Duncan Bowie

Reader in Urban Planning and Regeneration
Department of Applied Social Studies and Department of Architecture and Spatial Design
London Metropolitan University
Ladbroke House
62-66 Highbury Grove
London N5 2AD

QUALIFICATIONS

MSc Urban Planning Studies 1980
Diploma in Town Planning 1979
1977-79 Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University)
BA Modern History. 1976
1973-76 St Catherine’s College, Oxford University

CAREER :

August 2007 to date Reader in Urban Planning and Regeneration. London Metropolitan University.

I teach planning on a range of undergraduate and graduate architecture courses, and providing a town planning input into the MA Housing and Inclusion and MA City Regeneration. I teach short courses on planning for housing and development appraisal. I am developing modules and courses relating to urban planning at undergraduate and graduate level.

June 2002 to August 2007: Strategic Planner, Greater London Authority. Responsible for development and implementation of strategic planning policy for London on housing.

June 1999- July 2002: Housing Policy Officer, Association of London Government. Responsible for policy development and research on all aspects of London housing policy. Supported London Directors of Housing group, and London boroughs chairs of housing group. Represented London on wide range of advisory groups on housing.

December 1990- March 1999: Housing Corporation London regional office. Positions held:

1) Assistant Regional Director (Investment) April 1995- March 1999. Post had responsibility for planning and implementation of annual regional investment programme.

2) Acting Regional Director, London and Home Counties Northeast region. August 1993- April 1995. Post had responsibility for all investment and regulatory functions for Northeast London, Essex and Bedfordshire.

3) Operations Manager, London and Home Counties Northeast region. April 1992- August 1993. Post had responsibility for regional investment programme.

4) Area Manager, London and Home Counties northeast region. Post had responsibility for investment programme for East London and Essex.

July 1989- December 1990: Head of Social Housing, London Docklands Development Corporation.

1986-1989: Principal Housing Policy Officer, L B Newham.

1979-1986: Housing policy, research and information officer, L B Lambeth.

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS

Publications since 2002

A Housing Strategy for London (Association of London Government ) 2001
London Homelessness Strategy (ALG) 2001
London Plan. Housing chapter. Mayor of London 2004
Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance. Mayor of London 2005
Co-author Delivering Increased Housing Output. Report published by Mayor of London 2006

Series of articles on housing and Planning in Chartist journal in 2005 to 2007

Chapter on history of libertarian socialism: Beyond Blair. Chartist Publications ISBN-13 978-0-9515545-1-7 2006

Series of submissions for Mayor of London to Government on Planning Obligations and Planning Gain Supplement 2003-2007

Submission for Mayor of London to Treasury on Barker report on Housing Supply 2005

Submission for Mayor of London to Environment Select Committee on Affordable Housing 2005

Is the Mayor of London delivering on his housing and social justice objectives? In Information, Society and Justice Vol 1. No 1 December 2007

Earlier publications

Research reports on housing management issues, homelessness and allocations policy, race monitoring, private rented sector policy and housing renewal and housing investment programme submissions for L B Lambeth -most published on housing committee agendas. 1979-86.

Research, monitoring and policy reports to housing committee of L B Newham. 1986-1989. (similar subjects to L B Lambeth, but including housing association and co-operatives review and work on special housing needs).

Avoiding the Bulldozer -Housing renewal in London (co-author and chair of working party, London Housing Research Group, 1983).

Briefing notes on aspects of private rented sector in London (LHRG 1982-3).

Review of London Docklands Development Programme social housing policy.1990.

London Regional Policy and Allocation statements for Housing Corporation. (annual from 1991 to 1999).

Strategy guidance for new London rough sleepers programme proposals (1999)

Internal unpublished briefing papers for Housing Corporation on most aspects of housing association activity between 1990 and 1999.

Responses to numerous Government consultation papers and Select Committee Inquiries for Association of London Government 1999-2002

Occasional articles in housing, planning and political journals.

Book : Radicalism, Socialism and Labourism in Oxford since 1830. Completed 1981. (unpublished)

MSc Dissertation . Corporate Planning in L B Lambeth (unpublished 1980)

LECTURES AND PRESENTATIONS

I have made presentations over the years at conferences and seminars on a range of housing and planning policy issues including seminars for the Greater London Authority, Association of London Government and the London Housing Federation. I have made presentations at the annual London Development conference, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance annual conference, Institute of Housing, Royal Town Planning Institute and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors conferences.

I also give visiting lectures on an annual basis to planning students at Bartlett School of Planning, University College, London and Oxford Brookes University. I have also spoken at seminars at the LSE and South Bank University. In 2007 I gave a series of presentations on strategic planning policy and Government proposals on Planning Gain Supplement to a range of private and public sector groups, including property developers and investors, lawyers, and planning consultants.

