of landlords and tenants will conditions service where they fail to abide continue. Find out more www.welfareconditionality.ac.uk [email protected] @WelCond Overall, there was limited evidence that benefit sanctions actually work to change people’s behaviour in positive ways such as moving towards work or desisting from anti-social behaviour. The study therefore has serious implications for service providers working with some of the most marginalised people in society faced with the challenges of rising benefit sanctions. Professor John Flint
4 Online edition available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/research/insight 5 4 A new response to an From Algorithms to Megaregions: age-old problem Find out more In urban studies and planning it has long been known that the political Read the paper and administrative geographies we https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166083 use to govern are often not a good View the data Mapping America’s match with how we actually live. A https://doi.org/10.15131/shef.data.4110156 good example of this is labour market [email protected] areas, where people can sometimes @undertheraedar commute long distances, far beyond Economic Geography the official limits of a city. This isn’t necessarily a problem for individuals, but when it comes to planning for infrastructure or housing we often need to think beyond the local. This We hear a lot these days about algorithms, whether it’s to do with self-driving cars, or idea is not new. The most famous how opinions can be manipulated online. Less well known is the fact that we can also use manifestation of this is perhaps algorithms to understand geography. In recent work with Garrett Nelson of Dartmouth Jean Gottmann’s concept of the ‘megalopolis’. College in the United States, Professor Alasdair Rae has developed a new understanding of the economic geography of the USA using an algorithmic approach. The result was a new set of US ‘megaregions’, which seemed to capture the popular Our intention was to take a close look at how imagination and strike a chord with policymakers. America was actually organised from the perspective of the everyday commute”, Alasdair comments. “To do this, we used some high-end computing to analyse 130 million data points on travel to work across America. This showed that, from an economic geography perspective, the USA appears to be constructed from a series of large, functional megaregions. You can see this in the map opposite, where the coloured lines represent commute flows and the colours represent individual megaregions.
‘It just made sense!’ Louisiana, regional planners in the Alasdair explains – “The reaction North Eastern USA, and even a Major to our work has been fantastic. League baseball team. To follow the In a world where 1,000 views of publication of the paper, we did an your work can represent ‘going ‘Ask me Anything’ event on Reddit, viral’, we were heartened to see where it was clear that our map had the level of interest and our paper resonated with a range of people as has now been viewed more than a these comments attest – “I’ve lived in quarter of a million times and has all three partitions of Massachusetts been covered by 22 news outlets, and this is 100% accurate” and “Holy including The Washington Post and crap they drew the definitive line to National Geographic. Yet much more divide north and south Jersey!”. Professor rewarding than this has been the Alasdair Rae response from people working in the “Not all academic work can have this so-called ‘real world’ who have got in kind of reach, and it is certainly not touch to say how useful the work has representative of a typical research been.” project, yet it demonstrates that the kinds of things that happen behind “This includes people working on the closed doors of academia can infrastructure development in have real world impact and relevance Silicon Valley in California, economic and that algorithms can help us development professionals in understand our world a little better.”
6 Online edition available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/research/insight 7 ‘It Started Raining’ Fighting for the Right to Housing in Bucharest. According to Amnesty International, in Romania ‘the right to housing is not effectively recognized or protected by national legislation’ and Roma people Neighbourhood are ‘disproportionally affected’ by forced evictions. A început ploaia (translated as that speaks of racial discrimination, on a more profound basis, sharing ‘It Started Raining’) is the first homelessness, evictions, but also of means and ideas. This eventually cohesion in urban feature documentary narrating the grassroots practices of resistance led to the production of activist- full history of, and reasons behind, and social change. oriented videos and, then, to the this continuous harassment and realisation of the documentary. The The documentary is the result displacement. The film follows the aim of A început ploaia is twofold. On China of more than two years of video- story of the Vulturilor 50 community the one hand, the documentary aims ethnographic work around forced of Bucharest (100 individuals), who to support the struggle for the right evictions against Roma people in dwelt on the street from September to the city that Roma people are Bucharest by Dr Michele Lancione, 2014 to June 2016 in order to fight bringing to the fore in Bucharest. On Recent research undertaken by Dr Zheng Wang explores who joined The University of against the eviction from their the other hand, the film shows how Sheffield in September 2017. the impact of migration in Shanghai – and questions home, enacting the longest and it may be possible to mix academic assumptions about declining social cohesion in urban most visible protest for housing If at first Michele’s involvement with fieldwork, activist-oriented work China. right in the history of contemporary the Vulturilor 50 community was and visual methods to create space Romania. The experiences of the solely of an activist nature, with for empowering experiences and community are