Urban Transformations / Foresight Future of Cities Knowledge Exchange Fellowship

Lead Research Organisation: University of Oxford
Department Name: Social & Cultural Anthropology

Abstract

The ESRC is developing a wide ranging agenda for research and knowledge exchange in the area of Urban Transformations to critically assess and understand the impact and significance of urban transformations for the welfare and wellbeing of urban citizens across the globe. Where appropriate, we will work in collaboration with other relevant organisations that share a mutual interest in these urban issues.

The ESRC is therefore delighted to invite Expressions of Interest for a collaborative Knowledge Exchange Fellowship in partnership with the Foresight Future of Cities project.

The aim of this Fellowship is to work on behalf of the ESRC Urban Transformations portfolio to synthesise evidence, promote opportunities for research impacts and support various knowledge exchange activities. This will include identifying opportunities to enhance the links between the Foresight Future of Cities project, the wider network of cities' stakeholders and the urban academic research community. The fellow will be expected to work closely with the ESRC Urban Transformations Coordinator and Foresight Future of Cities Project Team.

[taken from ESRC website on details for call http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/34457/esrc-urban-transformations-and-foresight-future-of-cities-knowledge-exchange-fellowship.aspx]

Planned Impact

Pathways to Impact : Nicola Headlam
Urban Transformations and Foresight Future of Cities Knowledge Exchange Research Fellow
The fellowship exists in order to exert influence over the ways in which urban scholarship influences practice.
As such the scheme as conceived is about brokerage across numerous pathways to impact.
A key issue on this front is the scale of the challenge of influencing perceptions from "both sides of the wall" of the academy about the usefulness and useability of scholarly work. I have taken every Knowledge Exchange opportunity available and am positioned at the leading edge of impactful policy-relevant urban research, presenting last year at the UK Knowledge Mobilisation Forum at NESTA. For social scientific impact to be meaningful we must move beyond "bolted on" "afterthought" type dissemination activities and be far more responsive to forms of collaboration in the whole life cycle of research activities, from ideas through to agreeing scholarly outputs. I have been very fortunate that the ESRC has consistently supported my KE activities. My PhD was an ESRC-sponsored CASE award with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) I was awarded a Technology Strategy Board (TSB) post-doctoral research fellowship with the same think-tank. An ESRC scheme led me to an internship in 2008 within the Parliament and Constitution Centre (PCC) in the Parliament library in 2008. I have spoken about the role of the ESRC in KE across the research life career on various platforms. The research council is only one voice amongst an increasingly crowded space where many think-tanks and intermediary bodies have things to say about cities but one which can mobilise the collective talents of myriad scholars. Often more rigorous work lacks the media coverage of polished 'wonkcomms' irrespective of content and this is something I have discussed with research colleagues from within the urban scholarship community which has sometimes lacked a coherent voice within policy debates.

Opportune timing, welcome focus, scaling up of "best practices" from UT & FoC

The greatest opportunity of the fellowship is the propitious timing of the project. It is at this stage in the REF 2020 cycle that there is the highest potential for genuine behaviour change with the ways in which academics frame their urban research questions and the ways in which this can meaningfully scale up policy and practical application. The assembling under the umbrella of the UT portfolio contains a great generational mix whereby earlier career/future leaders type scholars can genuinely carve out space for a career predicated on meaningful impactful work. Further a serious focus on cities by the research council, and the potential for achieving the synergies across urban transformations and future of cities may create a genuine platform for working in quite a radically different way on societal challenge with those in positions of authority. Our work at the Heseltine Institute has been to seek to advance this way of working at the local level but the opportunity of the fellowship is to scale up successful practice. I am very well connected with those in the UK grappling with these issues within universities. I have been integrally involved in thinking about the ways in which universities as anchor institutions need to work differently across policy and practice boundaries. There is a great appetite for change.
Issues: no illusions about challenge of change, cutting through the cacophony on urban questions

