Centre for Cities

City Minutes: How do transport networks in big UK cities measure up to their Western European peers?

Centre for Cities’ recent research conducts the first comprehensive comparison between transport networks of large British cities and their Western European competitors. It reveals that poor urban transport costs the UK more than £21 billion per year, with less than half of people in big cities outside of London able to reach their city centre quickly using public transport. For this episode of City Minutes, Anthony Breach and Guilherme Rodrigues – authors of Centre for Cities’ recent report – join Chief Executive Andrew Carter to discuss the differences between how European cities are planned and built in comparison to those in the UK, and the wider implications this has for the levelling up agenda.

November 12, 2021

12 min

City Talks: Think Tank views – what should be in the Levelling Up White Paper?

The UK Government will soon publish its highly-anticipated Levelling Up White Paper, setting out a plan to level up opportunities and to address the country’s long-standing geographic inequalities. Levelling up formed a key part of this Government’s 2019 election manifesto and in the two years since has become a political buzzword ahead of the White Paper’s publication this autumn. What have fellow UK think tank experts made of the levelling up debate so far? How do they feel the agenda’s narrative has evolved over the past eighteen months? What do they expect to see in the forthcoming Levelling Up White Paper? In this episode of City Talks, Andrew Carter speaks to Will Tanner, Director of Onward and former special advisor to Theresa May, Carys Roberts, Executive Director of IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research) and Nick Bowes, Chief Executive of Centre for London and former Mayoral Director of Policy at the Greater London Authority. This episode is part of the Centre for Cities City Talks series. Please rate, review and share the episode if you enjoyed it.

October 25, 2021

63 min

City Talks: What can German reunification teach the UK about levelling up?

The UK Government will soon publish a plan for levelling up the country and bridging its long-standing geographic divides. The UK is not the first country to have to grapple with this challenge; when Germany reunified in 1990, productivity in the former East was was just 60% of that in the West and people in cities such as Leipzig and Dresden were less prosperous than those in Frankfurt or Munich. Over the last three decades the German Federal Government has worked to close this gap and, though it still exists, prosperity and economic productivity in the former East Germany has now almost caught up with the West. What did the Federal Government do to achieve this? And what lessons can the German experience offer the UK’s own levelling up agenda? To discuss this Andrew Carter is joined by: Dr Matthias Brachert, Economist at the Centre for Evidence-based Policy Advice, part of IWH Halle, which provides independent economic research. Dr Benjamin Klement, Research Fellow at Fraunhofer Leipzig, the Centre for International Management and the Knowledge Economy. It conducts interdisciplinary socio-economic research. Prof Felix Roesl, Professor of Urban and Regional Economics at the University of Braunschweig and former Economist at IFO Dresden, which conducts economic research on the former East German federal states.

October 18, 2021

71 min

City Talks: Ben Houchen on his vision for Tees Valley

More than five months into his second term, the Mayor joined Chief Executive Andrew Carter at this year’s Conservative Party Conference for an in-depth discussion on what’s on his agenda for the future of Tees Valley, his expectations for the upcoming Levelling Up White Paper and his views on further devolution. This episode is part of the Centre for Cities City Talks podcast series. We invite you to rate, review and share the episode if you enjoyed it.

October 11, 2021

34 min

City Talks: Andy Burnham on his vision for Greater Manchester

Now more than five months into his second term, the Mayor joined Director of Policy and Research Paul Swinney at this year’s Labour Party Conference for an in-depth discussion on his experiences as Mayor of Greater Manchester and his positioning on levelling up and devolution. This episode is part of the Centre for Cities City Talks podcast series recorded at Labour Party Conference 2021. We invite you to rate, review and share the episode if you enjoyed it.

October 7, 2021

29 min

City Talks: Tracy Brabin on her vision as West Yorkshire‘s first metro mayor

In May 2021 Tracy Brabin made history as West Yorkshire’s first metro mayor, and Britain’s first female metro mayor. In this episode of City Talks Andrew Carter caught up with her to discuss her first few months in office, why she stood and her vision for West Yorkshire. This episode is part of the Centre for Cities City Talks podcast series. Please rate, review and share the episode if you enjoyed it.

September 23, 2021

31 min

City Minutes: How can we level up struggling UK towns?

Our research shows that not every UK town is struggling. What can we learn from successful towns about the levelling up agenda? What are the main characteristics that differentiate strong towns from weaker ones and what policy is needed to make long-lasting change? This City Minutes explores these questions as part of our wider ongoing work into the performance of UK towns in the context of levelling up. In the second episode, host Andrew Carter is joined by Centre for Cities’ Senior Analyst Kathrin Enenkel to discuss how we can bring greater prosperity to towns that are struggling. Explore our work on levelling up towns here.

September 8, 2021

10 min

City Minutes: Exploring the cities versus towns debate

The cities versus towns debate is often unhelpfully pitched as an ‘us versus them’ scenario. What is the nature of the economic relationship between cities and towns and how does it play out across the UK? What implications does the debate have for policy makers and people alike? This City Minutes explores these questions as part of our wider ongoing work into the performance of UK towns in the context of levelling up. In the first episode, host Andrew Carter is joined by Centre for Cities’ Senior Analyst Kathrin Enenkel to discuss the symbiotic relationship between cities and towns and how they benefit from each other. Explore our work on levelling up towns here.