Cultures of the Suburbs

Research Centres and Projects

A to Z Index

Adaptable Suburbs

University College London. Website at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/adaptablesuburbs/ and blog at: http://uclsstc.wordpress.com/

University College London ‘Adaptable Suburbs’ project community maps site at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/adaptablesuburbs/community_maps

Atlas of Suburbanisms

University of Waterloo, Canada. Website at http://env-blogs.uwaterloo.ca/atlas/

A World of Suburbs

Website by Dr Magali Peyrefitte, Middlesex University

This website is dedicated to the documentation of suburbs around the world. It is very much work in progress that can overall be described as a visual exploration of the suburban in its architectural and physical form. This project is also very much concerned with the political, socio-cultural and religious aspects in exploring the suburban. The data are aimed at providing a source of knowledge for those who have an interest in the suburban for these different reasons: http://www.aworldofsuburbs.org/

Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR), Goldsmiths, University of London

Website at http://www.gold.ac.uk/cucr/

cities@manchester, University of Manchester

cities@manchester draws both on the city of Manchester’s unique place at the epicentre of industrial capitalism, and its subsequent strategies to set out its post-industrial futures. The project is committed to an increased understanding of the global urban condition, past, present and future. It brings together work from across the arts and humanities, the social sciences and the business school and is committed both to studying and to changing the world through engaging with a range of global, national and local stakeholders. Website at http://www.cities.manchester.ac.uk/

Climate Change and Sustainable Futures

University of Exeter. Website at http://biosciences.exeter.ac.uk/research/climatechange/

Comurb_r21

List for the Community and Urban Sociology Section of ASA and R21 of the International Sociology Association at https://email.rutgers.edu/mailman/listinfo/comurb_r21

CURDS (Centre for Urban & Regional Development Studies), Newcastle University, UK

Established in 1977, CURDS is a major centre for the study of local and regional development. CURDS’ work is wide-ranging and global in scope, but it is centrally concerned with contributing to theoretical and empirical understanding of local and regional development and to debates about economic geography. Website at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/curds

GaWC: Globilization and World Cities Research Network

Centred in the Geography Department of Loughborough University, this research network focuses upon the external relations of world cities. Although the world/global city literature is premised upon the existence of world-wide transactions, most of the research effort has gone into studying the internal structures of individual cities and comparative analyses of the same. Relations between cities have been neglected by world cities researchers; the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Research Network has been formed to aid in rectifying this situation (see Multiple GaWCs – a brief introduction to the multi-facetted nature of GaWC – and Formative Missions for GaWC). Website at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/

Global Suburbanisms: Governance, land and Infrastructure in the 21st Century

City Institute at York University (CITY), Canada. Website at http://www.yorku.ca/suburbs/

Edmonton Pipelines

University of Alberta, Canada. The project examines different aspects of the sprawling North American city. Website at http://edmontonpipelines.org/ and subsection on ‘Vertical Suburbia’ at http://verticalsuburbia.edmontonpipelines.org/

Enabling Suburbs: Speculative Possibilities and Narratives for Suburban Shift

Enabling Suburbs is a project developed by Linda Carroli, John Armstrong, Jason Haigh and Chiara Camponeschi. As a group of ‘creatives’ and initiators from various interdisciplinary arts and design backgrounds, we hope to share and talk about some of our concerns for the future of our suburbs and communities. This will require thinking about change in a place-based way focused on Aspley, a middle/outer suburb of Brisbane. Our hope is a suburban community that is willing and able to talk about the future and our contribution is a collected series of resources and tools.

Website and blog at http://enablingsuburbs.wordpress.com/about/

Ideal Homes: A History of South-East London Suburbs

A website created by the Archives and Local Studies Libraries of London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark and the University of Greenwich. http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/about-us

Imagining the Place of Home

‘Imagining the Place of Home’ is engaged with mapping current and historically significant research on the relationship between home and the imagination in the fields of literary and cultural studies. We aim to deepen understanding of work already undertaken within the arts and humanities and establish the parameters for new research initiatives. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/info/125130/imagining_the_place_of_home/

Institute of Historical Research (UK)

Website at http://www.history.ac.uk

Intercultural Cities: Governance and Policies for Diverse Communities

A joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. Website at http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/Cities/Default_en.asp

International Sociology Association

Website at http://www.isa-sociology.org/

John Updike Society

Website at http://blogs.iwu.edu/johnupdikesociety/

LSE Cities

LSE Cities is an international centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science that carries out research, education and outreach activities in London and abroad. Its mission is to study how people and cities interact in a rapidly urbanising world, focussing on how the design of cities impacts on society, culture and the environment.

