Join us for an exploration of the New Towns Taskforce Report to Government, a major contribution to the national conversation on housing and place-making. The event will explore how new towns can help address England’s housing challenges, featuring reflections from Dame Kate Barker, the deputy chair of the government taskforce that produced the report, and a panel of leading experts in urban planning, regional development, and policy.
This event marks the publication of the New Towns Taskforce Report to Government, which presents an ambitious and forward-looking agenda for how new towns can play a vital role in meeting England’s housing needs and supporting environmentally sustainable, inclusive growth.
The event will open with remarks from Professor Khalid Nadvi, Head of the School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) at The University of Manchester.
This will be followed by a short address from the government taskforce's deputy chair Dame Kate Barker, who will touch briefly on the reasons for wanting to increase housing supply in England, and describe how New Towns can be part of the solution. The context for choosing locations for New Towns now is rather different from the post-war context, and so the taskforce took what seemed the best approach for today. However, the long-term character of these developments means this is inevitably an imperfect exercise.
The New Towns report sets out an ambitious agenda for place-making – but the reality of implementation and financing challenges should not be underestimated. Planning changes would help with the process of moving these projects forward.
A panel discussion will then explore the implications of the report for policy and practice, featuring:
- Facilitating: Professor James Evans – Professor of Geography, Associate Dean for Research (Humanities)
- Andrew McIntosh – Director of Place, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
- Professor Cecilia Wong – Professor of Spatial Planning and Director of the Spatial Policy & Analysis Lab, Manchester Urban Institute
- Professor Philip McCann – Sir Terry Leahy Chair of Urban and Regional Economics, Alliance Manchester Business School, The Productivity Institute
The panel will discuss the opportunities and challenges of delivering new towns in the contemporary policy and planning landscape, reflecting on how they can contribute to balanced regional growth, innovation, and well-designed places.
The event will close with remarks from Professor Fiona Devine, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, who will reflect on the report’s broader implications for national housing strategy and regional development.
Please note that this event will take place in person only at Alliance Manchester Business School. There will be refreshments and an opportunity for networking from 4:30pm.
This event is hosted by Alliance Manchester Business School and The School of Environment, Education and Development at The University of Manchester, with The Productivity Institute and in partnership with the Campaign for Social Science.
