Centre for Public Policy

 

 

Join the University of Glasgow’s Adam Smith Business School, School of Social and Political Sciences, and the Centre for Public Policy on Thursday 26 June 2025, for a talk from Frank van Oort, Professor in Urban and Regional Economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR).

From agglomeration to quality of life and wellbeing: the changing dimensions of urban economic policy

Speaker: Frank van Oort, Professor of Urban and Regional Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam (https://frankvanoort.com/)

Event information

Thursday 26 June 2025

10am - 11.30pm

Room 381, Adam Smith Business School

Coffee and tea provided

This session is aimed at those working in regional and urban policy, those concerned with policy for the Scottish economy, and academics and researchers engaged on the issues below.

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About this talk

There is a widespread concern in the UK regarding the economic performance of our major second-tier cities. This concern carries through to the Scottish context where there is an ongoing debate about the varied economic prospects of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

To unpick this problem, Frank will look, in the first part of his talk, at agglomeration economies. Agglomeration economies reflect the potential productivity advantages that can emerge in urban areas through more effective labour markets, enhanced supply connections and knowledge sharing. This part will explore how agglomeration processes work, what may hinder their operation, and what policymakers can do to support them.

In the second part, Frank will introduce new work considering quality of life and wellbeing for second-tier cities. This discussion will consider the different objectives and criteria we may use to determine urban economic success, and will bring in insights from the Brede Welvaart approach being developed by the government of the Netherlands.

This session is aimed at those working in regional and urban policy, those concerned with policy for the Scottish economy, and academics and researchers engaged on the issues discussed above.

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Spaces are limited, so please register to attend.

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First published: 3 June 2025