The Faculty of the Built Environment (FBE) at UWE has a broad programme of research activities and well established international reputation in the areas of urban governance, environment and planning, construction and property. It has 120 academic staff and a £10 million budget. Its four research centres, Cities, Environment and Planning, Healthy Cities and Urban Policy, and Construction and Property, maintain a strong international research profile through involvement with a range of national and international networks. They aim to disseminate research outputs to academic, community, professional and practitioner audiences. In the area of urban governance, research expertise includes city governance, public participation, citizen empowerment, local authority leadership, community development, environmental planning and sustainable development.

At national level, FBE receive funding from well-established governmental and non-governmental funding sources, including the Economic and Social Research Council, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, Scottish Office.

Within the international arena, FBE clients and sponsors include the European Commission, the European Environment Agency, the International Council for Local Environment Iniatives, the UN Economic Commission for Europe, World Health Organisation and OECD.

The FBE is home to the European Urban Research Association (EURA), which draws together scholars from over 20 countries. EURA is a thriving research network that aims to provide a European forum for research on towns and cities, encouraging interdisciplinary and cross-country research and cooperation and bridging the gap between academic, professional and policy interests. In addition, FBE maintains an extensive range of international contacts via its involvement in various European networks and collaboration with assorted organisations, including the World Health Organisation Healthy Cities Network.

Visiting Professor of City Management, UWE

Dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Email: robinh@uic.edu