Tech City: The research continues

I'm very pleased to be working with the fantastic new think tank Centre for London on their Tech City research project. Satisfying both to be working with great people and to see my dissertation get used.

Dissertation feedback

Here is some of the feedback on my dissertation:

"This very interesting dissertation commenced with a clear introduction and a competent literature review. I felt the problem formulation was especially well presented. The logical division of the research was competent as was the study methodology. The data collection was well executed and numerous very interesting insights were offered. There was, however, room to extract more from this wealth of analysis as a base for further recommendations and conclusions. The dissertation was well written, its layout competently presented and referencing taken in line with expectations." (marker)

“Your report makes for a very good read - you have such a clear writing style. I think you would be very well suited to working in a think tank environment - at least as a first move because they place such a high value on media savvy researchers able to distil complex economic analyses into crystal clear policy messages. “ (Governmental policy advisor)

“Wonderful - what a terrific job! with your final statement.......a way to go.” (Private sector policy advisor)

“I hope it gets the really good mark it deserves.” (planning professor)

“Thanks for sharing this with me - an interesting read ("FDI steroids"). (top regeneration official)

FT: Nigeria Special Report

Delighted to see publication of the FT's annual special report on Nigeria, which I travelled to Lagos as part of the Financial Times advertising team.
http://www.ft.com/reports/nigeria-2011
Last year's report, which I also worked on, is still online: http://www.ft.com/reports/nigeria
My contribution was providing the content for much of the advertising, and helping pitch for new business.

The moulding of an East London cluster: Regeneration and foreign investment in Tech City.

Abstract

For the past three years, internet start-ups have been drawn to a patch of East London dubbed Silicon Roundabout. In November 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron announced the area was to become an officially sanctioned cluster. It was rebranded Tech City UK, called the Digital Capital of Europe and given a new geography that encompasses the Olympic Park, site of the largest regeneration scheme in Europe. To deliver on these ambitions, a special team at UKTI was established with a remit of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).

There are two main objectives of Tech City: the promotion of London as a hub for the digital economy - a sector the government sees as vital for future growth[1] - and the regeneration of a depressed area.

This paper makes an academic assessment of the regenerative potential of clusters and the role of FDI therein. Research methods were designed to test this knowledge in Tech City.

Central government’s Tech City strategy is focussed on attracting foreign investment, however studies suggest that FDI will only contribute positively when the local business is strong and sizeable (Phelps 2008), which is not the case. Based on the clearly defined research methodology, the findings of this dissertation lead to the recommendation that a lower priority is given to inward investment at this young stage of cluster development, in favour of developing innovative home-grown talent. In addition, for the cluster to thrive after the Olympics is over, this paper advocates a new public-private partnership structure that is less dependent on the central government. Finally, it recommends further academic research about the economic links between cluster centres and secondary locations.

My dissertation. Read it here.

African Development Bank

I advised on and helped draft this copy for the African Development Bank on a new approach to infrastructure investment (second half of the page).

Cameroon

I edited, translated (from French), researched and helped draft this copy on infrastructure in Cameroon, used in the FT.

Distinction

Results just in for the MSc Spatial Planning at the Bartlett School of Planning (UCL):

I am absolutely delighted to be able to report that so far I qualify for a distinction (above 70%). Of course, it is all still to play for as the final mark will depend on my dissertation (due Sept 1). I am researching East London Tech City, Cameron's attempt to spread the success of the digital cluster in Shoreditch further East - to the Olympic regeneration area.

PR @ MIPIM

$15 BILLION NORTHERN CAUCASUS SKI RESORTS DEVELOPMENT

I handled the international PR at MIPIM. To see the press release, click here.

How should the success of mega-projects be judged?

Mega-projects are as old as antiquity, at least as old as the pyramids of Giza. Which begs the question, did the ancient Egyptians consider them a success, and if so under what criteria? From whose perspective: the rulers buried in them, or the slaves who built them? From today’s standpoint, the fact that more than thirty centuries later they are still boosting Egypt’s economy is surely an incredible achievement. But given they were designed to protect the sanctity of the deceased for eternity, the Kings and Queens who ordered and paid for the pyramids might consider them a failure.

Success comes in many forms and judging it is subjective. Motivations for mega-projects vary according to the political, economic and social context that gives birth to them, and this essay will argue their success should be judged accordingly. Specifically, success criteria should be framed according to the benefit they bring to the community over the long term (although in decades rather than centuries). To illustrate the point, I will focus analysis on one city: London, and one mega-project: the 2012 Olympic Games.

To read the full essay click here

London: Ungovernable city?

London is a sprawling great metropolis that has often been called ungovernable. It is one of the oldest conurbations to claim the title “global city,” a key node in the international economic system. It dominates England in terms of economy, politics and culture, sucking in talent and wealth. Politics, at least on planning issues, is a pluralist system of diverse local, regional and national authorities, over which economic interests and community groups vie for influence. It’s a vibrant, multi-cultural city of great contrasts, and a growing gap between rich and poor. Once a polluting, dirty place, London has cleaned up in the post-industrial era and is leading the country in terms of emissions targets.

These forces are constantly shaping the city, moulding decisions taken by planners and others active in the built environment. This essay will sketch out the arena in which they operate. It will show how these forces came together to shape London’s Olympic bid.

To read the full essay click here

Policy advice

Having followed the European debt crisis since the birth of the euro (six year in Brussels as the macro-economics correspondent for Bloomberg from 1999 to 2005), I was well placed to advise the president of Senegal, flush with the success of a recent sovereign bon issue. I helped him draft an op-ed peice which was used in the IHT/ New York Times.

A local legacy for Hackney Wick and Fish Island

We called ourselves Fringe Benefits and our task was to produce a regeneration project for an area of our choice. We chose Hackney Wick and Fish Island and set out to produce a plan that ensures the benefits of the Olympic Games benefits the locals. This was the result.

