unlocking the economic potential of core (and other) cities presentation to ied national conference...
TRANSCRIPT
Unlocking the economic potential of core (and other) cities
Presentation to IED National Conference
Name David Marlow
Third Life Economics
Date 19 November 2014
Introductions and agenda
What do we think we mean by (core) cities?
What is their (unrealised) potential?
How far does the current ‘system’ help and hinder city growth?
How might we improve the system 2015-20, and beyond?
An interactive session...please!
Me...
Is there an urban hierarchy in UK/England?
London World City/Mega-City region
Core (+ DA capital) city regions/metros
‘Key Cities’ Top 64 ‘PUAs’ Urban areas more
generally...
What do we think we mean by ‘city’?
Lines on a map... A local authority or
collection of city region LAs...
A functional economic geography...
A socio-cultural identity A broadly-based
leadership team which engenders broadly-based followership...
Something else...
The hypotheses of unrealised potential...
The underperformance hypotheses General challenges
(including London) ‘Secondary City’/’northern’
challenges The opportunity
hypotheses Agglomeration Global competitiveness
Centralisation and devolution hypotheses The dead-hand of Whitehall Place-making and
leadership
The city ambiguities and complexity of sub-national ‘systems’ 2014
New partnerships – LEPs, LTBs, LNPs etc., and local authorities
New leadership and governance – CAs, Mayors, Joint Statutory Committees, non-statutory mechanisms
New policies – NPPF and planning reforms (CIL, NHB etc), EZs, etc.,
New funding instruments – RGF, GPF, LGRR, TIF, LGF, ESIF etc.,...
New sub-regional instruments – city deals, wave one, two; SEPs, local growth deals;
New local instruments – community and neighbourhood budgets
Renationalised E&I functions New devolution commitments post
Scotland referendum
...with particular challenges for core cities...
1st/2nd among un-equals as a group...
Some more equal than others...as individual cities/city regions
New members and new devolution agendas
A mixed bag of deals, LEPs, CAs and now metro-mayors...
Devolution orthodoxies, 2015-20, and issues to resolve...
Increasing transport, skills and employment powers and resources
Increasing national-local co-design/commissioning
Multi-annual financial settlements Single and/or pooled budgetary
pot(s) with flexible borrowing and forward-funding
Strengthened city region leadership and governance
Asymmetrical progress – led by London and GMCA...
Leading and speaking for real cities and/or administrative fixes?
Are any of the governance models ‘fit for purpose’?
Proving the metro-growth dividend and/or zero-sum displacement?
The role of revenue-raising? The implications for the rest of
the ‘system’ Don’t we really need a better
national ‘project’ and spatial strategy?
Common prescriptions...Major areas to address...
Delivering change effectively...
Huge existing agendas for core and other cities... City deals, SEPs/growth deals, ESIF,
RGF/GPF, EZs/UEZs, growth hubs, other local projects and programmes
Huge development agendas 2015-20... CAs, other leadership and
governance developments New 2015-20 devolution
agreements/settlements PSR/Transformation under enduring
fiscal austerity Thinking through distinctive place-
based 2030/2050 city visions, that tackle the big ticket global challenges
Developing new ways of delivering city leadership and globally-competitive growth
The role of IED and the development economist...
Thought leadership... Strategic innovation... Evidence, analysis
and intelligence... Openness and
collaboration... Across geographies
and administrations With other disciplines
and approaches
