Sustainable Cities and Communities

The Institute of Place Management is the international professional body committed to developing, managing and making places. In 2019, they were awarded a £8.6 million contract to lead the government’s High Streets Task Force, comprised of experts who will provide tailored guidance and advice to local authorities as well as work with communities to help build sustainable cities. In April 2021, the Task Force announced the first 70 local authorities to receive support and in 2022, a further 68 local authorities  in England received a package of support to transform towns and cities, backed by research from Manchester Metropolitan University. In 2023, Levelling Up Funding was announced by the government and 41 locations supported by the High Streets Task Force received investment based on their plans for regeneration.

Adapting Cities for Climate Resilience: This project is helping one of the UK’s leading cities prepare for and adapt to the consequences of climate change. Since 2018, the Manchester Climate Change Agency (MCCA) has had a city-wide and sector-level policy framework to drive action to mitigate climate change. We have embedded an experienced researcher with MCCA to produce a climate change resilience and adaptation policy and action planning framework. They are working closely with policymakers and members of Manchester Climate Change Partnership to identify how city-wide policy on climate resilience and adaptation should develop.

The effectiveness of living green walls in improving urban environments will be scientifically tested through a new partnership (2021) between Manchester Metropolitan University and leading horticultural and biophilic company I Want Plants. Scientists from Manchester Metropolitan will scientifically quantify exactly how much CO2 and NO2 gases HYVERT is able to remove from the atmosphere, determining how effective the structures are at improving urban environments.

GOGREEN ROUTES is a four-year Horizon 2020 €10.48 million project commencing in September 2021 with 39 partners across 18 countries. The aim of GOGREEN ROUTES project is to position European cities as world ambassadors of urban sustainability. As one of the partners, Manchester Met will focus on advancing mental health and well-being, through nature-based enterprise, sustainable physical activity and digital, cultural and knowledge innovation.

Legal Geography and the Regulation of the Lived Environment is a rapidly developing and highly diverse area of research within the Law School, examining the regulation of business, social, political and built environments. Specific areas of expertise focus on new ways to solve transnational border disputes, the legality of quasi-autonomous zones within existing municipal and state jurisdictions and the use of commercial property transactions to shape urban and suburban regeneration.

The Place-Health: Architecture Space Environment (PHASE) research group at Manchester School of Architecture investigate the spatial exclusion faced by older people in urban environments. Their research and practices have led to the development and adoption of the ‘age-friendly neighbourhood’ model across Greater Manchester, placing issues of social inclusion, inequality and diversity at the centre of local planning.

The[CPU]Lab at Manchester School of Architecture progresses a framework for urban transformation research by combining concepts and methods from the complexity sciences with the development of new digital tools enabling computational simulation and systemic cognition of otherwise impractical temporal urban phenomena.

The Craft and Innovation Postgraduate Unit, delivered in collaboration with Pearl Academy, India explores intangible cultural heritage in crafts and builds on research undertaken by Rachel Kelly and funded by The British Council. A Weave Learning Kit has been developed to support community-based weavers to re-engage with their extant craft traditions.