Centre for Cities

Centre for Cities
Name	Centre for Cities
Formation	2005
Type	Think tank
Headquarters	London
Location	United Kingdom

Centre for Cities is a United Kingdom-based urban policy think tank founded in 2005 that researches urban development, spatial planning, and metropolitan competitiveness. It produces data-driven analysis on city performance, publishes policy recommendations, and convenes stakeholders from local authorities, business organisations, and academic institutions. The organisation engages with media outlets, parliamentary committees, and civic groups across the UK and internationally.

History

Founded in 2005, the organisation emerged amid debates involving Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Alastair Darling, David Cameron, and Nick Clegg about regional development and devolution. Early collaborations included partnerships with Joseph Rowntree Foundation, London School of Economics, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Institute for Fiscal Studies, and National Audit Office. It developed relationships with local bodies such as Greater London Authority, Manchester City Council, Liverpool City Council, Birmingham City Council, and Glasgow City Council, and with UK-wide agencies including Department for Communities and Local Government, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, Scottish Government, and Welsh Government. International exchange occurred with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, and United Nations Human Settlements Programme.

Over time it expanded staff and advisory networks drawn from think tanks like Institute for Public Policy Research, Policy Exchange, Centre for Social Justice, Resolution Foundation, Reform, and Social Market Foundation, and from universities including University College London, University of Manchester, University of Glasgow, University of Sheffield, and University of Leeds. The organisation has been cited in inquiries by committees such as the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee and the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee.

Mission and Research Focus

The organisation states a focus on urban productivity, spatial inequality, and local governance, positioning its work alongside studies by Nesta, British Academy, Royal Society, Academy of Social Sciences, and Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Research topics include labour markets with reference to Office for National Statistics datasets, transport links involving Network Rail and Transport for London, housing dynamics referencing Homes England and National Housing Federation, and skills supply connected to Department for Education, UK Commission for Employment and Skills, and City and Guilds Professional Learning. It examines business clustering drawing on models from Michael Porter and cites case studies in cities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Newcastle upon Tyne, Leeds, Nottingham, Southampton, and Cardiff.

Engagements span policy dialogues with legislators in Palace of Westminster, civic leaders from Greater Manchester Combined Authority, West Midlands Combined Authority, Merseyside, and neighbouring authorities, and sector stakeholders including Confederation of British Industry, Federation of Small Businesses, Institute of Directors, Trade Union Congress, and British Chambers of Commerce.

Publications and Data Tools

It publishes annual reports, briefs, and data visualisations comparable to outputs from Centre for Economic Performance, Economic and Social Research Council, Resolution Foundation, IPPR North, and Oxford Economics. Flagship outputs include city performance indices drawing on data from Office for National Statistics, HM Revenue and Customs, Department for Transport, Census of Population, and Companies House. The organisation’s tools integrate mapping and interactive dashboards similar to products by Ordnance Survey, Google Maps, Esri, and international atlases produced by United Nations. Its publications have been featured in media outlets such as The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, The Times, BBC News, Channel 4 News, and Sky News.

The research team produces thematic reports on subjects often analysed by Joseph Stiglitz, Paul Krugman, Jane Jacobs, Richard Florida, and Ed Glaeser, while employing econometric techniques taught at London School of Economics, University of Cambridge, and University of Oxford. Peer reviewers have included academics from Imperial College London, King's College London, and University of Warwick.

Policy Influence and Advocacy

The organisation has informed debates on devolution deals involving Greater Manchester, West Midlands, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and contributed evidence to commissions chaired by figures such as Lord Heseltine, Lord Adonis, and Lord Sugar. It has briefed ministers at Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, civil servants at Cabinet Office, mayors including Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham, and members of parliament across parties including Labour Party (UK), Conservative Party (UK), Liberal Democrats (UK), and devolved administrations like Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru.

Public campaigns and roundtables have engaged stakeholders such as Homes England, Transport for Greater Manchester, Network Rail, Highways England, NHS England, Arts Council England, Historic England, and business groups including CBI and British Land. Influence is visible in white papers, local industrial strategies, and city-region devolution agreements cited by commentators in Institute for Government and House of Commons Library briefings.

Funding and Governance

Funding sources have included charitable foundations such as Barrow Cadbury Trust, Nuffield Foundation, Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and Joseph Rowntree Foundation, as well as corporate partners and philanthropic donors including property firms like British Land and Land Securities Group. It has received project grants from public bodies such as Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and research councils including Economic and Social Research Council. Governance structures feature a board with directors and advisers drawn from sectors represented by PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Barclays, HSBC, and academic institutions like London School of Economics.

Criticism and Reception

Critics from academics and campaign groups including Friends of the Earth, Campaign for Better Transport, Shelter (charity), and scholars affiliated with University of Leeds and University of Glasgow have queried methodological choices, citation practices, and policy prescriptions. Commentators in Social Europe, OpenDemocracy, and journals published by Taylor & Francis and SAGE Publications have debated its emphasis on growth-centric strategies versus redistribution-focused approaches advocated by Joseph Stiglitz and Thomas Piketty. Others have scrutinised relationships with corporate funders in media investigations by The Guardian, BBC Panorama, and Channel 4 Dispatches. Supporters in outlets such as City A.M., The Financial Times, and policy blogs from Centre for Economic Performance praise its data-led approach.

Category:Think tanks based in the United Kingdom