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HomeAcademic staffDr Philip Pinch
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My work lies at the cutting edge of international scholarship and dialogue between economic geography, sociologies of mobility, and design practice. I am known for my work on ‘moto-mobilities’ which extends accounts of systems of automobility by examining geographies of motorcycle and motorcyclist. I have also examined the histories and geographies of the UK government’s wartime Utility furniture scheme. I have written on a range issues of concern to spatial planners and worked on a number of EU ESPON funded research projects.

My most recent work has developed the concept of ‘sites of qualification’ to understand how innovative products are designed, produced and brought to consumer markets, focusing on the rider airbag a new safety product for motorcyclists. Previous to this my co-edited book Mobilising Design demonstrates the diverse roles of design in shaping mobility at different spaces and scales: across cities; within different types of buildings and infrastructures; and through commuting, work and leisure activities.

My work on the government’s wartime Utility furniture scheme continues to attract attention, particularly since it has explored the lessons of this state directed scheme for contemporary concerns about equitable and sustainable production.

Spatial planning is another of my research interests and I have examined a range of topics, such as: landscape strategies for minerals planning; urban rivers and ‘waterspace’ planning; housing land availability studies, and the role of the public sector in regional development. I have worked on a number of EU ESPON funded projects which have examined aspects of spatial planning across Europe.

2017 ESPON ‘Comparison of European Planning Systems and Territorial Governance’ (COMPASS). Financed by the European Union ESPON 2020 Programme with a group of partners from across Europe. Lead partner TU Delft, NL. Total € 869,700.

2012-2013 ESPON ‘Key Indicators for Territorial Cohesion’ (KitCasp) financed by the ESPON 2013 Programme with partners in Ireland (National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis), Iceland (University of Akureyri Research Centre), Latvia (Vidzeme University College) and Spain (Technical University of Catalonia).

2009-2012 ESPON ‘Potential of Rural Regions' (PURR), financed by the ESPON 2013 Programme with partners in Norway (Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research) and Latvia (Vidzeme University College).

Postgraduate Research Supervision
Current
Mrs Katie BetteridgeDoctoral Research ProjectPhD
Ms Corinna WoolmerBuilding Back Better? Post-pandemic opportunities for new practices in the UK live music industry that help to remove barriers and facilitate access and advancement for womenPhD
FunderYear wonProjectRole
European Commission (H2020)2017COMPASS: Comparative Analysis of Territorial Governance and Spatial Planning Systems in EuropePrincipal Investigator

Refurnishing Homes in a Bombed City: Moral Geographies of the Utility Furniture Scheme in London
Reimer, S. and Pinch, P. (2020). Refurnishing Homes in a Bombed City: Moral Geographies of the Utility Furniture Scheme in London. The London Journal. 46 (1), pp. 26-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/03058034.2020.1753350

Sites of qualification: the motorcycle rider airbag and the production of safety
Reimer, S. and Pinch, P. (2020). Sites of qualification: the motorcycle rider airbag and the production of safety. Journal of Cultural Economy. 14 (1), pp. 26-40. https://doi.org/10.1080/17530350.2020.1788624

Mobilising Design
Spinney, J, Reimer, S and Pinch, PL (ed.) (2017). Mobilising Design. Routledge.

Introduction
Spinney, J, Reimer, S and Pinch, PL (2017). Introduction. in: Spinney, J, Reimer, S and Pinch, PL (ed.) Mobilising Design Routledge.

Legible London: mobilising the pedestrian
Clark, S, Pinch, PL and Reimer, S (2017). Legible London: mobilising the pedestrian. in: Spinney, J, Reimer, S and Pinch, PL (ed.) Mobilising Design Routledge.

MotoGP and heterogeneous design
Pinch, PL and Reimer, S (2017). MotoGP and heterogeneous design. in: Spinner, J, Reimer, S and Pinch, PL (ed.) Mobilising Design Routledge.

Conclusion
Spinney, J, Reimer, S and Pinch, PL (2017). Conclusion. in: Spinney, J, Reimer, S and Pinch, PL (ed.) Mobilising Design Routledge.

Nationalising local sustainability: lessons from the British wartime Utility furniture scheme
Pinch, PL and Reimer, S (2015). Nationalising local sustainability: lessons from the British wartime Utility furniture scheme. Geoforum. 65 (Oct), pp. 85 - 95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2015.07.014

Waterspace planning and the River Thames in London
Pinch, PL (2015). Waterspace planning and the River Thames in London. London Journal. 40 (3), pp. 272 - 292. https://doi.org/10.1179/1749632215Y.0000000008

Indicators for Spatial Planning and Territorial Cohesion: Stakeholder-Driven Selection Approach for Improving Usability at Regional and Local Levels
González, A, Daly, G, Pinch, PL, Adams, N., Valtenbergs, V, Burns, MC and Johannesson, H (2015). Indicators for Spatial Planning and Territorial Cohesion: Stakeholder-Driven Selection Approach for Improving Usability at Regional and Local Levels. Regional Studies. 49 (9), pp. 1588 - 1602. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2015.1018883

The German Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) and Urban Regeneration: Lessons from the IBA Emscher Park
Adams, N and Pinch, PL (2013). The German Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) and Urban Regeneration: Lessons from the IBA Emscher Park. in: Leary, M (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Urban Regeneration Routledge. pp. 230-241

Moto-mobilities: geographies of the motorcycle and motorcyclists’
Pinch, PL and Reimer, S (2012). Moto-mobilities: geographies of the motorcycle and motorcyclists’. Mobilities. 7, pp. 439 - 457. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2012.659466