Liberal Democrats made to suffer for unpopular government policies

May 2011: UK voters firmly rejected a proposal on voting reform and gave a slap in the face to the party who has long campaigned for it. The Liberal Democrats usually do well in local elections, but were punished this year for reneging on campaign promises in government, notably over tuition fees. Their senior coalition partner, the Conservatives, defended most of their heartland town halls and even made some modest gains, as voters channelled their frustration over spending cuts against the junior partner. The opposition Labour party made impressive gains in northern England, taking control of several key councils from the Liberal Democrats.
To see the full story click here.

Planning and emissions targets

To assess the effectiveness of planning as a delivery mechanism, this essay will break down its role in different sectors and at different scales. Planners are not always explicitly mentioned when targets are discussed, although responsibility does trickle through the system and often lands at their door. As the guardians about decisions over land use, planners have two rules to play: one as the enforcer of environmental standards, and another more strategic role looking to the future.

Although it is politicians and not planners who dictate the terms of the debate, I will consider the notion that planners have an influence. The environment is just one of the many factors that planners are supposed to take into account. As Davoudi et al (2009:pg16) note: planning can play “a pivotal role not just as a technical means by which climate change policies can be delivered but also as a democratic arena through which negotiations over seemingly conflicting goals can take place.”

To see the full essay click here

British government faces day of judgment on 5 May

27 March 2011: Campaigning is underway in England’s local elections, which take place 5 May, giving voters a chance to judge the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government of David Cameron and their wide-ranging spending cuts. The opposition Labour party will be looking to better its strong showing in last year’s council elections, which saw higher-than-usual turnout as they coincided with the general election. This year, the vote will be held on the same day as elections to legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as a UK-wide referendum on changing the electoral system for general elections.
To read the full story, click here.

London GRO area

For our Space and Place B project, we rebranded the London Thames Gateway the London GRO area with GRO standing for Golden River of Opportunity. The requirement was to present a project for the Gateway as a whole, and on a local level for the Lower Lea valley, on two A0 posters.
You can see the results here and here.

East London will use Olympics to change negative perceptions

18 March 2011: When it comes to selling the East London borough of Newham, the toughest audience is Londoners themselves. Decades of industrial decline, joblessness, social deprivation and crime place it far from the British capital’s glittering West End. Jeremy Clarkson, a popular British television presenter, once described Newham as so far East “that it might as well be in Poland.” But decades of investment are starting to pay off: this year, Clarkson has chosen to bring the live arena show of his popular TV series Top Gear to the ExCel centre, Newham’s 100,000 square metre international exhibition centre.

To see the full story, click here.

Paying for growth with growth: MIPIM preview magazine

Scotland is staking its reputation for being a nation canny with its cash by taking the lead with a new financial instrument designed to help local authorities weather the crisis-induced funding drought. Edinburgh will be the first city in Britain to trial Tax Increment Financing (TIF), the funding mechanism imported from America to save mothballed regeneration schemes.

With the private sector wary of large, long-term investments and pressures on the public purse, cities are hunting for new sources of funding for long term projects vital to their future economic viability. London, Paris and New York know if they don’t find the cash to pay for better roads, railways and smarter city centres, they will fall behind cities like Shanghai, already a beacon for foreign investment and creative minds.

All sorts of different mechanisms exist, from the Urban Transformation companies in Italy (see box) to selling construction rights above previously allowed building heights in Sao Paolo. In the UK, great hopes are pinned on TIF, which allows local authorities to fund projects by borrowing against future tax revenues expected to be generated by the proposed scheme. English cities will have to wait to until changes to legislation which aren’t required in Scotland.

To see the full article, and another I wrote on the Barcelona Economic Triangle, click here:

If you want to read the full magazine, it is available here: MIPIM Preview magazine. (I'm on p. 32 and pp 60-66)

A critical appraisal of urban megaevents and prestige projects, focussed on London’s Millennium Dome

This essay calls for discussion along three lines: whether the Dome was an inefficient subsidy to the private sector; whether it detracted from the social infrastructure needs of London; and whether the benefits it created were distributed unevenly, increasing social inequality.
The essay will analyse each of these elements as regards the Dome, as well as more broadly by looking at the literature of other mega-events and mega-projects. In doing so, it will seek to answer two questions. First, is Loftman correct that large-scale schemes are generally delusional fripperies of political ego that favour powerful private sector interests over needy communities and waste public money? Or is it just that by their ‘mega’ nature they are merely a reflection – writ big - of the delays and problems faced by the common householder when embarking on home improvements? And is it inevitable that large-scale undertakings suffer under massive public scrutiny with inflexible deadlines (in the case of events)? Secondly, is there a problem with such schemes given so many suffer from cost-over-runs and delays (for projects), which means authorities should tame their enthusiasm for the mega? Or is there a problem with the way they are being judged?
To read the full essay click here

The Media: A Guide for Planners

An inquest of media relations at The Millenium Dome.

"We will say to ourselves with pride: this is our Dome, Britain's Dome. And believe me, it will be the envy of the world" (Blair, 24 February 1998).

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair wanted the Millenium Dome, a tent-shaped exhibition centre in Greenwich, to be a symbol of everything that was good about Britain. Instead, marred by financial problems, poor visitor numbers and a chaotic opening night, it turned out to be the opposite. In the British press, the Dome was almost always accompanied by a pejorative adjective: doomed, ill-fated, disastrous, costly etc.

Every day, media organisations analyse their coverage from the previous day. At the Daily Mail it is known as the ‘inquest.’ This essay could be seen as an ‘inquest’ of the media coverage of the Dome.

To read the full essay, click here.