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| June 2008 |
Phase 2 of CU2 has closed with the publication of a number of reports, available here  . Please check back soon for more details on the next phase of research and for updates on current work.
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| April 2008-June 2008 |
Queen's Spatial Regeneration and Rural and Urban Design MSc Students are involved in community based projects in the New Lodge, Shore Road and Ligoniel. The project operates in collaboration with leading community agencies involved in Neighbourhood Renewal in North Belfast.
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| 18th-20th March 2008 |
Queen's University are hosting the UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference 2008 based on the theme of Sustainability, Space and Social Justice. Gavan Rafferty will present a paper titled ‘The Intersection between Regeneration and Reconciliation in Belfast: Transporting Urban Planning and Governance in Contested Space.’ Prof. Frank Gaffikin will lead a study visit to Cave Hill and chair the Urban and Rural Regeneration track. Dr. Ken Sterrett will chair the track on Urban and Rural Design and the Built Heritage.
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| 12 February 2008 |
CU2 hosted the first of four interdisciplinary discussions on the theme of contested cities. Chaired by Mr. Paul Sweeney (DCAL) the forum focused on the topic of shared space and was attended by public representatives, policy makers and academics.
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| 18-21 October 2007 |
Prof. Frank Gaffikin and Prof. David Perry presented a paper at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) 2007 Conference in Milwaukee, on the 'Discourses of Globalization and US Academy'. The role of the urban university is a core theme of CU2, and the related paper can be found in our "Working Papers" section
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| Mid October 2007 |
Prof. Frank Gaffikin and Gavan Rafferty travelled to Chicago to work with colleagues in The Great Cities Institute, at UIC. This continued exchange is important for advancing our knowledge on the role of the urban university and planning in contested cities.
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| 04 September 2007 |
Ken Sterrett will be publishing the inter-disciplinary study of Donegal Pass in mid October. Further information on this study can be seen "Here" |
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| 27 August 2007 |
Gavan Rafferty begins a temporary lectureship in the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering (SPACE) at QUB. Ciaran Toal replaces Gavan as Research Assistant on the CU2 project. |
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| Summer 2007 |
Kerry McIvor and Dr. Mike Morrissey are currently working on the Social Economy aspect of the CU2 Project. Phase 1 work relating to the Social Economy can be seen in our "Working Papers" section. |
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| 02 July 2007 |
CU2 hosted a seminar on ‘Shaping and Delivering Tomorrow's Places: Effective Practice in Spatial Planning’–Implications for Northern Ireland. The seminar featured a guest lecture from Professor Janice Morphet, from The Bartlett School of Planning and Professor David Perry, The Great Cities Institute, Chicago. To view the flyer for this event, click "Here." |
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| 01 July 2007 |
Dr. Frank Gaffikin has been promoted to Professor of Urban & Regional Development in the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering (SPACE) at QUB. |
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| 27 April 2007 |
Kerry McIvor, based at CU2, commences her work as the Conflict Transformation Network Coordinator. The Network consists of 8 BLSP funded projects in Belfast, involving CU2, NI Community Builders Programme, Belfast City Council, Falls Community Council, Shankill Community Council and Intercomm. The network is intended for sharing information and ideas, facilitating collaborative learning and bringing added value to the work undertaken in each of the projects. |
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| 04 April 2007 |
Dr. Frank Gaffikin and Dr. Ken Sterrett have been successful in receiving an ESRC award to undertake research on Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities in Contested Space. The aim of the research is to address the relevance of Belfast's experience of building community capacity amid inter-communal strife for the English challenge of creating sustainable social space, rooted in greater inter-culturalism and 'community cohesion'. |
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| 19 March 2007 |
Researchers involved in CU2 have been successful in receiving a research award from the "Northern Ireland Community Relations Council" to investigate Planning Shared Space for a Shared Future. |
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| Spring semester 2007 |
21 students are enrolled in a specialised"Professional Practice Project" which is concerned with Building Sustainable Communities in parts of Belfast. There are 10 students involved in the Mount Vernon area of North Belfast and 11 students focusing on the Botannic corridor area of South Belfast. The students aim to conduct surveys, gather statistical data, retrieve key policy documents and help faciliate community visioning processes. The projects are led by CU2 staff Frank Gaffikin, Ken Sterrett, Mike Morrissey and Gavan Rafferty in close collaboration with other staff, local partners and practitioners. |
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| Dec '06 - Jan '07 |
CU2 Research Assistant Gavan Rafferty organised this years "PlaNet" winter meeting in Belfast. PlaNet is a European student planning network designed to encourage cooperation between young European people by promoting the exchange of ideas, culture and practical experiences.
15 planning students from France, Germany, Netherlands and Poland visited Belfast to explore it's renaissance and the city's segregated spaces. |
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| Nov 2006 |
CU2 has been awarded approximately £250,000 to develop Phase 2 of it's research agenda. More information soon... |
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| 03 Nov 2006 |
The "Integration Challenges for Spatial Planning Seminar" took place today in the Senate Room.
Professor Janice Morphet from the The Bartlett School of Planning at Univeristy College London (UCL) gave a presentation about her current research project Effective Practice in Spatial Planning and the emergent findings.
