Trans-urban Networks of Learning, Mega Events and Policy Tourism: The Case of Manchester's Commonwealth and Olympic Games Projects

This paper argues for a rethinking of our understanding of what and where go into the ‘urban’ in the New Urban Politics (NUP). It contends that these issues have always been more complex, complicated and, most importantly, contested than has sometimes appeared to be the case in the literature. Using the example of one trans-urban policy learning network—that around the city of Manchester’s bids for the Olympic and Commonwealth Games—the paper makes the case for taking seriously the politics around comparison and referencing in making possible the NUP. It argues that there is a need to study the circuits, networks and webs in and through which urban knowledge and learning are constituted and moved around, and that often underpin the territorial outcomes that have been the traditional focus of scholars working on the NUP

Visibility and the Policing of Public Space

From studies of ‘panoptic’ CCTV surveillance to accounts of undercover police officers, it is often mooted that visibility and invisibility are central to the policing of public space. However, there has been no comprehensive and critical assessment of this axiom. Drawing on the practices of a variety of policing providers and regulators, and the work of geographers, criminologists and other social scientists, this paper examines how and why visibility underpins the policing of public space. We begin by considering the ways in which policing bodies and technologies seek to render themselves selectively visible and invisible in the landscape. The paper then moves on to explore the ways in which policing agents attempt to make ‘incongruous’ bodies, behaviours and signs variously visible and invisible in public space. We then offer a sympathetic critique of these accounts, arguing that more attention is needed in understanding: (i) how other senses such as touch, smell and sound are socially constructed as in and out-of-place and ‘policed’ accordingly; and (ii) how the policing of undesirable bodies and practices is not simply about quantitative crime reduction, but conducted through qualitative, embodied performance. The paper concludes by pinpointing key areas for future research

‘Behaviour that challenges’ in dementia care: an update of psychological approaches for home and care home settings

Over and above the personal and financial costs associated with dementia, those for ‘behaviour that challenges’ (BtC) are significant (Lowry & Warner, 2009; Hermann et al., 2006). This briefing paper outlines the importance of having a psychological understanding of both the causes and appropriate interventions required for BtC. It highlights the role of clinical psychologists, ideally working within multi-disciplinary teams, in producing biopsychosocial formulations to meet the health and psychosocial needs of a person living with dementia (PwD). The paper also draws on relevant evidence including findings from a recently completed NIHR programme of work on the Management of Challenging Behaviour at home and in care homes (Moniz-Cook et al., 2017) to provide recommendations for action

Showcasing Vällingby to the world: post-war suburban development, informational infrastructures, and the extrospective city

Vällingby – one of the first post-war suburbs in Stockholm – became a well-known and much visited development, a prominent place in the geographical imaginations of many planners and architects during the 1950s and 1960s. This article will consider the ways in which Vällingby was ‘showcased’ to planners and architects outside of Sweden during this period. It will demonstrate how this was achieved through three practices in particular: (1) the hosting of visitors to Vällingby; (2) the promotion of Vällingby by those governing and marketing the development; and (3) the reporting of the development in English language planning and architect journals. In so doing, the article will speak to the academic literature on policy mobilities and two important concepts within it: informational infrastructures and the extrospective city

Debate. How should steps per day be reported--a proposal using data from Africa

Recent reviews published in the IJBNPA provide more definitive ranges of ambulatory activity usually found in four general age groups, and how step data relates to public health guidelines. Of note in these reviews was the lack of data from Developing Countries. Apart from the lack of published data, available data was not presented in a format conducive to inclusion in the reviews. Consequently, this paper presents available pedometry data from Africa, such that it is easily available for inclusion in future comparisons. Also addressed is the need to consider adjusting prevalence data according to standard population age structures

The Progressive Miners of America: Roots of Dissent and Foundational Years, 1932-1940

This thesis will examine the events around the formation of the Progressive Miners of America and the early years of their existence. The period covered will begin in the early 1900s and cover the coal industry broadly and the specific events that occurred in Illinois leading to the Progressives formation in 1932. Events occurring within the United Mine Workers that influenced Progressive members will also be discussed at length. From there, this thesis will examine the union’s reliance on a legal strategy to gain recognition from coal operators, its interactions with the various levels of government, and the violence that defined the union between 1932 and 1938. This thesis will finally examine the decision to affiliate with the American Federation of Labor and examine how the events of the 1930s ultimately shaped the Progressive Miners. This thesis will differ from previous works in two major ways. The first will be the types of sources utilized. Oral histories, not available for the earliest historical works on the Progressives, will be utilized alongside newspaper sources and historical documents. This will present new topics for discussion, such as the radical minority within the Progressives and the long view of events that led to the union’s formation. This presents a more complex image of the Progressives and allows for the inclusion of individualism within the union’s history. The second are the conclusions that will be drawn in by the end of the thesis. These conclusions will cover the lasting legacy of the Progressives