presented alongside the passing of time he started to meaningful exchange. communities. Our research was based neighbourhoods with a more balanced interviews with activists, scholars work with them (and the cohort of According to the on a large household survey mix of migrant and local residents as and politicians, composing a picture activists involved in the resistance) conducted in Shanghai in 2013. The compared to traditional neighbourhoods National Bureau survey included rural migrants and with a recent influx of migrants. urban residents living in a wide range Cohesion also exists in migrant enclaves, of Statistics of of different neighbourhoods such as which are more characterised by low-income settlements with higher informality, since migrants have built China, there are concentrations of migrant residents up their own migrant community in and affluent housing estates with a order to provide mutual support. lower share of rural migrant residents. 247 million rural These results signal that the influx of Our analysis showed that migrant residents may initially reduce migrants living neighbourhoods with a more neighbourhood cohesion, but over Find out more balanced share of migrant and native time both local and migrant residents www.ainceputploaia.com in urban China residents (around 20-50% of rural get used to each other’s presence and [email protected] migrant residents) have the strongest are able to rebuild their cohesion. In @michelelancione (NBS 2015). cohesion potentially because local light of our findings we argue that the residents have already adjusted to state needs to abolish policies that The influx of migrants has led to living with their migrant neighbours. limit the housing choice of migrants in a growing concern that social Neighbourhood cohesion is also Chinese cities and also move away cohesion in Chinese cities is stronger in migrant enclaves (where from demolishing older and poorer declining and that tensions more than half of the residents are neighbourhoods, which are the actual between migrants and native rural migrants) as migrant residents deterrents of social cohesion. residents are worsening. The large may have formed their own in-group numbers of rural migrants coupled community. Furthermore, our analysis with housing restrictions on them revealed that the strongest deterrent Find out more I hope for this film to become an active testament of the fight for housing have led to the emergence of migrant of cohesion was the prospect of enclaves, which in the eyes of city displacement and lack of resources Read the paper – in Bucharest – one that will be used by activists, evicted people and authorities and local media are a cause since low-income areas and traditional https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0308518X16673839 researchers to strengthen their resistance to displacement and to fight for the supposed decline of social courtyard neighbourhoods, which [email protected] cohesion. However, despite these are the key targets of demolition and continuous harassment. In order to work toward this direction, @zhengwang34 concerns there is surprisingly little regeneration due to their high land empirical evidence to justify these value, have the weakest cohesion. I would like for the film to be seen by different kinds of people, including assumptions. Contrary to the common perception academics, film-makers, but most importantly activists and communities Our study set out to investigate how that newcomers can decrease levels of that have faced, or are facing, evictions. the influx of millions of rural migrants neighbourhood cohesion, our study into Chinese cities has impacted on revealed that in Shanghai, social Dr Michele Lancione the social cohesion of urban cohesion tends to be higher in
8 Online edition available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/research/insight 9 New projects Working in the public interest? In the post-war era, decisions about This project offers the first major urban development in the UK were investigation in the UK into the Find out more justified with the idea that state- increasing involvement of private www.witpi.group.shef.ac.uk employed planners served a unified companies in carrying out professional [email protected] public interest. Although this has long spatial planning work formerly @WITPI_Planning Urban development been challenged it is an idea that conducted by local government. The remains important for professional research focusses on three key areas practice. However, over the last 20 – the extent and nature of private and the ‘new scramble’ years organisational reforms have sector involvement in planning; the seen some planning functions of the implications of this for planners’ for Africa state devolved to local communities, understanding of their professional while the role of the market has roles; and the consequences for expanded with the private sector traditional justifications of planning increasingly delivering planning activities as in the ‘public interest’. The services. Nearly half of all UK project is led by Professor Malcolm Tait Much of the African continent is has attracted widespread attention Chinese agencies, other emerging Chartered Planners now work for and funded by the Economic and Social currently undergoing an ‘urban in recent years, particularly with powers investing in Africa, private firms and the current Research Council. revolution’. This has profound respect to the role of China as an ‘traditional’ donors and African Government seeks to extend private sector involvement. implications for African states aid donor, investor and source of governments are shaping the way and societies. It also throws up migrants. urban development challenges are new challenges for traditional understood and acted upon. The aid donors, who have long been Led by Dr Tom Goodfellow and research centres on three critical inclined to focus much of their funded by the Economic and Social issues – the governance of urban effort on rural poverty. The Research Council, the project land, the impacts of major urban increased engagement