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description the award was focussed on the ways in which urban knowledge may be mobilised for public and policy audiences and the aim of this Fellowship wss to work on behalf of the ESRC Urban Transformations portfolio to synthesise evidence, promote opportunities for research impacts and support various knowledge exchange activities. These KE events and activities were arranged. The Foresight Future of Cities link was successful as long as the project existed, though there were some issues around the dissemination of the results at the Go-Science end. The fellowship worked with the wider network of cities' stakeholders and the urban academic research community and there are future collaborations in prospect.
Exploitation Route developing the knowledge mobilisation for urban transformations framework in tandem with the widest application of the impact agenda
Sectors Government

Democracy and Justice

URL http://www.urbantransformations.ox.ac.uk/news/2017/urbanliving-laboratories-in-research-and-policy-where-the-experimental-city-meets-the-participatory-city/
 
Description I have worked at the UK scale on UT since April 2015. Initially as a researcher on UT and awarded the Foresight Knowledge Exchange fellowship in Sept 2016. This runs to April of 2017. 1. Engagement activities Award objectives: i. Organise, attend and contribute to meetings/events with portfolio researchers and other initiatives, to encourage dialogue and maximise opportunities for sharing knowledge, co-production, collaboration and impact generation at national, European and international levels. ii. Create and maintain the Urban Transformations web platform, regularly updating for news, events, funding opportunities and other relevant materials. Deliverables over course of award: Organise at least 6 KE events profiling the work of the portfolio in the UK, Europe and Internationally. Launch and develop a website (inc. blog series and social media channel) that addresses portfolio needs and contributes to the field of urban studies. At the UK scale UT has engaged with scholars, projects and policy makers in a particularly constructive fashion, giving rise to the events programme listed below at which Michael Keith and Nicola Headlam have contributed alongside key city-regional players in each city. Fig 2: UT KE activites 2015/16 Further events are planned for the core cities of Manchester and Sheffield over the next 5 months These KE events have been attended by the following numbers of people (I have archived sign-in sheets, agendas etc.) at each I sought balance between researchers and policy makers Title City Participants Foresight/UT co-production round table, Sept 2015 London 19 Foresight author's workshop, Festival of Ideas Bristol 77 (attended by Andrew Stafford) Urban Observatory Event With David Waite & Gillian Bristow Cardiff 38 (attended by Tim Pank) City policy event With Des McNulty & Duncan McLennan Glasgow 26 Newcastle City Futures Event With Mark Tewdr-Jones Newcastle Upon Tyne 28 day 1 22 day 2 (attended by EPSRC officer) 188 people . 2. Collaboration and partnership Award Objective: i. Establish networks and working relationships between researchers and research users including policymakers, practitioners, business, city stakeholders and local communities. Deliverables over course of award: Collaboration through at least 2 fellowship placements, for example with the Future of Cities Foresight. The foresight collaboration has worked very well despite the project itself ending and limited fanfare for the findings of the project. A UT network delivered a JPI-Europe EN-SUF bid with the Urban Land Institute as a partner. This was not funded but has been re-worked as a H2020 application. I have worked closely with and appeared on platforms for ? The RSA ? The Regional Studies Association ? The British Academy ? Policy Scotland ? NESTA ? Urbanistas 3. Impact Award objective: i. Provide opportunities, spaces and channels to maximise the impact of ESRC's research investments and activities through close engagement with a range of stakeholders. Deliverables over course of award: Comments by those in influential positions or changes made to policy, practice and publics as a result of the space, channels and connections provided by UT. I have contributed to UT communications and developed the social media strategy offering opportunities for engagement in non-traditional modes . 4. Outcomes and intellectual guidance Objectives: i. Advise the ESRC on the on-going development and commissioning of future activities and initiatives supported under the Urban Transformations portfolio including activity with other funders and international partners. ii. Secure synergies between the projects in the UT portfolio (during initial award period), extending this to include the new Newton projects (during the extension period). Deliverables: i. Produce an Urban Transformations Narrative report (which includes analysis of the portfolio, maps relevant academic and non-academic stakeholder interests and highlights opportunities for collaboration). ii. Complete a scoping exercise for the Urban Living partners and a written report to present findings. In addition to the narrative report we have supported the development of Urban Living through 2 specific commissions, these are being professionally laid out (redacted) for inclusion on the web portal ? The urban research ecosystem, innovation and urban transformations July 2016 ? THE URBAN LIVING GLOBAL CHALLENGE: A PROSPECTUS Comparative International Exemplar Urban and Living Labs October 2016 5. Reporting process and working with the ESRC This criterion concerns: i. the quality and frequency of the Researchfish reports made by the UT team to date ii. the extent to which the reporting framework (agreed and introduced May 2016, and included at Annex A) is fit for purpose iii. the process of working with the ESRC (e.g. the format and value of monthly meetings and support provided generally)
First Year Of Impact 2015
Sector Government, Democracy and Justice
Impact Types Policy & public services

