Manchester Metropolitan University has a strong and growing commitment to place-based research, recognising that the challenges facing towns, cities and regions are inherently complex, interconnected and spatial in nature. Through its Business School, the Institute of Place Management (IPM), and wider university networks, Manchester Met is at the forefront of developing evidence, policy insight and practical interventions that improve places for the benefit of communities.

A central area of focus is the relationship between place and health. Manchester Met is actively advancing transdisciplinary research in this field, bringing together expertise from planning, public health, social care, engineering, governance and community practice. This reflects a clear institutional view that health outcomes are not solely determined by clinical provision, but are shaped by the built environment, local economies, social infrastructure and lived experience.

The University’s Health & Place Transdisciplinary Innovation Coalition (H&PTIC) exemplifies this approach. It brings together researchers and practitioners to address health as a “wicked problem”, requiring collaboration across disciplines, sectors and scales. The initiative focuses on developing new frameworks, partnerships and interventions that support healthier, more equitable places, aligned with regional priorities such as Greater Manchester’s neighbourhood health systems and prevention agenda.

This work is closely connected to Manchester Met’s broader strengths in place management and high street transformation, where IPM has led nationally significant programmes such as the High Streets Task Force. Research highlights the role of places in shaping health inequalities, and the importance of designing town centres that support diverse populations, including older communities, through integrated provision of services such as healthcare, leisure and social infrastructure.

Manchester Met’s approach is distinctive in three ways:

• Integration of research, policy and practice – ensuring that academic insight directly informs real-world decision making
• Transdisciplinary collaboration – working across traditional boundaries to address complex place-based challenges
• Civic and community engagement – co-producing knowledge with local partners, including local authorities, health systems and community organisations

Through this work, Manchester Met is contributing to national and international debates on devolution, health inequalities, high street renewal and sustainable communities, while positioning itself as a leading centre for applied, impactful place-based research.

This programme of work is being led by Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor for Health, Deborah James, supported by other colleagues, including within IPM. Get in touch at ipm@mmu.ac.uk if you are interested in learning more.