House of Fraser announced yesterday that it plans to close 31 of its 59 stores across the county, including Rackhams in Birmingham. Professor John Bryson talks about what the closure will mean for Birmingham. Retailing matters for local economic development. It creates local jobs for local people and prevents money from leaking out from a … Continue reading “How Will the Closure of House of Fraser/Rackhams Affect Birmingham?”
Category: Cities
What Is Channel 4? Making the Case for Relocation and Knowing What You Are Getting…
The question of the Channel 4 move is an interesting one for me, as in my previous life as Head of Research for the North West Regional Development Agency I did some of the Salford Media City bid work, reviewing the economic case for investment and the bid for the BBC relocation, and now I … Continue reading “What Is Channel 4? Making the Case for Relocation and Knowing What You Are Getting…”
Channel 4’s HQ2: Where and Why?
Channel 4 is moving 300 staff out of London, with most going to a major British city.* The HQ2 shortlist has just been announced, and seven city-regions are on it: Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. The winner will be announced on 1 October. So, who should win? And what effects could the move have on … Continue reading “Channel 4’s HQ2: Where and Why?”
The University of Birmingham’s Impact on the Local Economy
Birmingham was recently ranked as the UK’s number one destination for foreign direct investment – creating over 12,000 jobs in the last 10 years. The West Midlands ranks as the UK’s number one region for manufacturing technology jobs, accounting for 60% of the country’s exports. The focal point for explaining the region’s success often surrounds … Continue reading “The University of Birmingham’s Impact on the Local Economy”
Wolverhampton Wanderers Return to the English Premier League: Football, Property and Local Economic Development
Greetings from Singapore. Singapore is perhaps a strange place to reflect on Wolverhampton Wanderers and its return to the English Premier League. But, like Wolverhampton, Singapore is a very special place with an interesting collection of strategic assets. All this is to argue that a place, a city, a town or a ward is defined … Continue reading “Wolverhampton Wanderers Return to the English Premier League: Football, Property and Local Economic Development”
Birmingham Policy Lab: Diversity and minority ethnic entrepreneurship in the West Midlands – 15 May 2018, 12:00 – 16:20
The University of Birmingham would like to invite you to a Birmingham Policy Lab workshop to explore the theme of diversity and minority ethnic entrepreneurship in the West Midlands. The event will be held from 12:00 – 16:20 (including lunch) on Tuesday 15 May 2018 at the Nishkam Civic Association in Handsworth. Overview This Birmingham … Continue reading “Birmingham Policy Lab: Diversity and minority ethnic entrepreneurship in the West Midlands – 15 May 2018, 12:00 – 16:20”
Metro-Mayors: Can they address UK Regional Inequality?
Professor Simon Collinson discusses the need to devolve power in the UK to address the economic imbalance between London and the South East and the rest of the UK. Metro Mayors can potentially be a powerful instrument to promote regional growth which is critical to the long-term social and political stability of the country. In … Continue reading “Metro-Mayors: Can they address UK Regional Inequality?”
The Economic Impacts of Brexit on the UK, its Regions, its Cities and its Sectors: Participatory Workshops
Our ESRC funded Brexit project, as part of the UK in a Changing Europe Initiative, aims to examine in detail the likely impacts of Brexit on the UK’s sectors, regions, and cities. Our analysis draws upon the most detailed regional-national-international trade and competition datasets currently available anywhere in the world, allowing us to examine the impacts of … Continue reading “The Economic Impacts of Brexit on the UK, its Regions, its Cities and its Sectors: Participatory Workshops”
What Sort of Policy is Required for What Sort of Regional Outcome: Reflections on the West Midlands from New Orleans
Another day in New Orleans at the Annual Conference of the Association of American Geographies. In my last blog, I raised the interesting question “What sort of policy is required for what sort of regional outcome?“. The answer to this question is difficult, but some of the discussions at this conference would suggest that any … Continue reading “What Sort of Policy is Required for What Sort of Regional Outcome: Reflections on the West Midlands from New Orleans”
International and Internal Labour Migration and the City – AAG Annual Meeting 2018
The American Association of Geographers Annual meeting 2018 is being held from 10-14 April in New Orleans, USA. It features over 6,000 presentations, posters and workshops by leading scholars, experts, and researchers. In attendance from City REDI, as well as giving papers and organising sessions, are Professor Anne Green, Professor John Bryson and Dr Catherine … Continue reading “International and Internal Labour Migration and the City – AAG Annual Meeting 2018”