 
Description City Futures Symposium, Newcastle 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact this event was a 2-day international symposium considering city futures and the role of civic universities
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description European Commission Session on Living Labs 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact panel was convened at the prestigious European Week of Regions and Cities URBAN / LIVING LABORATORIES IN RESEARCH AND POLICY
October 11, 2017

Urban Transformations (UT) have become increasingly interested in the institutional form that urban experimentation might take, the role of research in this process and how democratic and citizenship concerns may be balanced with policy and industrial drivers. As a team we have explored some of the potential for Living Lab working and argued that 'Urban/Living Labs' (ULLs) are new ways to know cities.

Working in partnership with the European Commission's Department for Regional and Urban Policy (DG Regio), the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) and the Regional Studies Association (RSA) we assembled a fantastic cast for an interactive session on the promise and possibilities of living and urban lab working. The session was within the stream Regions and cities as change agents( #TakeAction).

In this workshop we heard from possibly the two most powerful advocates of these approaches in Europe; President of ENoLL (Prof Tuija Hirvikoski) and Chair of JPI Urban Europe (Margit Noll). Both have framed the definition and adoption of these new ways of working across the EU. Margit announced a new funding stream in the session. Dr Ida Nilstad Pettersen also joined the panel to introduce a project-level example and show how important these approaches may be for sustainability transitions.

Panellists discussed the ways in which ULLs make knowledge work differently to face urban challenges and change the conversation around place by combining the talents of, citizens, industry and government in new configurations and using new methods, such as technology.

The Urban Transformations Team in Oxford have been working to explore the possibilities of international exemplars of lab practices - through a workshop in February on Experimenting with Urban Living Labs Beyond Smart City-Regions and in reports exploring more than 300 international examples. In this session we sought to reflect on how notions of 'experimentation' connect with the challenges of participation and citizen-centricity and how far we can inform collaborative forms for city working.



Participants and Further Information
Prof Michael Keith and Dr Nicola Headlam (session chair) Urban Transformations, University of Oxford
https://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/media/Comparative-Intl-Urban-Living-prospectus.pdf
https://www.slideshare.net/networknicola/urban-living-lab-full
http://www.urbantransformations.ox.ac.uk/people/nicola-headlam/

Dr Nicola Headlam is the Urban Transformations & Foresight Future of Cities Knowledge Exchange Research Fellow, funded by the ESRC. She is to be found (often) tweeting as @networknicola, has been running the @utconnect twitter handle and on nicola.headlam@compas.ox.ac.uk.

