going beyond boundaries: doing interdisciplinary research in the rural urban fringe

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Going Beyond Boundaries: Doing Successful Interdisciplinary

Research in the Rural Urban Fringe

Alister Scott BA PhD MRTPI

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Plan

1. Re-discovering the rural urban fringe

2. Interdisciplinary Investigations

3. ‘Disintegrated’ Narratives

4. Opportunity Narratives

5. Critical Reflections

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

My purpose.....To boldly go…

• Beyond boundaries

• Beyond environment

• Beyond planning

• Beyond status quo

• Beyond comfort zones

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Rediscovering the rural urban fringe.

P10 Farley and Roberts 2011

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Re-discovering the Rural-Urban Fringe

Messy space where town & countryside meet

Arena where growth issues are contested

DEFINITION Land Use (edge) Green Belt (barrier) Values and Lifestyles

(commuter) Urban-rural relationships

(complex)

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Rediscovering the rural-urban fringe

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Academic Commentary Dominant 20C space (OECD

2011)

Dynamic and productive environments (Spedding 2004)

Misunderstood space (Gallent 2006)

A ‘weed’ (Cresswell 1997)

Battleground for urban and rural uses (Hough 1990)

Landscape out of order(Qvistrom 2007)

Interdisciplinary Investigations

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Tress et al 2005

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Tress et al 2005

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Uniting Academic, Policy, Practice and Scalar divides

Birmingham City University -Birmingham School of the Built Environment

University of Aberdeen -Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability

Forest Research

National Farmers Union

David Jarvis Associates

Natural England

Localise West Midlands

Green Economics Institute

Birmingham Environment Partnership

West Midlands Rural Affairs Forum

Worcestershire County Council

West Midlands Regional Assembly

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Seeking Interdisciplinarity

• Drawing on experience and expertise of team members

• Production of Separate reflective ‘pieces’ on

• Spatial Planning (built)

• Ecosystem Approach (natural)

Building interdisciplinarity across the

rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Theoretical Roots 1: Spatial Planning

EUROCITIES (2004) The Pegasus files: a practical guide to integrated area-based urban planning EUROCITIES, Brussels

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Ingredients of Spatial Planning

1. Culture change (Nadin, 2007)2. Positivity (Mommaas and Jansen, 2008)3. Applied Common Sense (Collier 2010)4. Place making ( Davoudi and Pendlebury 2010). 5. Evidence-based (UCL and Deloitte 2007)6. Multiple (Fluid) Scales (Allmendinger and

Haughton 2006) 7. Multiple Sectors (Jordan and Halpin 2006:

Morphet, 2010)8. Long Termism (Low, 2002)

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Theoretical Roots 2: Ecosystem Approach

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Ecosystem Approach

"the Ecosystem Approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservationand sustainable use in an equitable way“

(Convention on Biological Diversity, COP 7 Decision VII/11)

humans inherently part of nature

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

• 12 Malawi Principles : Convention on Biological Diversity (2004)

• Resilience (Kay et al 1999)

• Systems Thinking (Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, 1901)

• Holism (Maltby et al. 2013)

• Adaptive Management (Vasishth, 2008)

• Justice and Equity (Spash 2008)

• Connectivity (Opdam, et al 2006)

Ingredients of the Ecosystem Approach

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Improvised Interdisciplinarity

• Thoughtpieces were synthesized by myself within a discussion piece

• Critical explorations of SP and EA to define common principles.

