Skip to main content

Staff Profile

Professor Geoff Vigar

Professor of Urban Planning

  • Address: School of Architecture Planning and Landscape
    Newcastle University
    Henry Daysh Building
    Claremont Road
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE1 7RU
Background

Roles and Responsibilities

Deputy Director Postgraduate Research, APL, 2023-


Qualifications:

PhD: The Politics of Paradigmatic Policy Change and the Greening of UK Transport Planning, Department of Geography, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Postgraduate Diploma, City and Regional Planning. University of Wales College of Cardiff.

BSc(Hons) Town Planning Studies, University of Wales College of Cardiff

Research

Research Interests

My research currently focuses on the following:

  • UK planning practice, ideas of the public interest, professionalism, knowledge and expertise with regard to built environment professions, and the role of public, private and voluntary sectors
  • citizen engagement in planning and particularly citizen-led approaches using digital and offline methods.
  • archival and future-oriented methods to interpret the modernist legacy in both northern English new towns and city-edge commercial landscapes
  • the politics of urban infrastructure policy, practice, regulation and financing. Work is currently focused on equality and inclusion with regard to the accessibility of the built environment focused especially on health-promoting travel (mental/ physical), liveable neighbourhoods and transit accessibility. .


Previous Funded Research Projects

Planning and urban governance:

  • The Impact of Neighbourhood Development Plans in England, David Robins Legacy Fund, 2021. [PI]
  • 'Working in the Public interest: spatial planning and the future of public service professional labour, ESRC, 2017- 2020, [Co-Investigator].
  • Digital Economy Research Centre, EPSRC, 2015-2020. [Co-Investigator and Co-lead for Planning and Local Democracy Theme].
  • Planning for Intangible Cultural Heritage, [PICH], JPI Cultural Heritage, 2015- 2018 [Co-investigator].
  • Doctoral Training Centre in Digital Civics, EPSRC, 2014- 2020 [co-applicant and co-lead for Planning and Local Democracy theme].
  • Building workplace community in the commercial edgelands, Newcastle University Business Development Fund with Highbridge Developments, 2014, [Principal Investigator].
  • Great Planning Successes: Innovative transformation in place governance, Royal Town Planning Institute, 2013/14 [Principal Investigator].
  • Territorial Governance: Best Practices for New Perspectives, ESPON, 2011- 2014. [Co-applicant].
  • Spatial Innovation, Planning, Design and User Involvement (SPINDUS), IVT, Belgian Government, 2009- 2013, [Co-I and Principal Investigator at Newcastle].
  • Planning, localism and the state: evaluating a Neighbourhood Planning Frontrunner, Catherine Cookson Trust, 2011/12. [Principal Investigator].
  • Professionalism in Spatial Planning, Newcastle University Strategic Research Fund, 2009, £9,000 [Principal Investigator].
  • Social Polis: a social platform on cities and social cohesion, European Commission, (led the work package on mobility and security), 2007-2009.
  • Managing development pressure in the urban fringe: Practices and lessons from England, Report for Korean Government [sole investigator].
  • The Institutional and Regulatory Context for Planning, United Nations Global Report on Human Settlements, UN-Habitat, 2008 [co-applicant].
  • Integrated spatial planning, multi-level governance and state rescaling, Economic and Social Research Council, 2005- 2007, [co-applicant].
  • The State of Iraqi Cities, UN-HABITAT, 2005-2006.
  • Poverty Alleviation Programmes and Sustainable Development in India, British Council India, 2002-04.
  • Social Innovation, Governance and Community Building (SINGOCOM), European Commission Framework V: 2001- 2004 [co-applicant].
  • Reinventing Planning: advice on the central government Green Paper, ‘Modernising Planning’, One North East, 2001 [joint applicant].
  • European Spatial Planning Observatory Network: Developing a research capability database, DETR, 2000 – 2001.
  • Developing the capacity of, and participation in, environmental policy and management in the City of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Department for International Development, 1998.  


Transport and Infrastructure:

  • Sustrans DIY Streets: creating and evaluating inspirational participation, ESRC Impact Acceleration Fund, 2015 [co-applicant].
  • Review of Transport Governance in the Tyne & Wear City Region, Tyne & Wear City Region Executive Board: (with Atkins), 2008-2009.
  • Tilting at Windmills, Economic and Social Research Council, 2003/ 04 [Co-I].
  • Preparing to Go Green: employee travel patterns and surface access planning, Leeds Bradford International Airport, 1999/2000 [joint applicant].
  • Facilitating and Implementing a New Realism in Transport Planning, Rees Jeffrey's Road Fund,1997 -1999, [Principal Investigator]

 

As Research Associate [selected]:

  • Development Plans and the Regulatory Form of the Planning System, Economic and Social Research Council, 1995- 1997.
  • Transport Investment and Urban Regeneration, Economic and Social Research Council, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, and Dept. of Transport, 1992-95. 


Research Roles

I have been co-director of Newcastle University's Centre for Mobility and Transport since its founding in 2022: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/mobility-transport/

I was Research Director in APL from April 2012- Feb 2018 wherein I led APL's submission to REF2014 which was the best performing Unit of Assessment at Newcastle by the widely preferred measure of intensity-adjusted GPA. APL was 4th nationally [out of 45] by this measure and also in terms of research power.

I directed the Global Urban Research Unit between 2006 and 2012.


Postgraduate Supervision

Geoff is Deputy Director for PGR in SAPL, principally with responsibility for admissions, and was Postgraduate Research Director from 2003-2006. I welcome applications for post-graduate study that mesh with my research interests above. To date I have supervised 22 PhD candidates to completion and examined 20. I currently co-mentor 4 students:  

  • Bobbie Bailey, Creating socio-technical processes to support place-based innovations in the reimagining of underused urban spaces, [EPSRC Digital Civics DTC with Clara Crivellaro]
  • Nic Cook, Cripping active travel futures: How are disabled people represented and included in the practice of doing active travel policy? (ESRC NINE DTP with Natalia Villamizar Duarte and Janice McLoughlin)
  • Robin Edge, Transport, Accessibility and the Built Environment: a neurodiversity perspective (with Zander Wilson, sponsored by the Motability Foundation).
  • Elliot Rooney, The political economy of water service delivery in Addis Ababa, (with Cat Button and Jaime Amezaga)
Teaching

Undergraduate Teaching

TCP1028: Planning for a Better World

TCP2028: Urban Infrastructures

 

Postgraduate Teaching

TCP4002 / 4003 Practice Issues Report/ Presentation

TCP8902 The Reflexive Practitioner

TCP8034 Planning and Sustainability

Publications