Policy Briefs
Click to read UoS Students and Academics reflecting on their experience of engaging with PPS and policymakers.
Overview
The infrastructure for Port cities And Coastal Towns network (iPACT) aims to identify people-focused, infrastructure-based solutions to the complex problem of improving social well-being and prosperity in coastal communities through resilient and sustainable regeneration. A key emphasis will be on taking advantage of the coastal location. The iPACT network is a new, vibrant, multi-disciplinary community of researchers and research users developing affordable, sustainable, evidence-based, people-centric infrastructure systems solutions for improving social well-being and prosperity to level up coastal communities through resilient, net zero regeneration. Vision Long-lasting, resilient and sustainable transformations in port and coastal cities and towns creating a vibrant, multi-disciplinary research community developing affordable, sustainable, evidence-based, people-centric infrastructure systems solutions improving social well-being and prosperity to level up coastal communities through resilient, Net Zero regeneration. Despite the potential benefits of a coastal location, many port and coastal towns and cities are run-down, unattractive and underperform in economic and social wellbeing terms. Widespread factors include a poor built environment, derelict industrial and other legacy sites, the decline in traditional tourism and the poor connectivity to the waterfront. Rising sea levels and coastal erosion pose further major challenges. All this demands innovation in rethinking and making our coastal towns and ports more resilient. These issues are common to port and coastal cities and towns all around the UK, transcending simplistic north/south or east/west divisions.
Research questions will be based around themes:
• Connectivity with the coast
• Inclusive infrastructure
• Maintaining and enhancing resilience
• Coastal region transport
• Nature-inspired, human scale engineering Research will focus on case study sites that exemplify the issues faced by the spectrum of port cities and coastal towns. These are Southampton (the challenges of a working port and lack of public access to the waterfront), Morecambe East (a declining seaside resort with limited local economic opportunities), and North Norfolk (a touristic area of historic communities with an ageing population facing coastal erosion and sea-level rise).
Anticipated policy impacts
Pilot projects aim to create policy documents and tool kits for local councils and wider policy making stakeholders. To engage with local councils and co-create projects at the 3 case study areas of Southampton, North Norfolk and Morecambe Bay. To develop relevant co-created funding proposals for future UKRI bids relating to the Coast, infrastructure, health & wellbeing and the environment.
Outputs
Pilot projects will produce journal articles, conference presentations and develop relevant co-created funding proposals for future UKRI bids relating to the Coast, infrastructure, health & wellbeing and the environment.
Project Members
Project Lead: Jenny Knight
Project Members: Prof William Powrie (UoS), Prof Rebecca Lunn (Strathclyde), Prof Robert Nicholls (UEA), Prof Leon Cruikshank (Lanacaster), Dr Jasna Mariotti (QUB), Prof Marie Harder (Brighton), Jenny Knight (UoS), Rod Anderson (UoS)
Find out more
Policy Podcasts
Click here to listen to our Policy Podcast series. In each episode we speak to the UoS researchers and experts, about their experiences in the domestic and foreign policies.
Ways to engage
Guidance on the many channels available to researchers to engage with policymakers.
Impact toolkit
Guidance on things to consider in the science to policy process and useful tips in planning and costing your impact activities.