Dr Igor Calzada Urban Transformations, University of Oxford
http://www.urbantransformations.ox.ac.uk/blog/2017/european-urban-living-labs-as-experimental-city-to-city-learning-platforms/
https://www.nature.com/articles/palcomms201794

Prof Tuija Hirvikoski, ENoLL President, will speak on Day 3 of EWRC (11/10/2017) at the session on Urban/Living laboratories in research and policy: where the experimental city meets the participatory city?
http://www.openlivinglabs.eu/event/european-week-regions-and-cities-1
http://www.openlivinglabs.eu/enoll_council_members

Dr Ida Nilstad Pettersen
http://www.ntnu.edu/employees/ida.nilstad.pettersen
Ida's Research interests include Design for sustainability, transition design, participatory design, co-creation, social practices, sustainability transitions, sustainable consumption and production, sustainable urban development, health and welfare.

Margit Noll is Chair of the Management Board of JPI Urban Europe since 2015. She has been involved in the development of the JPI Urban Europe from the beginning in 2009 and is in charge of the strategic development and the implementation of the programme, comprising international outreach, establishment of strategic partnerships and of a stakeholder involvement. Margit is employed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG
http://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/interview-with-margit-noll-chair-of-the-jpi-urban-europe-management-board-towards-the-implementation-of-the-strategic-research-and-innovation-agenda/
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Foresight/UT co-production round table, Sept 2015 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact this was a policy and academic round table to "launch" the fellowship with key stakeholders beyond the university


Award objectives:
i. Organise, attend and contribute to meetings/events with portfolio researchers and other initiatives, to encourage dialogue and maximise opportunities for sharing knowledge, co-production, collaboration and impact generation at national, European and international levels.
ii. Create and maintain the Urban Transformations web platform, regularly updating for news, events, funding opportunities and other relevant materials.

Deliverables over course of award:
Organise at least 6 KE events profiling the work of the portfolio in the UK, Europe and Internationally. Launch and develop a website (inc. blog series and social media channel) that addresses portfolio needs and contributes to the field of urban studies.
At the UK scale UT has engaged with scholars, projects and policy makers in a particularly constructive fashion, giving rise to the events programme listed below at which Michael Keith and Nicola Headlam have contributed alongside key city-regional players in each city.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description UK City Futures in research and policy; data analytics, subnational economic development and Britain's new industrial strategy 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact UK City Futures in research and policy; data analytics, subnational economic development and Britain's new industrial strategy

The 'cities agenda' in the UK has undergone major changes of late. The current Government's priorities for restructuring the British model of growth will foreground the roles of cities in shaping the UK's economic future via the Industrial Strategies Challenge Fund. Research 'on' and 'in' cities has never shown greater potential in interdisciplinary capacity, a potential not always realised in the architecture of the UK's traditionally discipline oriented research council funding. Further, urban scholarship within civic anchor institutions is engaged in a process of rethinking the roles of analysis - data, policy development and strategy - and dealing in forms of knowledge production and mobilisation in service of places rather than working purely in 'extractive' mode. Research Councils collectively and Innovate UK are interested in the potential role of the city as observatory, demonstrator, test-bed or exemplar. Alongside this, academia is restructuring around outward-facing institutes with overt city-regional purposes.

This 'Spring Symposium' will be held in Oxford over two days in order to provide a space for conversations combining policy and research insights. Presentations will be made by Urban Transformations (UT) team and the extended community around a new cities research agenda that were introduced by the Foresight process associated with the 'Future of Cities programme'. This will also link to information exchanges on the status of Urban Living Partnerships, the urban institutes and relevant projects in the UT portfolio. The event seeks to set an agenda for policy engaged, future facing urban work within and beyond the University of Oxford that directly addresses the emergent agenda of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and the new research and innovation ecosystem.
Day One: 4th May

09.30 Coffee & registration

10.00 Objectives for symposium

Dr Nicola Headlam: Urban Transformations, University of Oxford


The changing world we are in; the research ecosystem and emergent urban research agenda

Prof Michael Keith, Urban Transformations Co-ordinator, University of Oxford
Respondents:
Responsible Research and Innovation and in the Civic University
Emeritus Prof John Godard, CURDS, University of Newcastle
Situating the New Urban University
Dr J P Addie, UCL
Questions/Discussion


