Plans to revamp Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens, including introducing more green space, have been submitted to the city council.

Planit submits proposal for overhaul of Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens

Planit submits proposal for overhaul of Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens

architectsjournal.co.uk

How can canals like these cool us down in heatwaves? ⬇️☀️ Urban canals can reduce nearby temperatures by 1.5–2.3°C, reducing levels of heat stress for those nearby, meaning millions could benefit from this crucial cooling effect as temperatures continue to rise. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

☀️ As temperatures climb above 30°C, could urban canals be one way to mitigate the effects of heatwaves? New research from @manchester.ac.uk has found that, during heatwaves, urban canals reduce surrounding daytime temperatures between 1.5°C and 2.3°C. #Heatwave #Climate

Pleased the paper I co-authored with @profjtwhite.bsky.social and Gareth James @uofgussp.bsky.social on placemaking in post-devolution Scotland has been shortlisted for the RTPI Patsy Healey Award for Academic Excellence. Congrats to all finalists! @uomspal.bsky.social @uomseed.bsky.social

Royal Town Planning Institute@rtpiplanners.bsky.social · last mo.

Congratulations to the 16 finalists announced today for the RTPI Awards for Research Excellence 2026! The winners will be announced on 7 September at the UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference. Discover the full list here: www.rtpi.org.uk/events-train...

SPA-Lab recently got together for a summer mini-symposium, to share research and explore collaborations. We work across 3 themes: policy, governance & placemaking; urbanisation & urban development; data planning & digital analytics. Find out more: www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/planning/res...

On the way back from an engaging few days at @gpean-planning.bsky.social World Planning Schools Congress at Aalto University. I presented my recent paper on Placemaking in Scotland in a lively session - much to discuss with other presenters and attendees on discretion, centralisation & more #WPSC26

🎉@manchester.ac.uk has been ranked first in the world for progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Times Higher Education (THE) Sustainability Impact Ratings! 🔗https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/university-of-manchester-rankings-sustainability-impact/

Why are Dutch kids the world’s happiest? “Children have increased independence: parents let their kids roam more freely, and many start young, cycling to and from school by themselves.” www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Dutch children are unusually happy and healthy. Is it because of the Avondvierdaagse?

Once a year, Dutch kids, parents and teachers take part in a walking festival, heading out for four nights in a single week to explore their neighbourhoods, exercise and make friends. It’s a tradition...

theguardian.com

Super (sunny) day in Morecambe to visit the Eden project site and hear about the Levelling Up Fund process. Exciting time for the town and its regeneration plans.

New paper from Xinyue Dong and Mark Baker examining the constraints facing neighbourhood forums in urban, unparished areas of England: www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/...

Planning in the margins: reflections on forum-led neighbourhood planning in England | Town Planning Review

This article examines the institutional constraints facing neighbourhood forums in urban, unparished areas of England. Although neighbourhood planning aims to empower communities, neighbourhood forums remain non-statutory and rely on local planning ...

liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk

Ben Smith, Director of Public Transport Strategy and Security at the Department for Transport, has written a guest blog for us in time for #BetterTransportWeek: 🔗 https://bettertransport.org.uk/blog/better-connected-making-every-day-journeys-easier/

Join @justcentre.bsky.social @edrc-uk.bsky.social & @uomseed.bsky.social for the launch of the People, Place and Energy Research Centre: @pperc.bsky.social 📅Thu 18 June ⌚ 3-5pm 📍Cordingley Theatre, Humanities Bridgeford Street Find out more & sign up 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pperc-laun...

Really interesting to find out about town centre regeneration in Leigh and Ashton with Wigan Council yesterday. Loads of great things going on, and lots to learn about navigating complex national regen funding to shape places locally

Congratulations Cecilia - very well deserved!

The University of Manchester@manchester.ac.uk · 4mo ago

Professor Cecilia Wong has been awarded the Gold Medal by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). ⭐ Her work focuses on developing spatial analysis and policy monitoring, helping policymakers better understand people, place and economic change www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/p...