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| July 2006 |
CU2 Research Assistant attended the 10th Annual"PlaNet" (Planning Network) Congress in Paris. The subject was Planning Urban Segregation, which focused on looking back at the riots that occurred in the French suburbs in 2005. The convention was a chance to exchange views, analyse causes and debate the role of planning in such situations.
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| 07 June 2006 |
The sixth "Strategic Discussion Forum", co-convened by CU2 and the Belfast LSP, took place in QUB's Senate Room on the topic of "Community Planning in Belfast. The forum attracted over 30 individuals from a wide background of Belfast's civic society. The forum, chaired by Paul Sweeney (OFMDFM), was opened with a presentation from Richard Blyth from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). A discussion followed, which focused on the definition, delivery mechanisms and potential impact of community planning in Belfast. For more information, see the follow-up paper  |
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| 09 Mar. 2006 |
The fifth "Strategic Discussion Forum", co-convened by CU2 and the Belfast LSP, took place in QUB's Senate Room. Today's topic, the "Shared Future Agenda" attracted over 30 individuals from a wide background of Belfast's civic society. The forum, chaired by Paul Sweeney (OFMDFM), was opened with brief presentations from Drew Haire (OFMDFM) and Duncan Morrow (CRC) and stimulated an honest exchange of opinions about the obstacles and potentials of the "Shared Future Agenda". |
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| Spring semester 2006 |
40 students are enrolled in a "Specialized Project" which implies hands-on work in communities of Belfast. Around 13 students each work in the areas of North Belfast, Shankill/West Belfast and Donegall Pass, respectively, to conduct surveys, gather statistical data, retrieve key policy documents and help faciliate community visioning processes. The projects are led by CU2 staff Frank Gaffikin, Ken Sterrett, Mike Morrissey and Ralf Brand in close collaboration with other staff and local partners. |
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| 17 Jan. 2006 |
The members of the CU2 Advisory Council share their thoughts on CU2's recent work and its future directions. A common theme was that Belfast's communities should consciously identify and pursue options for regeneration and reconciliation instead of following free market dynamics. The activities of CU2 are considered useful in this regard as they try to facilitate this process within communities and raise the awareness for the necessary linkages on higher geographical and administrative levels. |
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| 20 Dec. 2005 |
All members of CU2 wish all our partners, friends, colleagues in Belfast and further afield a Merry Christmas. We are looking forward to continue our collaboration with verve in a hopefully productive, peaceful and healthy new year 2006. |
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| 07 Dec. 2005 |
CU2 team member Ralf Brand and colleagues from Beirut and Chicago have issued a call for papers for a special session on "The built environment and social practices in contested spaces" for the EASST 2006 conference in Lausanne in August 2006. The session is inspired by one of CU2's main research question: "Can planning and design ameliorate as well as (inadvertently) accentuate divisions in contested spaces?" |
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| 05 Dec. 2005 |
The "Practice" section of the CU2 website contains new information about the action research component in Belfast's Donegall Pass community. The purpose of this sub-project which is led by Ken Sterret is "to identify the changing profile of the community over time ... to identify the main drivers of change ... to assess responses to community problems ... to assess the potential of community planning initiatives as practiced elsewhere ... [and] to set in place a longitudinal study of change in the local community.". Read on ... |
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| 04 Nov. 2005 |
Over 40 people from various social groups of Belfast's civil society followed a joint invitation of CU2 and the BLSP to the fourth "Strategic Discussion Forum". Its topic, Social Economy, was introduced by Peter Lloyd , Liverpool University, a widely acclaimed expert on this issue. A number of other speakers and especially the many contributions made under Chatham House Rules by the forum's participants made the event very lively and productive. |
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| 28 Oct. 2005 |
Radio Ulster aired an interview with CU2 co-ordinator Frank Gaffikin on 27 October 2005. The interview focused on the role of university research in addressing the planning and regeneration in contested cities. It identified the difficulties of remaking community amidst divisions around identity and territory. In particular, it explored how the international networks associated with the CU2 provided opportunities to explore the mutual lessons to be drawn by contested cities like Belfast and Jerusalem. |
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| 27/28 Oct. 2005 |
Frank Gaffikin was a keynote speaker at an international conference held in Dublin on 27/28 October 2005. Held under the auspices of the EU SPAN project, it was on the theme of Managing Space: Making Place: Strategic Planning for Cohesion and Diversity. Other speakers included: Andreas Faludi on European Spatial Policy and Simin Davoudi on multi-level governance. Frank Gaffikin spoke on the subject of Collaborative Planning: rhetoric and reality. The handout of Dr. Gaffikin's presentation is available in the "Resources" section |
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| 27 Oct. 2005 |
 The Communications Office of Queen's University published a special press release about CU2 (available at the QUB website ). It emphasises the purpose of CU2 to "examin[e] the nature of Belfast's conflict and how a university can help with the city's future development". CU2 is also featured in the latest issue of "Queen's Now". The full article is available by clicking on the thumbnail image. |
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| 26-28 Oct. 2005 |
The International Conflict Prevention Consortium met at the Radisson Hotel in Belfast. CU2 participated with four members from Queen's University and five from BLSP. It presented its work so far and distributed three documents: The working papers The Role of economic development in peace building and Coping with conflict in peace programmes and a general report on the literature review and interviews conducted so far. See our Reports and Working Papers section. |