11.30- 12.00 Tea/Coffee

12.00-13.00 Urban Economies Panel

This panel presents emerging research findings on the structure of urban economies - with implications for policy-making. It also reflects upon how research projects can engage beyond traditional circuits of knowledge production

Chair: Dr Max Nathan Senior Birmingham Fellow, Birmingham Business School
Panellists:
Alan Turing Institute/HSBC project intra-city trading flows project
Dr Stephen Hanson, Economics University of Oxford
City Evolutions (UT)
Professor Ron Martin, University of Cambridge
Questions/ Discussion


13.00- 13.45 Lunch

13.45-15.45 Think Tank Interventions: Industrial Strategy Focus

This panel asks the most prominent UK think tanks working in this area to;
-Summarise their work on industrial strategy/subnational economic development
-Reflect on the role of think tanks in policy-making
-Discuss their work with universities and scholars

? Andrew Carter, CEO, Centre for Cities
? Dr Abigail Gilbert, NLGN
? Stuart MacDonald, CLES
? Liam Booth-Smith, CEO Localis
? Dr Sarah Longlands, IPPR North
? Clare Devaney, RSA Inclusive Growth Commission (tbc)
? Dr Faiza Shaheen Class (tbc)
Questions/Discussion


15.45-17.15 City dealing; Powerhouses, Engines and The Industrial Strategy

This panel explores key themes in recent sub-national economic development policy and welcomes short reflections on the deal-making culture since 2008.

? Dr David Waite, Policy Scotland University of Glasgow (tbc)
? Mark Sandford, House of Commons Library
? Dr Peter O'Brien, CURDS, University of Newcastle
? Rebecca Riley, City REDI, University of Birmingham
? Prof Alan Harding, New Economy Manchester
Questions/Discussion


17.15 -17.45 Rounding up the First Day

18.00 Drinks reception & launch of UK UT almanac
19.00 Conference Dinner

Day Two: 5th May

09.00 Coffee & registration

09.30 -10.15 Keynote - Future of City/University/Government/Industry links and connections
Professor Sir Alan Wilson
Questions, Discussion

10.15-11.30 & 12- 13.30 Info Exchange & Workshop sessions

1. Provocations (from across the quadruple helix)
? Spaces within the Academy, lessons from Newcastle City Futures
Professor Mark Tewdr Jones (University of Newcastle)
? From civic leaders, MK 2050
Geoff Snelson (MK council)
? From industry, Atkins and the Future Cities Catapult
Keith Clarke
? Co-produced with public(s) : Jam & Justice
Dr Liz Richardson, Jam & Justice University of Manchester (Politics department)

11.30 Tea/coffee

2. Models and Methodologies :
? Urban and Living Labs: International Evidence Review Dr Nicola Headlam
? Foresighting Proceses with Government Eleri Jones, Space Syntax

3. Wide ranging interactive discussion session on urban scholars working with policy, practice and industry
ALL delegates to explain how their work sits within partnerships
? Across the university? (institutes, centres, observatories, living labs, projects)
? Beyond the university? (with policy, publics, industry) possibilities for the genuine co-production of urban knowledge?

13.30-14.00 Rounding Up Day Two: Lessons and challenges

14.00 Lunch - optional 'town and gown' walking tour and pint.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL https://www.dropbox.com/s/05otqiu253sif36/Oxf_City_Futures_5min_2nd_Draft.mp4?dl=0
 
Description from city policy to cities policy glasgow june 2016 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact the Glasgow event was specifically to explore city deal policy in the context of Scottish devolution - it was held at the city council run Tontine Centre
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description workshop at bristol festival of the future city 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact 75 people attended disemenation event on the foresight project as part of the festival of the future city. it was to feed back findings and to discuss future ways of working. i presented 'co-producing urban research for the future' (see slideshare)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
URL http://www.slideshare.net/networknicola/co-producing-urban-research