Steve Littlewood

Qualifications

HND Business Studies
BA (Hons) Urban Development
Advanced Professional Diploma in Teaching and Learning

Position

Senior Research Fellow

Biography
Steve worked in the voluntary, public and private sectors before moving into academia. His research experience has covered a wide range of consultancy and other funded work including studies of labour markets, local environmental policy, housing markets, skills in the construction industry, sustainable communities, urban/rural development and European funding programme appraisals. Clients have included the UK Government, the EU & European Commission, local government, local strategic partnerships and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Research interests

Steve's research interests generally cover urban and rural development policy, particularly sustainable communities, advancement of sustainable development practice, urban renaissance, governance and community development. Specific areas of current interest focus upon spatial planning, development at the urban-rural interface, 'soft spaces of governance' and green infrastructure. The connectedness of spatial policy, agencies and practice is of particular interest, in terms of formal institutional engagement and informal processes of integration. Specifically, Steve is developing knowledge and informing practice in the city regions and sub regions in the context of urban-rural relationships and those areas on the fringes of urban areas, or in rural areas under urban influence, that tend to get overlooked in traditional urban or rural policy terms.

Recent publications

Thomas, K. & Littlewood, S. (forthcoming) 'From Green Belts  to Green Infrastructure? The evolution of a new concept in the emerging soft governance of spatial strategies', Planning Practice and Research, (Special Issue on Green Belts).

Littlewood, S. & Thomas, K. (2010) 'A European programme  for skills to deliver sustainable communities: Recent steps towards developing a discourse', European Planning Studies, 18(3) 467-484.  

Carver, S. Littlewood, S. & Thomas, K. (2007) Mapping the green infrastructure of Yorkshire and the Humber: Linking urban and rural areas through green corridors, Regional Review, Volume 17 Issue 1.

Thomas, K. & Littlewood, S. (2007). 'Valuing the region's urban fringes and learning lessons from other regions in Europe', Essays on the Yorkshire & Humber Region, Leeds Metropolitan University.

Evans, N., Koutsoukos, S., Littlewood, S., Shutt, J. & Wishardt, M. (2007) The Possibilities for Success of the Sustainable Communities Approach and its Implementation,  vols. 1 & 2. Commissioned by the European Parliament Regi Committee. European Commission, May 2007.

Carver, S., Littlewood, S. & Thomas, K. (2007) Mapping the green infrastructure of Yorkshire and the Humber; Linking urban and rural areas through green corridors,  Regional Review, 17 (1)  

Littlewood, S. Thomas, K. & Carver, S., (2006) The Countryside In and Around Towns: The Green Infrastructure of Yorkshire and the Humber, the Countryside Agency.

Contact details

S.Littlewood@leedsmet.ac.uk