Policy area: Cities

Reports

Rent control: does it work?

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs looks at whether rent control works. Rent controls have well-intentioned goals, including reducing rental burdens and ensuring access to affordable housing. But these regulations can generate unintended consequences, stifling housing supply, reducing labour mobility, and driving up rents in unregulated dwellings. Market distortions caused...

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Capital improvement

This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation puts forward a proposal for a new in-work poverty benchmark for London employers. This Social Market Foundation report is the culmination of a three-year project supported by Trust for London examining the scale and impact of in-work poverty in London. It proposes the creation of...

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Learning lessons

This report from UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute looks at the UK's history of bad planning policy. With a new administration in power, and planning reform firmly on the agenda, Sam Watling writes about what we can learn from the long history of Britain’s planning policy. Since 1947, and the passage of the...

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Clean power by 2030: How could a Labour government achieve its mission for power sector decarbonisation?

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government will examine how Keir Starmer can knock down the 10 biggest barriers to Labour's 2030 clean power plan. If elected a Labour government will face 10 major barriers to hitting its 2030 clean power target – and needs a plan for week one, month one...

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Betting the house

This report from UK think tank Localis examines local policy challenges and the 2024 general election. Betting the House presents a locally-focused analysis of the election manifestos of the two parties most likely to form a government in 2024, Labour and the Conservatives. However the election turns out, the incoming government must reckon with a...

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A new deal for young people in the West Midlands

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Social Justice shows that a new deal is needed to unlock young people's potential and turbo charge the region's prosperity. Young people across Birmingham and the West Midlands, need a new deal for education, employment and skills in order to fully unlock their potential and turbo...

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Why cities must drive growth in the EU’s single market

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform argues that the EU should promote single market integration in capital markets, banking and other services. A new policy brief from the Centre for European Reform and the Bertelsmann Stiftung argues that the EU should promote single market integration in capital markets, banking and...

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Funding local growth in England

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government sets out how the next government can simplify the funding landscape for all local and combined authorities. Central government’s over-reliance on competitive bidding to fund local and combined authorities is not working for anyone and inhibits local growth. This report sets out how the next...

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A bus revolution: driving up prosperity across the regions

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance outlines a costed 5 year plan to better, greener buses. Buses remain the most used form of transport across the country and provide customers with a low cost and green option for travel. But recent years have seen passenger decline and routes being cut across the country....

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Design for life

This report from UK think tank Localis presents an analysis of local regeneration policy through the lens of five overarching strategic concerns. The next political cycle is likely to be characterised by the vexing problem of improving the public realm in a situation of parlous public finances. Recent crises have left the state with very...

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A new deal for England

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at how the next government should complete the job of English devolution. This report calls on the next government to reset the English devolution agenda and puts forward 30 proposals – which can and should be implemented over the next five years – to...

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On the rocks

This report from UK think tank the Adam Smith Institute looks at London's nightlife crisis. London’s nightlife is a great national asset, which generates £46 billion for our economy, and helps to cement the city’s global reputation. Beyond a direct financial contribution, the U.K. night-time economy acts as a catalyst for secondary spending across transportation,...

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Building consent: housing by popular demand

This report from UK think tank Localis sets out ideas for housing by popular demand in harmony with existing communities and in line with the contours of place. The contributors to Localis’s essay collection set out ideas for a hope-filled future in which the new homes and developments our country needs might be built in...

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State of the North 2024: Charting the course for a decade of renewal

This report from UK think tank IPPR assesses our current course and proposes five priority areas for a decade of renewal. The North’s communities are ambitious for a better future, but face systemic and pronounced inequalities. Gaps in power, wealth, opportunity, and health result in shorter, sicker, less fulfilling lives. Regional inequality is a major...

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Stride and ride

This report from UK think tank IPPR looks at England's path from laggard to leader in walking, wheeling, and cycling. There is overwhelming evidence that investment in active travel infrastructure brings significant benefits. These include large returns on investment, addressing emissions from road transport, reducing regional inequalities, and improving health. Despite this, investment has remained...

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Related Events

17 September 2024

Location: Online

Think tank: Centre for Cities

What can the UK learn from planning reforms abroad?

This event hosted by UK think tank Centre for Cities discusses what the UK can learn from places with zoning-based planning systems. The new Labour government has placed housing delivery at the heart of its economic growth strategy, with plans to set out new mandatory housing targets for every council in England. This starts with...

10 October 2024

Location: Assembly Room at The Exchange, 3 Centenary Square, Birmingham B1 2DR

Think tank: City-REDI

The West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI) Celebration Event

This event hosted by UK think tank City-REDI is a culmination of the key achievements and learning from the WMREDI collaboration.  Breakfast: 8.30am -  9.00am.  Celebration Event: 9.00 - 10.30am.  Networking Opportunity: 10.30 - 11.00am. The WMREDI Celebration Event is a culmination of the key achievements and learning from the WMREDI collaboration.  The WMREDI programme was...

Related Articles

How can cities policy help the net zero agenda?

As COP26 comes to a close what are some of the changes we can make in cities that can help with the net zero agenda? A greater uptake of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is required By Rebecca Foster (Bright Blue) The UK’s pledge to reach net zero by 2050 will ultimately require significant changes to the way...

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