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 Research Fellow, Dr Sara Hassan.
I am an interdisciplinary researcher at City-REDI, working at the intersection of inclusive growth, place-based policy, and civic engagement. My work focuses on how cities and regions can design more equitable economic futures through collaboration between local government, communities, universities, and anchor institutions. At City-REDI, I have been particularly involved in applied, policy-engaged research that bridges academic insight with real-world decision-making at local and regional scales.
Reflecting on the past
I joined City-REDI in 2019, initially as a Research Fellow. What drew me in was City-REDI’s distinctive commitment to policy relevance and regional impact. Projects that were not just analysing problems but actively working with partners to shape solutions. This was a perfect opportunity for me coming from an urban planning background and particularly enthusiastic about participatory action research.
One of my most memorable aspects of working at City-REDI has been the opportunity to work on deeply place-based projects, particularly those engaging local authorities, combined authorities, community organisations, and citizens themselves. Projects that bring together lived experience, qualitative insight, and economic evidence have been especially meaningful. Seeing research directly inform policy conversations, “sometimes in real time”, has been a powerful reminder of why applied regional research matters.
My role has evolved significantly over time. What began as a focus on fulfilling project-based research has grown into a broader role involving research design, partnership-building, and policy engagement. Increasingly, my work sits at the interface between evidence, practice, and co-production, supporting not just analysis but the conditions for collaboration and shared learning.
Looking back over the past decade, I believe City-REDI’s biggest achievement has been its ability to establish trust and stellar academic outputs with policymakers, practitioners, and communities. In a crowded policy landscape, City-REDI has built a reputation for rigorous analysis that is also grounded in local realities. That credibility has allowed the institute to influence debates on inclusive growth, regional inequality, and the future of local economic development on a national and international scale.
Culture and collaboration
The working culture at City-REDI is best described as collaborative, open, and mission-driven. There is a strong sense that people are here because they care about places and outcomes, not just publications. That shared purpose creates an environment where interdisciplinary working is genuinely encouraged rather than simply stated.
What makes City-REDI unique is its blend of academic rigour and policy pragmatism. Researchers are supported to engage with complex, sometimes messy policy environments while still producing high-quality research. The institute also values teamwork; many of the strongest projects emerge from collective thinking across disciplines, methods, and perspectives.
One example of this collaborative spirit is the way teams have come together around large, multi-partner projects, such as the LPIP Hub or NCIA or WMREDI, often working across institutional boundaries. These efforts rely on trust, flexibility, and shared problem-solving; all hallmarks of how City-REDI operates day-to-day.
If I had to describe City-REDI in three words, they would be: engaged, collegiate, and impactful.
Looking ahead
Over the next 10 years, I believe City-REDI should continue to focus on inclusive growth, place-based governance, and the social foundations of economic development. There is a growing need for research that helps places navigate overlapping challenges, from inequality and climate transition to public service reform and democratic engagement.
City-REDI is well placed to lead work on co-production, civic innovation, and new models of partnership between universities, policymakers, and communities. As cities and regions are asked to do more with limited resources, evidence that supports collaboration and long-term capacity-building will be increasingly vital.
My hope for City-REDI’s future is that it continues to be a space where critical thinking and practical impact reinforce one another, where researchers are encouraged to ask difficult questions while remaining deeply connected to the places they study.
A message to the team
As City-REDI marks its 10-year anniversary, I want to thank colleagues past and present for creating such a supportive, intellectually generous, and purpose-driven environment. It has been a privilege to work alongside people who care so deeply about making research matter. I look forward to what the next decade will bring and to continuing this collective journey.
This blog was written by Dr Sara Hassan, Research Fellow, City-REDI, University of Birmingham.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this analysis post are those of the author and not necessarily those of City-REDI / WMREDI or the University of Birmingham.