Unlocking the economic potential
of core (and other) cities
Presentation to IED National Conference
Name David Marlow
Third Life Economics
Date 19 November 2014
Introductions and agenda
An interactive session...please!
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What do we think we
mean by (core) cities?
What is their (unrealised)
potential?
How far does the current
‘system’ help and hinder
city growth?
How might we improve the
system 2015-20, and
beyond?
Me...
Is there an urban hierarchy in UK/England?
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London World
City/Mega-City
region
Core (+ DA capital)
city regions/metros
‘Key Cities’
Top 64 ‘PUAs’
Urban areas more
generally...
What do we think we mean by ‘city’?
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Lines on a map...
A local authority or
collection of city region
LAs...
A functional economic
geography...
A socio-cultural identity
A broadly-based
leadership team which
engenders broadlybased followership...
Something else...
The hypotheses of unrealised potential...
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The underperformance
hypotheses
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The opportunity hypotheses
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General challenges (including
London)
‘Secondary City’/’northern’
challenges
Agglomeration
Global competitiveness
Centralisation and devolution
hypotheses
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The dead-hand of Whitehall
Place-making and leadership
The city ambiguities and complexity of subnational ‘systems’ 2014
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New partnerships – LEPs, LTBs, LNPs
etc., and local authorities
New leadership and governance –
CAs, Mayors, Joint Statutory
Committees, non-statutory mechanisms
New policies – NPPF and planning
reforms (CIL, NHB etc), EZs, etc.,
New funding instruments – RGF, GPF,
LGRR, TIF, LGF, ESIF etc.,...
New sub-regional instruments – city
deals, wave one, two; SEPs, local
growth deals;
New local instruments – community and
neighbourhood budgets
Renationalised E&I functions
New devolution commitments post
Scotland referendum
...with particular challenges for core cities...
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1st/2nd among un-equals
as a group...
Some more equal than
others...as individual
cities/city regions
New members and new
devolution agendas
A mixed bag of deals,
LEPs, CAs and now
metro-mayors...
Devolution orthodoxies, 2015-20, and
issues to resolve...
Common prescriptions...
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Increasing transport, skills and
employment powers and resources
Increasing national-local codesign/commissioning
Multi-annual financial settlements
Single and/or pooled budgetary
pot(s) with flexible borrowing and
forward-funding
Strengthened city region leadership
and governance
Asymmetrical progress – led by
London and GMCA...
Major areas to address...
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Leading and speaking for real cities
and/or administrative fixes?
Are any of the governance models
‘fit for purpose’?
Proving the metro-growth dividend
and/or zero-sum displacement?
The role of revenue-raising?
The implications for the rest of the
‘system’
Don’t we really need a better
national ‘project’ and spatial
strategy?
Delivering change effectively...
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Huge existing agendas for core and
other cities...
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Huge development agendas 2015-20...
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City deals, SEPs/growth deals, ESIF,
RGF/GPF, EZs/UEZs, growth hubs, other
local projects and programmes
CAs, other leadership and governance
developments
New 2015-20 devolution
agreements/settlements
PSR/Transformation under enduring fiscal
austerity
Thinking through distinctive place-based
2030/2050 city visions, that tackle the
big ticket global challenges
Developing new ways of delivering city
leadership and globally-competitive
growth
The role of IED and the development
economist...
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Thought leadership...
Strategic innovation...
Evidence, analysis and
intelligence...
Openness and
collaboration...
 Across
geographies
and administrations
 With other disciplines
and approaches
Thank you
DavidMarlow@thirdlifeeconomics.co.uk