Places Research Theme
City-REDI is focussed on places and how key policies come together in a locality. Furthering our knowledge and understanding of how regions can capitalise on their heritage, assets and capabilities to improve their potential for growth.
Looking at how cities, towns and rural areas have competitive (dis)advantages that will be essential to shaping their economic and social future. We focus on modelling places, their attributes and relationships to one another to enable us to understand potential futures, impacts and risks to place-based growth, productivity and inclusivity.
We are also developing our understanding of how resilient regions are in the face of shocks, technological, political, economic or social. Our study of the regional impacts and implications of Brexit has shown how trade dependencies and other kinds of linkages to other parts of the world can constrain or benefit regional economies in the face of radical external change.
Key to our research is understanding how places can realise their full potential and how different growth pathways represent different trade-offs in terms of positive or negative outcomes for different stakeholders. Policy interventions can affect the growth and performance of businesses and the work opportunities, income levels and life chances of people and communities. Policymakers face the challenge of supporting both, with limited resources. City-REDI works in partnership with local leaders and stakeholders, developing tools and methodologies which strengthen decision-making in Local Enterprise Partnerships, Mayoral Combined Authorities and pan-regional bodies like the Midlands Engine to enable better growth for all.
View our projects:
Birmingham Economic Review
The annual Birmingham Economic Review is produced by City-REDI and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. It is an in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second city and a high-quality resource for informing research, policy and investment decisions.
Commercialisation: Bridging the University-Industry Gap
The commercialisation project aims to understand the role social sciences can play in bridging the divide between technology and research developed in universities, and market opportunities where value will be added.
Dynamic Economic Impact Model (DEIM) – Skills and Business Support
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) commissioned a new, bespoke economic modelling framework which was delivered in summer 2016.
The Realities, Challenges and Strengths of the External Funding Environment at LEP Level
This project investigates LEPs and their partners' experiences of securing funding, seeking to shed light on the challenges they face as well as the strengths of their approaches.
Improving Public Funding Allocations to Reduce Geographical Inequalities
This project aims to contribute to the UK Government's policy goal of reducing spatial inequalities by suggesting more effective ways of allocating funding between different areas in England.
Industrial Strategy Council Skills and Places Secondment
This project examines skills investment in the UK and how the UK system compares to international skills systems.
Megatrends in the West Midlands
This project investigates megatrends in the West Midlands. Trends that could have significant economic consequences and scarring effects on vulnerable groups and places.
National Civic Impact Accelerator
This programme is a leading voice in the national civic university movement, focusing on how universities can support inclusive economic growth. Our work will focus on the economic impact of universities on place.
Productivity and Prosperity: Inclusive Growth for the West Midlands
At the heart of this project is the "productivity puzzle" and the magnitude of the issue facing the "problem regions".
Optimising Regional Creative Clusters
This research aims to compare two UK regions with growing creative sectors and asks how can regions optimise their creative clusters.
Socio-Economic Impact Model for the UK: SEIM-UK
SEIM-UK is a UK Multi-regional Input-Output model being developed by City-REDI to provide detailed sector and place-sensitive economic analyses.
The Economic Impacts of Brexit on the UK, its Regions, its Cities, and its Sectors
This project started in April 2017 and is part of a series of 25 projects funded by ESRC to support the initiative UK in a Changing Europe coordinated by Professor Anand Menon at King's College London.
The Impact of Universities on Regional Economies
This project aims to identify the economic impact of universities in their regional economies by focussing on the effects of increased spending associated with HEI activities.
The Midlands Engine Economic Observatory
The Midlands Engine Economic Observatory has been created to deliver an Independent Economic Review of the Midlands as well as a sector assessment of the potential impact of Brexit on the region.
The Urban Living Birmingham Project
The Urban Living Birmingham project was awarded in May 2016 following a successful bid to the Urban Living Partnership call for pilot projects.
USE-IT! Unlocking Social and Economic Innovation Together
The USE-IT! project aims to develop new mechanisms to unlock the potential of poor communities and connect them to the resources they need to remain resilient and escape poverty.