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| 26 Oct. 2005 |
David Perry from the Great Cities Institute (UIC) arrived again in Belfast for another short period of intensive discussions, sharing of experience and planning joint research activities with CU2 team members. One of the flagship projects conducted jointly by Prof. Perry and Dr. Gaffikin is a systematic and comprehensive assessment of the 100 best U.S. universities in terms of their "engagement". |
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| 30 Sept. 2005 |
The application for a new project around the idea of universities as stimulators and facilitators of regional sustainable development was lodged with the Anglo-German Foundation . The project outline, which is a genuine spin-off of CU2, was co-authored by John Barry, Geraint Ellis, Peter Doran and CU2 member Ralf Brand who convened this team of QUB experts. External partners are the universities of Edinburgh and Plymouth in the UK and Lüneburg , Oldenburg and the Wuppertal Institute in Germany. |
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| 30 Sept. 2005 |
Twelve individuals from a range of disciplines followed CU2's invitation to the third Interdisciplinary Forum. First item on the agenda was an informal presentation of CU2's overall activities, followed by a very collegial and productive discussion about a planned action-research project about how the reality of spatial planning can and should look like in an inner-city community in Belfast. The attendees also discussed the option of seeking formal recognition as an official "Forum" in the sense of QUB's new structure of university bodies. |
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| 8 Sept. 2005 |
Thomas auf der Heyde, Dean of Research of the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, gave a talk about "Toward a managerial framework for community engagement and public scholarship". He presented a rationale for engagement based on moral, strategic, academic and financial imperatives. His paper is available on the CU2 website rubric "Resources". The event was organised by QUB's Science Shop and part of CU2's Interdisciplinary Forum. |
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| 18 July 2005 |
Ralf Brand, member of the CU2 team, departs to Vienna for a week-long stay with the Centre for Social Innovation . The purpose of his stay is to exchange experience with his Viennese colleagues on, among others, issues of the "engaged university" as a social innovation. Dr. Brand will also present a lecture in Vienna on "Sustainability Memes" as a concept to grasp the socio-technical reality of sustainability. |
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| 8 July 2005 |
Frank Gaffikin, project leader of CU2, departs to Chicago for an extended stay with the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Great Cities Institute is considered one of the model initiatives of an "engaged university". David Perry, the director of this institute has recently visited CU2 in Belfast to share his experience, to learn about QUB's initiatives and to explore potentials for future collaboration. This exchange will continue with Dr. Gaffikin's return visit. |
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| 29 June 2005 |
CU2 sponsored the second "Interdisciplinary Forum" of Queen's scholars and students who are interested in University-City partnerships. Hosted in the Institute of Governance the 19 attendees agreed that a series of seminars should be held as a regular opportunity to present and discuss related work at Queen's. |
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| 21 June 2005 |
Fifteen people attended the BLSP - QUB Advisory Board, chaired by Paul Sweeney. Frank Gaffikin explained the aims of the CU2 project as well as the role of the Advisory Board to a number of new members; he also presented a draft of a mission statement for the Board. David Perry offered conceptual as well as pragmatic thoughts about the need of urban universities and their cities to cooperate in a world of globalised competition for investment, reputation, visitors, students, etc. |
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| 17 June 2005 |
CU2 and Queen's University Belfast host the third "Strategic Discussion Forum", chaired by Paul Sweeney. David Perry from the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago reports about his experience with an "engaged university". In his view, this is the ideal model for university-city relationship and goes beyond the traditional concepts of "outreach" or "service". Eighteen participants from Queen's University, the Belfast Local Strategy Partnership and several Belfast community organisations discuss the desirability and feasibility of Queen's becoming an "engaged university". |
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| 13 June 2005 |
CU2 hosts a meeting of representatives from different disciplines and departments of Queen's University to faciliate communication between already existing university-city projects and to stimulate ideas for new initiatives which could potentially be funded by CU2 seed money grants. |
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| 8 June 2005 |
David Perry from the Great Cities Institute of the University of Illinois at Chicago arrives in Belfast to spend four weeks with CU2, to share his experience with the concept of an "engaged university". |
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| 7 June 2005 |
The CU2 team participates in a meeting with Stephen McGowan (public affairs manager of Queen's University) as part of the Joint Mapping Exercise with Belfast City Council to facilitate a better understanding of the interactions and relationship between the two institutions and to explore future opportunities for cooperation. For more information contact s.mcgowan@qub.ac.uk.
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| 23 May 2005 |
Ira Harkavy from the University of Pennsylvania visits CU2 to report about the "Center for Community Partnership" . This centre is the university's "primary vehicle for bringing to bear the broad range of human knowledge needed to solve the complex, comprehensive, and interconnected problems of the American city" |
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| 11 April 2005 |
Ralf Brand commences his work with CU2 as new Lecturer in the School of Environmental Planning at Queen's University Belfast. |
