Skills for managing spatial diversity

This study aims to open a debate about the skills needed to develop sustainable places and communities in Northern Ireland.  In particular this research considers the way in which race, religion and poverty interlock to produce ‘wicked’ urban problems.  Drawing on experiences in Northern Ireland, the project offers models of practice to: inform the national debate on Community Cohesion; the management of ethnically diverse places; and the skills set that may help professionals and practitioners resist the pulling effects of residential segregation.

The main objectives of the research are to:

  • To contribute to the scholarly debate on the development of skills to manage ethno-spatial diversity in the United Kingdom;
  • To locate this debate in an analysis of international practice where ethnic residential segregation is managed via planning, housing and urban development systems;
  • To scope and evaluate the skills set needed to manage ethno-spatial communities in Northern Ireland and highlight the connectivity with national debates on community cohesion.
  • To audit the current supply of knowledge and skills on spatial planning and development in the region;
  • To set out the implications for the development of a framework for skills and how this might be applied regionally and nationally.

This research project is a response to a joint invitation by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC) into the development of skills for areas such as spatial planning, social renewal and local; sustainable development.

For further Information, please have a look at the project webpages or contact:

Dr Brendan Murtagh
Reader
Institute of Spatial and Environmental Planning (ISEP)
School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering
Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 4742
E-Mail: b.murtagh@qub.ac.uk

Or

Dr Geraint Ellis
Senior Lecturer
Institute of Spatial and Environmental Planning (ISEP)
School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering
Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 4370
E-Mail: g.ellis@qub.ac.uk