Building interdisciplinarity across the

rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Conceptual Framework

Natural Environment Built Environment

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Comment and Questions

• This up front investment in new lenses were key to our model of interdisciplinarity

Building interdisciplinarity across the

rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Exposing Disintegrated Narratives in the Fringe

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Narrative 1 Natural vs Built Environment Divide

Natural Environment lens

1. Natural Environment White Paper

2. Habitat and Landscape

3. DEFRA

4. Ecosystem Approach

5. Classifying and Valuing

6. National Ecosystem Assessment

7. Integrated Biodiversity Development Areas

8. Nature Improvement Areas

9. Local Nature Partnerships

Built Environment lens

1. National Planning Policy Framework

2. Local

3. DCLG

4. Spatial Planning

5. Zoning and Ordering

6. Sustainability Assessments

7. Development/Neighbourhood Plans

8. Enterprise Zones / Green Belts

9. Local Enterprise Partnerships

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Theory

Natural Environment lens

1. National Ecosystem

Assessment

2. Integrated Biodiversity

Development Areas

3. Nature Improvement Areas

4. Local Nature Partnerships

Built Environment lens

1. Zoning and Ordering

2. Sustainability Assessments

3. Development/Neighbourhood

Plans

4. Enterprise Zones / Green

Belts

5. Local Enterprise Partnerships Eurocities 2004 SuRCase Project University of Liverpool

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Policy Focus

Natural Environment lens

1. Natural Environment White Paper

2. Habitat and Landscape

3. DEFRA

4. Ecosystem Approach

5. Classifying and Valuing

6. National Ecosystem Assessment

7. Integrated Biodiversity Development Areas

8. Nature Improvement Areas

9. Local Nature Partnerships

Built Environment lens

1. National Planning Policy Framework

2. Local

3. DCLG

4. Spatial Planning

5. Zoning and Ordering

6. Sustainability Assessments

7. Development/Neighbourhood Plans

8. Enterprise Zones / Green Belts

9. Local Enterprise Partnerships

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Government

Natural Environment lens

1. em Approach

2. Classifying and Valuing

3. National Ecosystem

Assessment

4. Integrated Biodiversity

Development Areas

5. Nature Improvement Areas

6. Local Nature Partnerships

Built Environment lens

1. al Planning

2. Zoning and Ordering

3. Sustainability Assessments

4. Development/Neighbourhood

Plans

5. Enterprise Zones / Green

Belts

6. Local Enterprise Partnerships

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Government Policy

Natural Environment lens

1. Habitat and Landscape

2. DEFRA

3. Ecosystem Approach

4. Classifying and Valuing

5. National Ecosystem Assessment

6. Integrated Biodiversity Development Areas

7. Nature Improvement Areas

8. Local Nature Partnerships

Built Environment lens

1. DCLG

2. Spatial Planning

3. Zoning and Ordering

4. Sustainability Assessments

5. Development/Neighbourhood

Plans

6. Enterprise Zones / Green

Belts

7. Local Enterprise Partnerships

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Scale

Natural Environment lens

1. DEFRA

2. Ecosystem Approach

3. Classifying and Valuing

4. National Ecosystem

Assessment

5. Integrated Biodiversity

Development Areas

6. Nature Improvement Areas

7. Local Nature Partnerships

Built Environment lens

1. DCLG

2. Spatial Planning

3. Zoning and Ordering

4. Sustainability Assessments

5. Development/Neighbourhood

Plans

6. Enterprise Zones / Green

Belts

7. Local Enterprise Partnerships

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

New Designation

Natural Environment lens Built Environment lens

1. Local Enterprise

Partnerships

Forest of Bowland Nature Improvement Area

Birmingham Enterprise Zone

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

New Partnerships

Natural Environment lens

1. National Ecosystem

Assessment

2. Integrated Biodiversity

Development Areas

3. Nature Improvement Areas

4. Local Nature Partnerships

Built Environment lens

1. Development/Neighbourhood

Plans

2. Enterprise Zones / Green

Belts

3. Local Enterprise Partnerships

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Building interdisciplinarity across the

rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Narrative 2: Whose Authority?

• Urban centres full

• Limited Room

• Expansion outside boundaries

• Duty to Co-operate vsDuty to Protect

• Scalar tension produces different optimal outcomes

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Narrative 2: Whose Authority?

• Whose boundaries are best; spoilt for choice

• Administrative boundaries vs. natural boundaries

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Narrative 3: Exemplar or Unsustainable Development?

• Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority H8 Policy

• Welsh Assembly Government LID study

• 10 year battle

• Who wins?

Scott 2001: Adams et al 2014 in press

Building interdisciplinarity across the

rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Narrative 4: building sustainable communities?

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Common Missing Ingredient in These Narratives?

Building interdisciplinarity across the rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

1. Local Enterprise

Partnerships

The Missing Ingredient?

Natural Environment lens Built Environment lens

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Overcoming Disintegration

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Seek out new evidence

• Workshops (Team led)• Visioning exercises

• Hampton Peterborough and N Worcestershire

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Building interdisciplinarity across the

rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Workshops

• Each workshop had report produced

• All respondents circulated with requests for further feedback and responses

• Final report.

Building interdisciplinarity across the

rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Conceptual Framework

Natural Environment Built Environment

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

TIME: Learning and Applying Lessons

• To boldly go………….

• “Path to excellence is paved with failure”

• Critical examination of past policy interventions in the RUF

West Midland Planners learning lessons from Regional Planning

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

TIME: Learning and Applying Lessons

“What about Ebenezer Howard and his visions these were long term; we don't have this kind of thinking anymore ... Why ?” BCU

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

TIME: Learning and Applying Lessons

Countryside Management Approach

Integrated remit

Field-based

Needs based

BUT

Funding vulnerability

Rarely linked to statutory planning policy and plans

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

CONNECTIONS: Securing Multi-functionality

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

CONNECTIONS: Securing Multi-functionality

Building interdisciplinarity across the

rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

CONNECTIONS: Securing Multifunctionality

“Green infrastructure planning across landscape scale areas crossing administrative

boundaries.... The role of infrastructure planning is crucial but needs to be at the right

scale”. BEP

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

CONNECTIONS: Securing Multifunctionality

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

VALUES: Achieving Creative Fringes by Challenging Convention

“How can we bring about a cultural shift to get away from taking it for granted that

population and consumption per capita will continue to grow” BEP

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Differing VALUES of Fringe (Collier &Scott 2012)

Building interdisciplinarity across the

rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

VALUES: Achieving Creative

Fringes by Challenging Convention

“Land value is the main barrier to RUF being used for local food production and other

innovative things ......” LWM

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

VALUES: Achieving Creative Fringes by Challenging Convention

Baseline £ Value of Green Services Multiple Benefits

• Heat island

• Flood protection

• Food production

• Pollination

• Water quality

• Soil quality

• Carbon sequestration

• Biodiversity

• Health

• Recreation

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

VALUES: Achieving Creative Fringes by Challenging Convention

Baseline £ Value of Green Services Multiple Benefits

• Heat island

• Flood protection

• Food production

• Pollination

• Water quality

• Soil quality

• Carbon sequestration

• Biodiversity

• Health

• Recreation

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

VALUES: Achieving Creative Fringes by Challenging Convention

Chemin De Fer - Paris

Sandwell: Urban Agriculture

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

VALUES: Achieving Creative Fringes by Challenging Convention

• “..... Green Belt just protects now very affluent commuter belt settlements ........ This culture of negativity and restriction restricts freedom of manoeuvre for planners and the development industry”. WMRAF

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Discussion: Re-inventing the Fringe

• Orchestrate bold new visions of the fringe

• Secure multiple benefits from/for economy, nature and community

• Enable adaptation through experimentation and creativity

• Employ core principles of equity (social & environmental) & quality of life

• Cross boundaries to identify opportunities

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Delivering Unconventional Outputs

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Delivering Unconventional Outputs

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

• Making a new research and practice journey together

• Co-producing new research model or making it up as we go along

• Using Reflexivity and Social Learning (Shorthall2008)

• Building future collaborations and projects

Reflections

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Delivering Unconventional Outputs

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Final word

• “The fringe is not just the place where town meets country but a collection of dynamic and productive environments set in inspiring cultural landscapes, meeting the needs of both the present and helping to change the way we live in the future”.

Nick Spedding 2004