Website at http://www2.lse.ac.uk/LSECities/home.aspx

Levittown Documentary Project, University of Illinois at Chicago

Website at http://tigger.uic.edu/~pbhales/Levittown.html

Mass Observation Archive (UK)

Website at http://www.massobs.org.uk

Middlebrow: An Interdisciplinary Transatlantic Research Network

University of Strathclyde. Website at http://www.middlebrow-network.com/

Mobile Lives Forum

An institute dedicated to research and discussion on mobility. The Mobile Liives Forum now has its own interactive community website, in English and in French: www.forumviesmobiles.org

The website is aimed at those who want to be informed about our mobility societies, and to make their own contribution to preparing the mobility transition, whether researchers, transport practitioners, artists or students. You can create an account and comment on the videos, audio reports and texts put up every week by members of the international mobility community. These include members of the various schools of thought on mobility, current theoretical and practical debates, news commentaries and works of art. You can also take part in writing a mobility lexicon, submit controversies and access collaborative tools through virtual workshops. To contact the Forum with your suggestions, observations and questions, go to webmaster@forumviesmobiles.org

National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University

Website at http://www.hofstra.edu/Academics/CSS/index.html

Oxford Programme for the Future of Cities. The Flexible City: Rethinking the Urban to Face Future Challenges

Website at http://www.futureofcities.ox.ac.uk/

Resilient Suburb – Building Sustainable Homes and Neighbourhoods for the Future, Aalto University, Helsinki

Website at http://ytk.aalto.fi/en/research/projects/eloisa/

PPS: Project for Public Spaces

Project for Public Spaces is a non-profit planning, design and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities. Our pioneering Placemaking approach helps citizens transform their public spaces into vital places that highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation and serve common needs. Website at http://www.pps.org/

Suburban Birmingham: Spaces and Places 1880-1960

University of Birmingham (UK). Website at http://www.suburbanbirmingham.org.uk/

Suburban Neighbourhood Adaptation for a Changing Climate (SNACC)

University of the West of England. Website at http://www.bne.uwe.ac.uk/cep/snacc/

Suburban Studies Group

Bergen Community College, New Jersey. Chair: Dr Philip C. Dolce, Professor of History

On 7 November 2013, the College hosted the third ‘Seniors in Suburbia’ conference, the report for which can be read here: Seniors in Suburbia conference report

The Suburban Studies Group hosted a seminar on 24 October 2013 to discuss John Cheever’s short story ‘The Swimmer’. A report on the event, by Dr Alan Kaufman can be read here: Suburban Studies Group Discussion

In April 2013, the Suburban Studies Group held a conference on ‘African American Women in Suburbia’. A report on the proceedings can be downloaded at http://images.burrellesluce.com/image/1511/1511_9008

Suburbs Reinvented (LinkedIn)

Suburbs Reinvented is a group of planners and urban designers working to develop guidance for the future of suburbs and professional planners. Page at http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Suburbs-Reinvented-3823867

Sustainable Cities Collective

Website at http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/

The Big (Suburban) Society – community, identity and amenity in outer London

A HEIF4 seminar, co-hosted by the London School of Economics with the new Demos independent think-tank ‘Centre for London‘ , focused on outer London as one of the key policy issues facing the capital today. The report and links to papers can be read at http://www2.lse.ac.uk/geographyAndEnvironment/research/london/events/HEIF/HEIF4b_10-11%20-newlondonenv/outerLondon/Home.aspx

The Centre for Metropolitan History, Institute of Historical Research, UK

Website at http://www.history.ac.uk/cmh/main

TheCommunity Brain

The Community Brain exists to work with communities to develop their cohesion using the widest range of the arts, education and local history. It is about giving place and people renewed importance and pride. http://thecommunitybrain.org/

The Urban Portal, University of Chicago

The Urban Portal is an online gateway to the latest research, events, and resources in urban social science. With a particular focus on urban research at the University of Chicago and efforts to translate that research for broader audiences, the Urban Portal highlights the urban scholarship of University of Chicago faculty and the many research units on campus. The Urban Portal also contains a current list of workshops and events at the University of Chicago. Website at http://urbanportal.org

Towards Successful Town Centres Project – Suburban Profiler

University College London. Website at: http://www.sstc.ucl.ac.uk/profiler/profiler.php

Urban Research Programme

Griffith University, Australia. Website at: http://www.griffith.edu.au/environment-planning-architecture/urban-research-program

Urban/Suburban Research Cluster

National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Website at: http://sociology.nuim.ie/research/research-clusters/urban/suburban-studies

Village Design Institute

Paper by Christopher Mare, Fielding Graduate University and President, Village Design Institute: Village Design as a Retrofit Solution for Suburbia

International Research Network