Also in 2007, I gave presentations at seminars on Government Planning policy in South East and East of England Regions for Cambridge University/ three Dragons consultants and chaired one seminar on Government advice on Housing Markets Analysis for Fordhams consultancy, with a further seminar this summer

RECENT RESEARCH

At the GLA, I have project managed or supervised a range of research projects, including:
1) Review of London Plan density policy (URS consultants)
2) Review of residential space standards ( HATC consultants)

3) Reviews of London’s housing requirements (Opinion Research Services)
4) Affordable Housing financial appraisal toolkit (Three Dragons consultancy)
5) Review of financial appraisal processes in planning (Atisreal and Three Dragons)
6) Affordable Housing Thresholds (Three Dragons)
7) Mixed Use and Affordable Housing ( London Residential Research and CBRE)

8) 2004 London Housing Capacity Study (in house and CDP computer consultancy)

In addition I have sat on a number of research advisory groups for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

At the Association of London Government, I commissioned research on housing affordability.

At the Housing Corporation, I project managed the following research projects:
1) Methodology for assessment of supported housing needs. (London Research Centre).

2) Ethnic minority housing needs assessment (London Research Centre) 3) Strategy for central London direct access hostels (Geoff Randall).

4) Monitoring of affordable housing and planning policies (Oldfield King planning consultants).

I also sat on advisory groups for a number of research projects undertaken by the London Planning Advisory committee).

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS

1. Regional Spatial Planning - Policy development and implementation.

I have interest in a range of areas relating to the development of regional policy and its implementation, including:
a) the process of policy development review and implementation

b) the role of Examinations in Public,

c) the relationship with Government Office planning functions,

d) the relationship with Local Development Frameworks

e) the role of development control in implementing regional spatial strategy, and

f) the role of sub-regional planning.

2. Relationship between planning policy and housing policy.

I have considerable expertise in this area, as the officer responsible for development of Mayoral policy on planning for housing and the author of the Mayor’s Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance. I have supervised a range of external research projects on different aspects of the policy as well as being responsible for in-house research and monitoring. I am currently writing a book on strategic planning and housing in London under the Mayor (2000-2008)

3. Development appraisal, viability and planning obligations.

I have been responsible for developing the GLA’s development appraisal model, through a rolling contact with Three Dragons consultants and Nottingham Trent University. I also have very extensive experience, both of carrying out appraisals and using them as a basis for negotiations on individual developments, and of providing training on the appraisal process. I have also undertaken monitoring and research in relation to alternative mechanisms for planning obligation, notably in the context of Government proposals to introduce a tariff system, the optional planning charge and planning gain supplement.

4. Sustainable Residential Quality- Density, transport and social infrastructure.

I have been lead officer for the GLA on density policy. I have been responsible for reviewing the Mayor’s density policy, which included supervising a research project by URS consultants (report published June 2006), proposing revised policies for public consultation and carrying out subsequent in-house research on the relationship between density and housing mix. I have also recently completed an initial exercise in costing London’s social infrastructure requirements to support housing growth, for the Mayor’s response to the Treasury’s cross-cutting review on Infrastructure to Support Housing Growth. I am interested in the related issue of the potential for planning powers to control residential space standards, having supervised a consultancy report on this issue published in August 2006.

5. Housing capacity studies and housing trajectories

I supervised the completion of the 2004 London Housing Capacity Study, as well as being on the advisory group for the previous study in 1999. I am therefore interested in both the methodology of studies and their use for policy development and target setting. I have also undertaken research on the use of planning permissions and completions monitoring to develop housing trajectories to estimate future housing completions, an issue being pursued by Government in response to the Barker review of housing supply.

6. Housing requirements, housing markets and demographic impacts

I have been involved in a number of housing requirements studies, including the 2004 GLA Housing requirements study. I project managed the 2006 update. I am therefore interested in both the methodology of studies and the use of studies for setting policy, targets and definitions of affordable housing. I am also interested in the use of demographic data for planning purposes and the value and limitations of scenario testing..

7. Distribution of housing investment: Investment criteria, funding mechanisms and outcomes; Coordination of planning decisions, housing investment decisions and transport and social infrastructure decisions; Coordinated regional investment planning.

At the Housing Corporation I was responsible for determining the housing investment programme in London. Both at the Housing Corporation and subsequently I have undertaken analysis of housing investment, in terms of geographical distribution, type of output and cost effectiveness.

Professional and political activity:

Member of London committee of Royal Town Planning Institute.
Member of editorial advisory panel of Planning in London journal.
Member of editorial board and reviews editor of Chartist.
Secretary of Southeast London Fabian Society and member of Fabian Society housing and community policy network.