between focusses on Chinese engagement infrastructure projects, and efforts Squatting in ‘the alpha territory’ emerging global powers and in Ethiopia and Uganda. It aims to to create mass industrial and countries on the African continent explore how interactions between service sector employment. Urban researchers have long Contemporary London is a vision of In this 3-year Leverhulme Trust warned us that London is being the wealthy – cranes, glass and steel Fellowship, Dr Sam Burgum transformed into an ‘alpha abound – yet it is also host to many will explore the nature and Find out more territory’. grassroots opposition groups who significance of squatting – the semi- are resisting gentrification, eviction permanent occupation of vacant An influx of international finance www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/research/projects/scramble and demolition. property without permission – in has steadily changed London into [email protected] contemporary London. The research a location for the rich, whilst the In particular, politicised squatting is @GoodfellowTom will consider the connections growth of property speculation is on the increase, through community between the actions of the rich having far-reaching consequences mobilisation and activist networks and the situation of the poor, as for the city. undeterred by the outlawing of well as between different networks residential squatting in 2012. BEGIN: Improving climate resilience with and groups including activists, residents and the rising population of homeless and houseless people. Blue Green Infrastructure Find out more Extreme weather conditions are collaborate in developing solutions now a more frequent challenge that will make urban areas more https://squattinglondon.wordpress.com/ for cities to face across the attractive, resistant and resilient. [email protected] world. Climate adaptations are @SJBurgum Led by Dr Liz Sharp, USP’s involvement an essential part of the response in BEGIN focusses on – the planning to the effects of climate change and procedural context in which BGI – and ‘Blue Green Infrastructure’ is developed in different locations; the (BGI) is one of the most effective distribution of costs and benefits of approaches in reducing flood BGI between different stakeholders; risk in urban areas. However, and the professional contexts of those opportunities for investment in who bring forward BGI solutions. BGI solutions are too often missed. BEGIN is a new international research project, which is funded by the Interreg Find out more North Sea Region Programme www.northsearegion.eu/begin (European Regional Development [email protected] Fund), involving partners from six European countries. The overall objective of BEGIN is to demonstrate how cities can improve climate resilience with BGI. At the heart of the project is a desire to engage with local citizens and social organisations to
10 Online edition available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/research/insight 11 In January 2017 Dr Bobby Nisha and Bryony Olney were successful in securing funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England for a project on the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies in urban design teaching. Developing
Design Consultants Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) is The ability to view their designs VR provides the opportunity for growing in popularity and whilst from a first person, human scale an alternative perspective to that it is often viewed as the domain of viewpoint in VR enables the student offered by traditional methods of gamers, it is seeing a significant to have improved empathy with visualisation such as using paper for the Future rise in popularity in a wide range those who will use the environment and pencil or desktop-based design of industries for creative and in its intended form. The concept of software. With an elevated sense commercial purposes. “spatial presence”, the feeling of being of spatial presence within the VR located in a virtual space, further environment, students are able to In the built environment sector, enhances students’ ability to immerse develop an improved understanding immersive visualisations can help to themselves in their environment and and empathy of the effects of their improve public understanding of the to experience their design rather design proposals on stakeholders. impacts of new design solutions on than to act as passive observers. This However, Bobby and Bryony are clear ‘real world’ sites. VR also provides supports the notion that the process - “we have been careful not to displace the opportunity for urban designers of design and visualisation should the core principles of our Urban We have been careful not to displace the to work in an entirely new way – to be iterative, with changes made to Design teaching in favour of a focus experience a design as it evolves and designs as a result of insights gained on simply creating VR environments; core principles of our Urban Design teaching consider how the design responds to through visualisation which feed into instead we wish to promote the use the surrounding environment from a the next iteration, and so on. and exploration of VR as a design in favour of a focus on simply creating VR uniquely ‘human’ perspective. tool for the future Urban Designer A core aim of Bobby and Bryony’s and imagine that one day it may sit environments; instead we wish to promote the project has been to explore the ways alongside pen, paper and set-square in use and exploration of VR as a design tool for in which VR technologies can extend the design toolbox”. The project is due and enhance our design student’s to conclude at the end of March 2018. the future Urban Designer and imagine that understanding of core software and skills. As a design tool, VR offers urban one day it may sit alongside pen, paper and set- design students a micro, ego-centric view of their composition in contrast square in the design toolbox. to the macro allo-centric view offered Dr Bobby Nisha and Bryony Olney by design softwares such as SketchUp.
