In a new series of Blogs, we hear from new City-REDI Associate Chris Gregory.
Having grown up on the Birmingham border, I have lived locally for almost all of my life, and am therefore delighted to have been appointed a City-REDI Associate.
When completing my first degree (Geography at the University of Plymouth), I regularly visited the former Birmingham University library building, where reciprocal research facilities were offered – and so I have a particular affinity with the Edgbaston campus.
I have over 25 years of experience in town and city centre management, gained from working in over 125 UK locations, and have developed a cutting-edge knowledge about the economics of towns and cities, having gained an MSc in Place Management & Leadership and being appointed as a Fellow of the Institute of Place Management.
As a longstanding member of the Association of Town & City Management and one of the founders of The Place Coalition, I was also appointed as one of a select number of national High Streets Task Force Experts, and am currently in the final stages of research for a PhD.
My initial town centre management roles saw me working in Solihull, Birmingham, Walsall and Stratford-upon-Avon, and these have been supplemented by extensive projects across the region.
One of my preferred research areas links to the recent City-REDI support for informal partnership working to achieve local goals. This advocates such approaches as voluntary participation (rather than legal, or statutory, requirements), shared visioning and collaboration (as opposed to imposed frameworks), and bringing together a wide range of local views (rather than a reliance on centralised policy instructions). These informal partnerships bring about a wide range of benefits, and are much more authentic and effective than typical approaches, which are stifled by bureaucracy, cost, and lack of speed. Informal approaches are unencumbered by these factors, instead being typified by getting things done in a range of agile and adaptable ways.
I therefore look forward to bringing my skills and experience to bear on a range of City-REDI projects, particularly given my strong connections to the local area.
This blog was written by Chris Gregory, City-REDI Associate.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this analysis post are those of the author and not necessarily those of City-REDI or the University of Birmingham.