Why research here?
High-calibre students from all over the world join our research team.
In the 2014 Research Excellent Framework (REF), 99% of our research activities were considered as internationally recognised, with an extremely high proportion (75%) judged to be internationally excellent or world-leading.
Our research
Planning, Property and Environmental Management provides a vibrant and nurturing research environment for those who are interested in pursuing research in:
- urban and regional planning;
- future cities and data analysis;
- environmental planning and management;
- environmental impact assessment;
- green infrastructure, urban design and regeneration;
- housing and property development.
Our research students receive funding from a wide range of sources including:
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC);
- Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC);
- China Scholarship Council;
- Ford Foundation;
- the University of Manchester's own studentships.
Some recent ESRC-funded collaborative doctoral studentship topics include:
- Alternative models and future scenarios of sustainable spatial rebalancing for Northern England;
- Re-using brownfield land in a context of weak property market conditions and dwindling public resources: the role of 'meanwhile land';
- The role of the private sector in heritage-led regeneration in England;
- The role that social housing providers can play in creating healthy places;
- Can Rewilding Work for Everyone? Targeted Rewilding to Enhance Ecosystem Service Delivery in the English Uplands.
Staff and students also engage with the Manchester Urban Institute, particularly via the Spatial Policy and Analysis Laboratory and the Global Urbanism Research Group.
Our supervisors
We provide excellent doctoral research training on research methodology and substantive content.
Based on an individual skills audit, you may take course units on planning theory, the research design process, and quantitative and qualitative methodologies, together with course units that support your specific research specialism.
Our department has full research training recognition by the ESRC via its North West Doctoral Training Centre and is a partner of the EPSRC, and Manchester Power Networks Centre of Doctoral Training. As part of the North West Doctoral Training Centre, we have close links with Civic Design at the University of Liverpool, which means we can offer opportunities for joint supervision, and PhD students can access specialist training courses at either university.