School of the Built Environment

Welcome

The Centre for Research on Property and Planning (RPP) embraces activities across an inter- related spectrum embracing property/real estate research from development, investment and user perspectives, housing, regeneration, spatial planning and transportation. The Centre has sought to operate at different levels: international, national, regional and local with a focus on applied and empirical aspects of research which have policy implications. The transfer of knowledge and best practice lies at the core of the activities within RPP and is reflected in the diversity of output and different media to disseminate the results of research activity. Economic conditions, investment and employment, public policy and government expenditure, societal expectations and environmental limits, such as climate change and natural resource availability, have all changed the context within which the built environment operates and are the key drivers in shaping RPP's research agenda. For example the fragility of urban systems is reflected in the new research theme of urban security developed in the FP7 project (BESECURE) with risk and resilience of the built environment and response to extreme environmental, economic and financial conditions allowing research informed ideas and solutions.

Research within RPP is organised into six main sub-groups: regeneration, property taxation, investment and real estate markets, housing, spatial planning, and transport. Each sub-group is responsible for leading research activity in the area, via commissioned research grants, and through working with partner institutions in the public and private sectors. A senior member of academic staff coordinates each sub-group and is supported by other members of academic staff in the School of the Built Environment, contract research staff and doctoral students.