Louise Kempton is a researcher in the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies at Newcastle University. Her main interest is the role of universities in local/regional economic growth and innovation. In 2019, Louise was appointed Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
David Leat is Professor of Curriculum Innovation at Newcastle University and the University of South East Norway. His original research interest in thinking skills has developed over the last 20 years, through projects on metacognition, Learning2Learn and innovative coaching, to focus on ‘enquiry-based learning’ and ‘community curriculum making’.
Daniel Mallo is an architect and lecturer in architecture at Newcastle University. His practice-led research focuses on socially engaged spatial practice and design activism. In recent years, Daniel has led projects in both the UK and Europe with institutions including KU Leuven (Belgium), Creative Partnerships and Economic and Social Research Council Impact Acceleration Account-funded projects.
Frank Mansfield is an elected trustee of Glendale Gateway Trust. Frank was a broadcast journalist (mainly with the BBC), also teaching part-time at Sheffield University. Having lived in Tyneside, London, Sheffield and Liverpool, he bought a bungalow in Wooler in 1996 and moved there permanently in 2004. He was Chair of the Glendale Gateway Trust from 2015 to 2018.
David Marlow is a development economist and place-making strategist who runs Third Life Economics and is Visiting Professor of Practice at the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, Newcastle University. After a 25-year senior public service career – eight as chief executive – David currently works on supporting local growth, devolution and place-based strategy in England and overseas.
Jane Midgley is Reader in Urban Social and Economic Practice at Newcastle University. Jane’s research explores responsibility and vulnerability within communities, and specifically the food system, leading to her specific focus on surplus food redistribution and the practices of industry and charitable actors in this process.
Philip Miller is a senior architect at Ryder Architecture. He joined the practice in 2013 and has been involved in a number of key national healthcare projects, including the Emergency Care Centre, Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary and The Children’s Heart Unit. He studied at Sheffield and Newcastle Universities.
Mark Pardoe is a Fenham resident with a young family. In 2015, after compulsory redundancy, Mark got involved with the DIY Streets project on Fenham Hall Drive. Mark established a constitution for the group and is secretary. Mark has been a Sustrans supporter since 1996.
John Pendlebury is Professor of Urban Conservation at Newcastle University. John is a town planner and urban conservationist, with ten years’ practice experience in local government, central government and consultancy before re-entering academia. He has had many university roles, including serving as head of school. John teaches and undertakes research on heritage, conservation and planning.
Venda Louise Pollock is Dean of Culture and Creative Arts, and Professor of Public Art, at Newcastle University. She works to catalyse initiatives contributing to research and wider economic, cultural and societal benefit. Her broader research relates to the relationship between art and the urban environment.
Mark Shucksmith OBE is Professor of Planning, former Director of Newcastle University’s Institute for Social Renewal and Trustee of Carnegie UK Trust and Action with Communities in Rural England. Mark’s research addresses social exclusion in rural areas and rural development. He chaired the Committee of Inquiry into Crofting and engages actively in policy and practice.
Sam Slatcher is a community music practitioner and the director of Citizen Songwriters, a social enterprise that encourages social harmony through songwriting. At the time of writing, Sam was the refugee volunteer coordinator at REFUSE. He has a PhD in human geography on encounters in creative community engagement projects in West Yorkshire.
Mel Steer is Vice Chancellor’s Fellow at Northumbria University and previously worked as a researcher at Newcastle University. Her research interests include social policy, social justice, reducing poverty and disadvantage, health and social inequality, and the public and voluntary sectors.
Marion Talbot has worked in a variety of jobs in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors, and has a range of experience at senior management level. She recently stepped down after seven years as a Newcastle City councillor representing West Fenham ward. As a ward councillor Marion was involved in a number of initiatives to improve the environment, health and well-being of residents, especially those who are socially isolated.
Armelle Tardiveau is a lecturer in architecture at Newcastle University, design practitioner, educator and researcher in the disciplines of architecture and urban design. Her multidisciplinary research, involving artists, landscape architects and ethnographers, focuses on participatory design, design activism and co-production in the public realm.
Ulrike Thomas is a research associate in the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University. Formerly a primary school teacher, her research interest focuses on curriculum and pedagogic innovation. She is currently working with teachers and community partners to develop projects and resources underpinned by the principles of enquiry/project-based learning.
Liz Todd is Professor of Educational Inclusion at Newcastle University. Liz engages in research with a strong social justice agenda, being known for her work on the interaction between communities and schools, the engagement of young people in development and research, and respectful democratic approaches to change (personal and organisational).
Michael Walker drives Gateshead’s anti-poverty approach, working with strategic partners and businesses. He has worked for Gateshead Council for 13 years, including as financial inclusion lead and employment support manager, and is passionate about tackling poverty in the place where he lives and works, aiming to make Gateshead a place where everyone thrives.
David Webb is Senior Lecturer in Planning and also Director of Engagement at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University. His work centres on the government of people and places, and the way this unfolds over time to reflect pressures exerted socially and geographically.
Karen Wood has worked in the community for over 20 years supporting those most vulnerable. She is a voice for those who need to be heard. As the Manager of Pallion Action Group, a charity based in Sunderland, Karen has now become a local councillor to help influence decision-making.
This book originated from a series of discussions in 2016, prompted by a suggestion from the Advisory Board of the Newcastle University Institute for Social Renewal (NISR), which led to a project exploring ‘Social Renewal in the North East of England’, funded by NISR in 2017. From the outset, our aim was to work with our non-academic partners from organisations in the voluntary, community and social enterprise, public, and private sectors to co-produce the research and the contributions in this volume. We are grateful for the support given by the NISR throughout this time. We also owe special thanks to Derek Bell (Professor of Environmental Political Theory at Newcastle University) for his invaluable and thoughtful inputs into the early stages of the research.
The book project itself was launched on 2 November 2017 in a workshop on ‘Social Justice and Social Renewal in the North East: The Role of Non-Governmental Organisations’. This included a series of thought-provoking speeches by Jo Curry (Changing Lives), Alison Dunn (Citizens Advice Gateshead) and Professor Emeritus Susan Fainstein (Harvard Graduate School of Design), who also presented a public lecture at Newcastle University organised by the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. The launch was followed by two more authors’ workshops on 24 January and 16 September 2019, in which the structure and content of the book were