Dear All,

I am delighted to announce that our next EEO-AGIS speaker will be Dr Duncan Smith, Lecturer in GIS and Visualisation at CASA UCL.  Duncan’s main research interests are in urban geography and visualisation, and some great examples of his work are showcased on his website https://citygeographics.org/. His seminar will focus on his recent research into housing availability and affordability in UK cities, and looks to be a fascinating and highly relevant insight into the challenges facing development in the UK (see abstract below).

The talk will be on the 22^nd March at 5PM as usual, but please note we have a new location for this talk. We will be in the Main Conference Room of the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI), High School Yards. The ECCI is next door to the Institute of Geography, and we will have the student helpers on hand to direct you to the conference room.

We are also planning to host the talk online as usual, and we will share zoom details closer to the event. Looking forward to seeing you all at the end of the month. 

Iain

The Challenge of Increasing Housing Supply in UK Cities: Can the Green Belt be Developed Sustainably?

Duncan A. Smith, Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, UCL.

Housing affordability has become an acute problem in several UK cities, linked to increased rents, overcrowding and homelessness, and affecting rates of home ownership and social mobility. UK price rises are a result of housing financialization, regional economic inequalities, and the long-term problem of low housing supply. This research uses Energy Performance Certificate and Price Paid data to track new build development, and analyses spatial patterns in housing delivery over the last decade. UK planning policy prioritises brownfield development in existing centres, with Green Belt restrictions largely blocking development in wider metropolitan regions. Significant reform of Green Belt policy has been proposed by Labour ahead of the 2024 general election, which has the potential to bring a step change in housing delivery. This Green Belt reform does however come with the risk of producing car-dependent and unsustainable housing. Development scenarios of Green Belt reform are tested to find an appropriate balance between increasing housing supply and addressing sustainability targets.