This June, join @uomhums.bsky.social & @educationuom.bsky.social at our conference uniting researchers, students, and policymakers with big names like Microsoft Elevate UK and @jisc.bsky.social to discuss AI, accessibility & inclusion in education. Sign up here 👉 uom.link/AIConference

Calling all planning practitioners, researchers, students & academics: There's only 1 month left to enter the 2026 Awards for Research Excellence, which recognise & promote high-quality spatial planning research from RTPI-accredited planning schools. Enter today: www.rtpi.org.uk/researchawards

🍾 Great news! All of our subjects have either moved up or retained their existing position in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by subject! Three of our four subject areas are now ranked top ten IN THE WORLD!! 📈 👉 www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/u...

New paper with @profjtwhite.bsky.social & Gareth James has been finalised in Progress in Planning. We explore Scotland’s placemaking agenda compared to rest of the UK, identify several implementation challenges, and consider how best to deliver placemaking through planning doi.org/10.1016/j.pr...

Find out why bus stops are important and how a National Bus Stop Standard could help make bus journeys better. 👉https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/bus-stops #BusStopStories

Cecilia Wong and Richard Kingston will be speaking about the work of SPA-Lab and NERC Digital Solutions Hub on 18th March, as part of an event on Digging into the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Sign up and further information: www.tickettailor.com/events/opend...

Select tickets – Digging into the Index of Multiple Deprivation – Humanities Bridgeford Street

Digging into the Index of Multiple Deprivation – Humanities Bridgeford Street, Wed 18 Mar 2026 - With the release of the updated Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) in November, this is a chance to di...

tickettailor.com

So cool! The view from Sackville Street is a little different these days...

Hugh Jones@hbsj.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of the Technical School, Manchester - once UMIST, now part of @manchester.ac.uk If you hold the card up to the light, all the windows and the moon look lit up If you like this image, please repost it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm

There’s one month left to enter the RTPI North West Awards for Planning Excellence. If you have a project, plan, or team that deserves recognition, do consider a submission: www.rtpi.org.uk/find-my-rtpi...

✨ Big news! We have been recognised again in the @timeshighered.bsky.social World University Rankings by Subject 2026 with ten subjects in the global top 100 and four in the world’s top 50. Huge thanks to our amazing community who make this possible 💜 www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/t...

⏰ Final few tickets left for our Digital Environment Conference! 🖥️ Join us in redefining how data, AI and digital infrastructure transform environment, insight, action and governance. 🎟️ 1st April 10:00 - 17:00 at SISTER Manchester 🆓 The event is free and everyone is welcome bit.ly/3MmTtAC

Congratulations to Professor Cecilia Wong on being awarded the RTPI's Gold Medal for exceptional achievement in the field of town and country planning. Only the 17th recipient since 1953! www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/seed/news-an...

New long form paper published on Scotland’s ‘placemaking’ agenda within planning and urban design policy, with @profjtwhite.bsky.social and Gareth James. We identify a progressive commitment to placemaking at policy level, but implementation needs to catch up www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Placemaking in post-devolution Scotland: The gap between aspiration and implementation

This paper investigates the framing and implementation of a distinct placemaking agenda that emerged in Scotland after devolution. Developed over a pe…

sciencedirect.com

Congratulations to Ransford Acheampong and Guibo Sun on being appointed Research Challenge Area Lead and Deputy Lead for Transport and Mobilities with Manchester Urban Institute @mui-uom.bsky.social More information on the Research Challenge Areas: www.mui.manchester.ac.uk/research/the...

Quellijnstraat, Amsterdam in 1978 and today

A new study has found that our exposure to daylight can have significant effects on our work, with access to a bright, stable light source improving alertness and cognitive function. ⭐

Discover who works and researches with the Tyndall Centre for #ClimateChange Research. Explore our diverse team of over 300, from #PhD candidates to distinguished emeritus professors. Visit tyndall.ac.uk/researchers/ for more information 📚 #ClimateResearch #TyndallCentre

Researchers - Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

Researchers Archive - Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

tyndall.ac.uk