MSc Real Estate Development

This module will introduce students to urban and regional policy, exploring its evolution and considering the experience of a number of individual cities and regions. The course will consider the ways in which local and national political considerations impact upon changing policy outcomes.  It will trace the evolution of urban and regional policy over time, exploring the historical roots of spatial or area-based intervention and identifying contrasts and comparisons with contemporary policy. 

1. introduce students to the field of urban and regional policy through critical assessment of contemporary policies which impinge upon cities and regions;
2. explore the evolution of urban and regional policy in England, with particular regard to the implications for spatial planning;
3. stimulate thinking about the formulation, implementation and resultant impact of urban and regional policy initiatives, and to consider the ways in which policy-makers might seek to re-formulate policies in light of these;
4. consider the role of political and institutional change in shaping the nature and form of urban and regional policy; and
5. help develop an understanding of the effective management of urban and regional policy initiatives.

On completion of this unit, successful students will be able to:
 

This course will be delivered through lectures and workshops.

1. understand the principal social, economic and physical challenges confronting cities and regions;
2. demonstrate knowledge of the key features and impacts of a range of urban and regional policies;
3. understand the relationship between urban and regional policy and changing economic, social and political circumstances;
4. show awareness of the procedural and management consideration involved in the delivery of urban and regional initiatives; and
5. comprehend the performance and impact of urban and regional policies, programmes and projects at various scales of governance.

1. Demonstrate critical understanding of the evolution of urban and regional policies.
2. Show awareness of the different critical perspectives on the evolution and impact of a range of urban and regional policies.
3. Understand the potential and limitations of different approaches to urban and regional policy-making.

1. Demonstrate awareness of the method and techniques needed to assess the impact of urban and regional policies.
2. Show awareness of some of the quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure the effectiveness of urban and regional policies.
3. Understand some of the principal ways in which indicators can harnessed to assess policy impacts and effectiveness. 
4. Show an understanding of how urban and regional policies are developed and honed by practitioners working in Town Planning and allied built environment professions.

1. Possess the ability to assess the impacts of different forms of public policy.
2. Show awareness of the political underpinnings of policy-making in different contexts.
3. Demonstrate an ability to write about the evolution of policy in a measured way, synthesising information from multiple sources.
4. Demonstrate an ability to develop policy-relevant recommendations on the basis of evidence-based review of public policy impact and efficacy.

Written feedback will be provided within 15 working days of submission.

Edwards, C. and Imrie, R. (2015) The short guide to urban policy, Bristol: The Policy Press

Jones, P. and Evans, J. (2013) Urban Regeneration in the UK: Boom, Bust and Recovery, second edition, London: Sage

Pike, A., Rodriguez-Pose, A. and Tomaney, J. (2016) Local and Regional Development. London: Routledge.

Roberts, P., Sykes, H. and Granger, R. (2017) Urban Regeneration, second edition, London: Sage

Tallon, A. (2021) Urban Regeneration in the UK, third edition, London: Routledge