Learning by example: perspectives on cities policy in Europe and the USA

We are delighted to welcome Professor Philip McCann, a key contributor to the European Comission's city and regional policy, for a high level roundtable discussing how Europe policy design and evidence could be better utilised in a UK context.

Event starts on 28 November 2014 at Westminster, London (contact for details)

UK policymakers have often looked to the USA for the evidence and insights about why cities matter and how they can be supported to be more successful. However, for UK national and city policy-makers thinking about how to achieve a more balanced national economy the experiences and insights of European countries and cities often have more relevance.

Prof Philip McCann, Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Groningen, is a key contributor to the development of the European Commission’s regional and cities policies. This event will be an opportunity to hear from him about the role and importance of cities in a European context and how this differs from the thinking and evidence on cities that comes from North America; why the European evidence suggests we need stronger place-based approaches for supporting cities and the need for strong institutions as part of this approach; and how the European Commission’s thinking and funding for cities is evolving in response to the evidence and the opportunities and implications for UK cities.

This is the second of two roundtable events discussing how international policy, evidence and practice can inform the development of UK cities in the future. More information about the first event, with Harvey Brookes is available here.

If you are interested in attending the event, let us know by sending an email to rsvp@centreforcities.org.