Find out more www.ddcf.wordpress.com [email protected] [email protected] @ddcfSheffield
12 Online edition available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/research/insight 13 Storying
Planning Find out more www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/ PhD researcher researchschool/wits [email protected] Jason Slade reflects on the role of narrative Global in planning. Perspectives What is the focus of your Secondly, in terms of what it means research? for non-professionals to engage PhD training partnership key to in planning activity my research The foundations for my PhD research expanding early career horizons. highlights just how much planning lay in the interest in narrative – as demands of people physically, fundamental to how human beings intellectually and emotionally. understand themselves and their People can have quite different In 2016 we established a At the heart of the programme is a student, University of Witwatersrand) world – that has grown and evolved understandings of planning, its series of short exchanges between commented – “I found the workshop across the humanities and social PhD training partnership processes and outcomes. A plan, South Africa and the UK, in order to very helpful in unlocking various sciences in recent decades. This then, might not seem a good way to with the School of support and facilitate shared learning blockages I had in my writing. It helped has found particular expression in tell a story, and telling a story might related to the theories, methods and me identify aspects of my proposal planning theory – for example, in the Architecture and Planning not appear to be a good way to plan. practices of academic research. A by- that I was struggling to refine/clarify work of James Throgmorton, John What is more, if residents are not at the University of Forester and Leonie Sandercock – product of the exchanges has seen the and that were hindering me from committed to the project of reframing Witwatersrand in South which has seen narrative as a tool for development of PhD training materials making progress with finalising my the future of their communities then both doing and understanding the Africa. Funded by Research which will be of benefit to future proposal.” story cannot necessarily take them work of planners and planning. My students. there. Councils UK and the Commenting on the success of the research explored this relationship, To date, five exchange visits have taken programme so far, Dr Glyn Williams particularly the suggestion that Thirdly, I have sought to develop a Newton Fund in the UK place, covering topics such as ‘the states - “This has been a great learning story might represent a way for the more nuanced understanding of the and the National Research residents of places to try and influence politicisation of community practice. Foundation in South Africa, politics of research’; ‘demystifying experience – working intensively change and development. I explored Community contexts are live, with a qualitative analysis’ and, most with an international cohort of PhD this through a case study focussed on range of stakeholders and interests the partnership seeks recently, ‘the politics and practice students has strengthened links the role of story in a resident-driven endeavouring to define and influence to develop a cohort of of writing’. Feedback from student between our Universities, and given community planning initiative. them. As such, planners might participants has been overwhelmingly the staff involved insights into how find themselves marginalised, and international researchers positive. Alison Calder (PhD student, to provide support throughout the What methods did you use? should not expect to be able to lead with the skills and University of Sheffield) noted – “For PhD process. We’re all committed I employed participant observation, in defining how they and the spaces capacities to deliver high me the most useful element was being to producing cutting-edge learning document analysis and qualitative where they find themselves are quality research on urban able to discuss and get feedback on resources from the programme interviews alongside a significant understood. my work from Global South students that will set the standard for future action element during my research. planning and governance. … it has helped massively with my urban studies and planning research This saw me engaged in producing The links between story and planning neighbourhood profile and plan are certainly tangible to those involved confidence in my PhD research”. In a training.” documents with residents, as in making places but there is nothing similar vein, Boitumelo Matlala (PhD key elements of their community straightforward about them. Story development work, and subsequently is no substitute for the skills and, conducting a story workshop, which more importantly, the political will allowed participants to reflect on their necessary to plan equitably for how experience of community planning. places change and develop. As such, there is no easy movement between What were the key findings? storying and planning, and to suggest In my PhD I seek to develop our otherwise can serve as a smokescreen I found the workshop very helpful in unlocking various blockages I had in understanding of the role of narrative for political projects that, whether by in planning in three key ways. design or unhappy accident, disinvest my writing. It helped me identify aspects of my proposal that I was struggling in, disengage from and disempower First, in relation to how story figures disadvantaged communities. to refine/clarify and that were hindering me from making progress with in making change in community contexts, I argue that whilst all change finalising my proposal. might involve story, trying to intervene Boitumelo Matlala (PhD student, University of Witwatersrand) in and through it is difficult and Find out more unpredictable, with disempowering [email protected] stories or stories for stasis often being overwhelmingly powerful. @JasonSlade87
