David Cameron’s flagship ‘Big Society’ project has been subject to much debate since its inception a few years ago, both around what it actually is, and the nature of its true agenda. A few commentators believe the Big Society represents a qualitative shift in political ideology; others take the view that it is primarily a […]
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IHURER seminar: Applying spatial econometrics to cross-sectional housing data
Our next IHURER seminar will take place Wednesday, 12th of June.
$ markets the spot
We live in a period where free market dominance is being openly questioned in terms of efficiency and sustainability – among other reasons. No doubt this has a lot to do with the financial crisis’ effect on every economy in the world, which is then retransmitted and multiplied due to globalization. Even the most fortified […]
An energy efficient property tax?
Can you imagine selling your home for a price that is dependent on how energy efficient it is? That is a possible future in store for Scotland under the new Land and Building Transaction Tax (LBTT), being discussed this Wednesday (5th June, 2013) at the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee.
IHURER seminar: The aristocracy of our moneyed corporations
Our next IHURER seminar will take place Wednesday, 5th June when Prof. Mark Stephens will be presenting on something a little different. “The battle to protect New Lanark and the Falls of Clyde” will be a case study of policy interpretation and its wider social ramifications today.
Optimism Returns and who’s afraid of the Big “Bad” Greek State?
Under a climate of a somehow promoted, and highly advertised, general optimism, Greek real estate is starting gradually to pop its head up – still afraid of another haircut. Some experts even dare to forecast a new beginning for the, until recently, dead Greek real estate market, before the end of 2013.
Charity Shops: Curse or Crux of the High Street?
Does twenty-first century charity now begin on the High Street? It is surprising to see a High Street today without any charity shops; they have become ubiquitous to our retail landscape. Dr Nicola Livingstone questions their evolution, considering whether they are a curse or a crux of the High Street.
Protection ‘for’ or protection ‘from’? Children in town planning
“Children are the future” and “Let’s do it for the kids”. These are the kind of phrases you often hear when talking of the legacy we wish to leave our planet, but what if children are just as much citizens of the present as they are the future?
How Margaret Thatcher defined the (housing) nation
I suspect that one of the reasons that Margaret Thatcher’s death had such a profound impact is that many influential media folk are of a certain age. Middle age. I know, because I’m middle aged too. And because Margaret Thatcher’s first government coincided with our transition to adulthood, it inevitably made a deep impression on […]
BANANA NIMBYism – Planning research as stand-up comedy
Jenny Wood is a postgraduate student on the MRes Urban Studies Research programme and has started her PhD into the value of children’s engagement in the planning process. Watch how she turned her research into a fantastic comedy show at the famous The Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh.