City-REDI / WMREDI Round Up- March 2022

Events – Presenting work / Speaking engagements

• On 24^th February, Matt Lyons presented at an LGA Roundtable – the role of Combined Authorities in supporting the creative industries – levelling up and economic development session.
• On 3^rd March, Dr Abigail Taylor took part in an event discussing the findings from her recent report with CIPFA “‘Investing in Regional Equality – lessons from four cities”.
• On 12^th and 13^th of March 2022, Dr Sara Hassan participated and presented her work about City Planning and transport and the Cultures of Decision-Making in transport at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung: Urban Lab camp Decarbonisation of Mobility online. The Urban Lab Camp is a forum to discuss and propose solutions for urban problems. Over six days city stakeholders gather and engage in a dialogue at the intersection of aspects of city life with young professionals and researchers. This year’s topic is the de-carbonisation of mobility.
• On 21st March, Anne Green gave an invited presentation at a Workshop on ‘Where next for research on active labour market policy and employability support programmes?’ organised by the People, Organisations and Work Institute, De Montfort University.

Media engagements

• Dr Abigail Taylor, Professor Anne Green and Gina Coe had an article entitled ‘Investing in infrastructure: best practice from Bilbao to New South Wales’ published in the Global Government Forum. The article was based on a report they recently published in conjunction with CIPFA ‘Investing in infrastructure – enabling fairer growth’.
• Professor Simon Collinson was quoted extensively in a Times Higher article by John Morgan on 7th March: “UK regional innovation pilots ‘should shun Silicon Valley myth”.

Reports / publications released

• Dr Matt Lyons, Saad Ehsan and Professor Ortega-Argiles have published a report on “The Economic Impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on the Midlands Automotive Sector” as part of the Midlands Engine Economic Observatory research insights series.

Look ahead to the coming months…

• Professor Raquel Ortega-Argiles will be giving a seminar on Levelling up and international trade to the UK Department of International Trade on the 18th of May.