News

Insights on the natural environment, sustainability, and place-based wellbeing inequalities from the Thriving Places Index 2022 With the world’s leaders having gathered for another global summit on Climate Change (COP27), do you have to be a climate campaigner to care about the outcomes? For the many who are dealing with... read more →

Certain aspects of social capital have protected local communities against COVID-19 in England and Wales. Those are the main findings of a working paper we have just published on our website, written by our very own Saamah Abdallah and Mel Cairns working in collaboration with Thanasis Ziogas and Luise Koeppen, doctoral... read more →

Making a meaningful difference through transformative change As we have outlined in this short report for Centre for Thriving Places, the UK’s regional economic divisions are both persistent and legendary. “The UK is one of the most regionally imbalanced economies in the industrialised world,” according to Lord Kerslake of the... read more →

Rachel Laurence shares her hopes for the future as she joins CTP as Deputy Chief Executive What does the economy mean to us?  For most of us, it’s about how well our place functions – what it’s like to live there, how easily we can reach places we like spending... read more →

Huge swathes of the planet are experiencing severe droughts.  As we view shocking images of the great rivers of the world literally drying up, it is increasingly clear that this is not going to be a one off. Extreme weather, from heatwaves to droughts to flooding, are going to be... read more →

By Jessica Pykett We’re excited to announce a new partnership with the place-based not-for-profit consultancy, Centre for Thriving Places (CTP) which sees University of Birmingham (UoB) researchers supporting the delivery of their Thriving Places Index. This is a flagship evidence-based wellbeing measurement tool updated annually which is used by local authorities... read more →

For many of us, July means tuning in to the Tour de France and hoping to see our favourite rider in that famous yellow jersey. Perhaps some of us will be taking part in the wealth of summer cycling events, audaxes and night rides around the UK this month or... read more →

Our world is powered by ideas. The last 100 years have seen the rise and rise of the idea that ‘growing the economy’ is THE thing that politicians, businesses, and citizens (or consumers) need to focus on. Its success, I would argue, is largely about brilliant branding. Those that have... read more →

Leadership has been a hot topic of discussion recently. The UK spent the start of June focused on the Queen's 70 year tenure as the ceremonial leader of our country, followed by uncertainty about who would lead the country as prime minister. While those two individuals are vastly different in... read more →