De Montfort University has been working with the City of Leicester on a series of real-world projects that are now making a difference at street level.
DMU academics and researchers during 2024 have been working with colleagues at the Leicester City Council on planning and development projects to make better use of urban spaces.
Projects have now been completed in the Beaumont Leys and Abbey wards, which were designed in the 1970s when all transport planning was based around the car.
Research by DMU academics has now been followed by construction work that has seen new road and walkway layouts aimed at reducing the number of car journeys and increase the number of pedestrian.
City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “Working together in this way will help to drive innovation so that we can make Leicester an even better place to work and live.
“De Montfort University is a major resource for Leicester and I’m impressed with how deeply involved the university has already become in the life of our city.”
DMU has also been working with Leicester City Council on its development plans for nine areas of the city, including within the university’s city centre campus.
Track record of working on affordable housing
The plan addresses planning and development issues within the area and establishes best practice around the historic campus as well as the rest of the city.
These projects are an extension of the policy-focused research carried out by DMU’s long-established Local Governance Research Centre with a track record of work with government institutions, practitioner organisations and think tanks.
It has also worked with individual councils across the country and abroad, particularly in the fields of ensuring local residents have access to enough affordable housing as well as general planning and development issues.
The work in these areas helped DMU secure the honour of being the global academic hub chair for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities in December 2024.
One of the key components of SDG 11 is ‘by 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.’
DMU’s lead for the global academic hub for SDG 11, Dr Mark Charlton, said: “We have a proud record of working with the Leicester City Council on all aspects of sustainable cities.
“One of the most important aspects of sustainability for any city is ensuring affordable housing for all and this will be a focus for our work as the global academic hub for SDG 11.”