University expert to discuss how Leicester could do regeneration differently
Leicester has an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of gentrification in cities worldwide and to pioneer a unique approach to regeneration that has the potential to become a Leicester brand, according to a Professor from our University.
Professor Loretta Lees (pictured) from our Department of Geography will be giving a free public talk entitled ‘From Planetary to Provincial Gentrification: Lessons for Leicester’ on 28 March for the Leicester Urban Observatory’s City Series of lectures.
The event, which will be held from 5.15pm - 6.45pm in the Bishop Street Methodist Church, Leicester, will also include a Q & A session between Professor Lees and the City Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby. This free lecture is open the public but sign up is required on eventbrite.
Professor Lees is an international expert on urban regeneration who has conducted extensive research on gentrification, where low-income communities are ‘regenerated out’ attracting in higher income groups. She recently co-authored Planetary Gentrification with Hyun Bang Shin and Ernesto López-Morales, the launch text for a new Polity Press, Cambridge, series on ‘Urban Futures’, in which she examines such processes in cities globally.
Part of her talk will focus on the city of Leicester, which at this time, she says, “is flirting with gentrifying ideas, such as attracting the creative class, waterfront redevelopment and cultural and tourism-led regeneration”.
The Leicester Urban Observatory is a collaboration between urban practitioners at Leicester City Council and academics at: De Montfort University, University of Leicester, and Loughborough University. It aims to establish and develop a combined centre of excellence in urban studies and planning for Leicester.