14 Online edition available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/research/insight 15 Department of Urban Studies and Leahy S, Crawford J, & McKee K Haughton G, Deas I, Hincks S & Ward Planning staff indicated in bold (2017) Generating confusion, concern, K (2016) Mythic Manchester: devo and precarity through the Right to Manc, the Northern Powerhouse and Rent scheme in Scotland. Antipode rebalancing the English economy. Books (online first). Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 9(2), 355-370. Publications Blandy S & Atkinson R (2016) Crawford J & McKee K (2017) Domestic Fortress: Fear and the New Privileging the ‘objective’: Horn P (2017) Indigenous peoples, the Home Front (Manchester University understanding the state’s role in ity and inclusive urban developmnet Press) shaping housing aspirations. Housing policies in Latin America: lessons from Theory and Society, 35(1), 94-112. Bolivia and Ecuador. Development Sharp L (2017) Reconnecting People Policy Review (online first). and Water: Public Engagement Crawford J, Leahy S & McKee K and Sustainable Urban Water (2016) The Immigration Act and the Horn P (2017) From recognition to Management (Routledge) ‘right to rent’: exploring governing implementation of ethno-racial justice: tensions within and beyond the state. contradictory urban indeigenous People Place and Policy, 10(2), 114-125. politics in Bolivia. International Journal Edited Books Goodfellow T (2017) Seeing political of Urban and Regional Research (online only). Atkinson R, McKenzie L & Winlow S settlements through the city: A (Eds.) (2017) Building Better Societies: framework for comparative analysis Crosby N, Jackson C & Orr A (2016) Promoting Social Justice in a World of urban transformation. Development Refining the real estate pricing model. Falling Apart. (Policy Press) and Change, 49(1), 199-222. Journal of Property Research, 33(4), 332-358. Henneberry J (Ed.) (2017) Goodfellow T (2017) Urban fortunes Transcience and Permanence in Urban and skeleton cityscapes: real estate Jankowitz S (2017) Intergroup Development (Wiley-Blackwell) and late urbanisation in Kigali and struggles over victimhood in violent Addis Ababa. International Journal of conflict: the victim-perpretrator Deas I & Hincks S (Eds.) (2017) Urban and Regional Research, 41(5), paradigm. International Review of Territorial Politics and Governance: 786-803. Victimology (online first). Alternative Paths (Routledge) Goodfellow T (2017) Taxing property Jankowitz S (2016) Sociopolitical Lancione M (Ed.), (2016) Rethinking in a neo-developmental state: the implications of exclusive, intergroup Life at the Margins: The Assemblage politics of urban land value capture in perceptions of victims in societies of Contexts, Subjects and Politics Rwanda and Ethiopia. African Affairs, emerging from conflict.Peacebuilding , (Routledge) 116(465), 549-572. 5(3), 289-304. Goodfellow T (2017) ‘Double capture’ Keskin B, Dunning R & Watkins Journal Articles and de-democratisation: interest C (2017) Modelling the impact of earthquake activity on real estate Ho H & Atkinson R (2017) Looking for group politics and Uganda’s ‘transport big ‘fry’: the motives and methods of mafia’.Journal of Development values: a multi-level approach. Journal middle-class international property Studies, 53(10), 1568-1583. of European Real Estate Research, 10(1), 73-90. investors. Urban Studies (online first). Wild T, Henneberry JM & Gill L (2017) M, Stefanizzi A & Gaboardi, Atkinson R, Parker S & Morales ER Comprehending the multiple ‘values’ Lancione (2017) Non-state space: the strategic of green infrastructure – valuing M (2018) Passive adaptation or active ejection of dangerous and high nature-based solutions for urban engagement? The challenges of Housing First internationally and in maintenance urban space. Territory, water management from multiple the Italian case, , 33, Politics, Governance, 5(4), 443-458. perspectives. Environmental Research, Housing Studies 158, 179-187. 40-57. Atkinson R, Parker S & Burrows R (2017) Elite formation, power and Mell I, Henneberry JM, Hehl-Lange S, Lancione M (2017) Revitalising the space in contemporary London. & Keskin B (2016) To green or not to uncanny: challenging inertia in the struggle against forced evictions, Theory, Culture & Society, 34(5-6), green: establishing the economic value 179-200. of green infrastructure investments in Environment and Planning D, 35(6), The Wicker, Sheffield.Urban Forestry 10112-1032. Burrows R, Webber R & Atkinson & Urban Greening, 18, 257-267. R (2016) Welcome to Pikettyville? Lancione M & Elisabetta R (2017) Mapping London’s alpha territories. Hincks S, Kingston R, Webb B & Wong Going in, out, through: a dialogue around long skirts, fried chips, Sociological Review, 65(2), 184-201. 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18 Online edition available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/research/insight 19 Department of Urban Studies and Planning The University of Sheffield Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN United Kingdom
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