This year marks a major milestone for City-REDI as we celebrate a decade of research, impact, and collaboration. Over the past 10 years, we’ve grown from a bold idea into a leading centre for regional economic development, shaping policy and practice across the UK and beyond.
To mark this anniversary, we’re launching a special blog series that looks back on our journey—highlighting key projects, partnerships, and the people who’ve helped make it all happen.
The next part of our series is from Liam O’Farrell, former member of staff and now City-REDI Associate.
Following my time at City-REDI, I moved to the University of Iceland to work on a project that was monitoring and informing a programme of revising the national constitution.
I completed a PhD in urban studies at the University of Sheffield and have since worked on a number of consultancy projects, including for More in Common and the Institute for Human Rights and Business. I am currently a Marie Curie fellow on the PRELAB project funded by EU Horizon, which is coordinated by the University of Latvia.
Happy birthday City-REDI!
The achievements of the team over the past ten years have been impressive to watch, and the institute has really built a great reputation for itself in regional, urban and economic development. Although my time there was brief, from 2018-19, I continue to look back at City-REDI as one of my favourite experiences at work. The scope of the projects, the combination of real-world application and academic rigour, and the diverse skills and perspectives team are what sets the institute apart. So congratulations to the entire team! Thank you for letting me be a small part of that story. I also think a special congratulations is due to Rebecca Riley for her vision and leadership in helping the institute become what it is today.
A project that is particularly close to my heart is USE-IT!, which worked to train and collaborate with community researchers in a part of the city undergoing rapid change. The aim was to give vulnerable residents a stake in development, rather than just having to deal with its consequences. All these years later I still collaborate with Sara Hassan from the project, and I continue to be amazed by the work she does and her commitment to socially engaged research. Another project that I enjoyed was the Just City project, which allowed me to carry out research not only in Birmingham but also in Zurich and Lyon. Four years later, I ended up living in Lyon to learn French, and my decision was definitely shaped by my experience on the project while working at City-REDI.
During my time as a policy and data analyst I got to take part in writing economic monitors, briefings, reports, journal articles, blogs, to help with organising events, supporting bid-writing, give presentations, supervising interns… Working in the institute helped me develop all the skills you need as a working researcher, whether in academia, policy or business. I’m very grateful for that experience.
I believe the institute has a genuine commitment to Birmingham and making the city a more dynamic and vibrant place. It’s doing the crucial work of bringing together decision-makers with service users, politicians and businesses with academics who can share insights from their research, and centring the needs and perspectives of local people in a region that is still too often overlooked by national leaders. During my time at City-REDI we were based in a small office on the corner of Bristol Road. Seeing that the institute now spans offices in Birmingham Business School and on Centenary Square in the heart of the city just shows how much it has grown over one decade. I’m very curious to see where it will be ten years into the future!
This blog was written by Liam O’Farrell, Researcher, University of Sheffield, and a City-REDI Associate.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this analysis post are those of the authors and not necessarily those of City-REDI / WMREDI or the University of Birmingham.