UK-Brazil Urban Research Network

1. UK-Brazil Urban Research Network UK-Brazil urban research network Oxford Workshop 9-11 March 2011

2. Main Aim • Seed funding from University of Oxford – Future of Cities Programme • Develop a network to explore and understand the challenges posed to urban governance by contemporary processes of globalization and climate change and to share knowledge and expertise about how to meet these • Focus on governance and urban equity • Consolidate and expand links between UK and Brazil institutions facilitated through Brookes and UFABC • Develop a broader network for exchange of ideas, sharing experiences and co-production of knowledge

3. Initial Main Themes • Urban economic restructuring and urban competitiveness • Urban governance • Climate change and environmental planning • Patterns of agglomeration and local economies • Interface of globalization and urban governance for mediating conflicting demands of global and local circuits of development and emerging flexible governance for urban futures

4. Keeping it real – Focusing on live/recent projects • Multiscalar governance and territorial reorganisation • Metropolitan governance and urban regeneration • Urban transport and mobility • National climate change policy and cities • Integration of environmental and urban policy • Governance of water management • Land markets and housing provision • Expanding in future

5. Main methods • Workshops • On-line discussion forum • 12 months time line beginning 4th may 2010 • Intensive last 3-4 months to produce outputs • Envisaged that the collaborations between all partners involved will continue after May 2011 • Participation policy • Academics and professionals but

6. Outputs • Papers • Possibility for special issue of IJUSD • Bringing existing work together to make a contribution to the debate • Proposals – ESRC, EU, IAD • Future research agenda • Network report • On-line discussion platform

7. Oxford Workshop • Presentations on selected main themes • Discussions and brainstorming for refining themes • Refining future research strategy • Identifying specific research projects • Work plan and working groups for finalising outputs

8. Main Research questions • What are the main characteristics, drivers and limitations of the initiative under consideration? • How do these initiatives relate to the main concern of this network for enabling governance for sustainable and flexible urban futures? • Does governance actually matter in the success or failure of these initiatives? • If it does then what are the emerging forms and patterns of governance that are most effective for developing and implementing policies for economic growth, environmental sustainability, social inclusion and poverty alleviation? • What other actions or interventions can governments (at different levels), private sector and civil society actors make to facilitate more sustainable and flexible urban futures in the fields under consideration? • What are the key transferable or informative lessons for consideration across each country? • What are the conceptual and theoretical insights that can be drawn from exploring these issues across both countries? • What are the key issues in each field that would need to be developed as part of a broader research agenda for addressing the main objectives of this network?

9. Thank you