MSc Urban Studies / Course details

This module will use the Greater Manchester city-region as a learning laboratory to illustrate the interactive nature of urban issues and the challenges of decision-making within a complex policy-making environment. This will involve a critical understanding of the complexity of multi-level, multi-actor governance arrangements to develop, coordinate and deliver policies across and beyond the city-region. The delivery of the course unit will be based on a living laboratory model which includes a combination of lectures from academics and practitioners, site visit, group work and urban discussion forum. Since there is a wide range of policy areas to be covered, the policy sectors covered will vary in each academic session depending on the emerging policy debates and priorities of the Greater Manchester city-region. Examples of key policy issues include zero-carbon economy; mobility, connectivity and deprivation; housing delivery and sustainable neighbourhoods; and culture, health and well-being.

The unit aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to:

•            Identify, define and link together the formal aspects of the legal, regulatory, financial and governance arrangements of Greater Manchester.

•            Use and develop theoretical frameworks to conceptualise and analyse the relationships between the policy sectors and different levels of government which operate with Greater Manchester.

•            Identify the drivers of policy conflicts and policy coalitions and explain the processes by which resources are directed towards achieving key objectives around economic competitiveness, sustainable development and social equity.

•            Draw upon theoretical frameworks, different forms of data and methods of information to analyse the outcomes of policy actions, identifying the factors and processes which contribute to and detract from successful policy outcomes.

•            Demonstrate understanding of policy processes by drawing upon the knowledge and skills acquired through the module to develop and present coherent arguments.

Student should be able to:

The module will be delivered on campus in person and supplemented by online teaching materials. All lectures will be recorded and available on Blackboard. An advance information pack will be provided, via Blackboard Announcements, ahead of the formal session in the following week. The information will cover:

(1) the content and the activities to be covered in the forthcoming session; and 

(2) what you are expected to prepare in advance of the class e.g. reading materials and key references, as well as preparing for any other tasks required.

The course materials are divided into a 10-week (3-hour session) work programme. Extra course work discussion sessions are also scheduled.

• Accurately describe the legal and regulatory structure of the different levels of government in the Greater Manchester area.
• Identify the responsibilities, objectives and powers of different organisations and different levels of government in the Greater Manchester city-region.
• Describe the formal and informal political processes which operate with.
• Distinguish between the various actors and organisations involved with the Greater Manchester city-region, highlighting their sources of power and influence.
• Explain the tensions and conflicts between different policy sectors and different organisations in the Greater Manchester city-region.
• Evaluate the ways in which policy conflicts are resolved or persist throughout policy processes.

• Critically analyse key challenges, drivers, approaches, delivery, and outcomes of different policy activities in Greater Manchester.
• Use theoretical frameworks and evidence to explain political processes.
• Synthesise information and make critical judgement to develop an evidence-base to support arguments.
• Apply knowledge gained from Greater Manchester to compare and contrast debates in other urban contexts.

• Communicate arguments in oral, visual and written forms that is accessible to the policy community.
• Collect, assess and synthesise data and information from different sources.
• Collect and use quantitative and qualitative data to develop policy proposals.

• Work effectively in team setting by understanding group dynamics, working constructively with others
• Schedule and accomplish tasks to meet deadlines and produce minutes at professional standard
• Communicate arguments in oral, visual and written forms
• Use different methods to achieve persuasiveness.

Role-play simulation group project (50%):

Students will be assigned the role of a particular stakeholder and will engage in fact findings, generating technical reports, advocating arguments in council meetings.

(i) submission of a technical report and group meeting minutes (15%)

(ii) submission of an audio-visual presentation (15%)

(iii) council meeting debate (20%)

Detailed guidance on each component will be provided to students to explain the assessment criteria

• Both formative and summative via oral and written feedback
• Written feedback

Deas, I., Haughton, G. & Ward, K. (2020) Scalar postpolitics, inclusive growth and inclusive economies: challenging the Greater Manchester agglomeration model, Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 14 (1): 179-195.  DOI: 10.1093/cjres/rsaa022

Harding, A. (2020) Collaborative Regional Governance: Lessons from Greater Manchester, IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance No. 48, University of Toronto, Toronto. https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/research-articles/collaborative-regional-governance-lessons-from-greater-manchester/