International Leaders in Planning Research

The Bartlett School of Planning is one of the oldest and most respected Schools of planning in the world.  In 2014 we will be celebrating our centenary, and as we approach this historical milestone, we are larger, more diverse, more active and in a stronger position than ever before to face the future.  Our unique location in the heart of central London, one of the world's most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities, positions us at the forefront of policy-relevant critical debate, empirical urban study, and research-led teaching on the practices of shaping sustainable cities and regions.  The increasingly international and interdisciplinary staff profile and student body are evidence of the distinctive reputation UCL and the School have garnered worldwide, and testament to our commitment to excellence in planning-related education and research. 

Planning, as a discipline, demands the dual engagement with academic discourse and professional practice and crucially requires research that moves from theoretical analysis and understanding to pro-active visioning and implementation via multi-disciplinary pursuits.  We strive to achieve excellence in research output and to play a leading international role in academic, policy and practice debates relating to urban and regional development.  To do so, we continually place ourselves and our work at the core of international debates on the future of local and global built environments.  Our key strategic research aim has been and continues to be: To innovate thinking and practice in the different dimensions of spatial enquiry, policy and governance, and to play a leading international role in academic debate and knowledge transfer in these areas.

Research Themes

The Bartlett School of Planning has made major contributions to socio-spatial knowledge that ranges from understanding the fundamentals of urban form, complexity, society and development to critiquing the processes of planning, governance, regeneration and investment, and analysing the outcomes from planning as they affect urban quality, culture, sustainability and mobility.  Staff and research student projects cover a vast range of UK, European and other international contexts and relate to both the global north and south.  The outputs of such projects routinely command the attention of central and local government, industry, the third sector, the press and myriad international bodies.  The School's strengths and key contributions to knowledge range across the following themes:

Spatial Planning
Urban Design
Sustainable Development
Economic Development
Transport and Infrastructure
Property and Regeneration
Housing, Society and Culture