Newcastle University

Introduction

Neil Powe is a senior lecturer teaching in planning. He has two key research interests non-market environmental valuation and rural planning. The non-market environmental valuation research has specialised in the use of stated preference methods, testing the validity of the approach and determining its applicability to environmental management problems. The rural planning research has significantly enhanced our understanding of market towns, in terms of their characteristics and the interactions between housing, employment and retail. This research has also considered their future viability.

Roles and Responsibilities

Managing editor for the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management

Qualifications

BA(Hons) Economics
MSC Business Information Technology
PhD Environmental Economics

Previous Positions

Research Associate Department of Town and Country Planning, Newcastle University.
Research Associate Department of Agricultural Economics and Food Marketing, Newcastle University.

Research Interests

He has two key research interests non-market environmental valuation and rural planning. The non-market environmental valuation research has specialised in the use of stated preference methods, testing the validity of the approach and determining its applicability to environmental management problems. The rural planning research has has significantly enhanced our understanding of market towns, in terms of their characteristics and the interactions between housing, employment and retail. This research has also considered their future viability.

Other Expertise

Coming from a mixed background of economics and information technology, he is also interested in the use of multidisciplinary approaches to improve these existing methodologies. This has previously been illustrated through the combined use of statistics techniques, focus groups and geographical information systems.

Current Work

Currently writing a book on the planning of small town development.   This topic covers issues of regeneration, growth, retail and policies to encourage the co-location of activities within small towns.  A number of papers have been published or in press on these topics and the book will bring together this work within a coherent whole.  An interest is also maintained on issues of environmental valuation and wider issues relating to environmental planning.  

Postgraduate Supervision

Have successfully supervised five PhD students to completion. 

Esteem Indicators

Managing Editor for the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management.

Funding

Previous fundings has been received from:
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Transport
Forestry Commission
Countryside Agency
Natural England
North York Moors National Park Authority
Northumberland National Park Authority
Castle Morpeth Borough Council and Morpeth & District Chamber of Trade
Northumbria Leisure
North East Community Forests
Contributed on an ESRC project
Southern Water
South East Water

Module Leader

TCP1023 Geographical Information Systems

TCP2025 Researching Local Economies

Contributing to

TCP2027 Research Skills

TCP2023 Understanding Sustainable Development

TCP3049 Planning Strategies

TCP3052 Strategies into Action

HSS8005 Introduction to Quantitative Methods  

• Garrod GD, Ruto E, Willis KG, Powe NA. Heterogeneity of preferences for the benefits of Environmental Stewardship: A latent-class approach. Ecological Economics 2012, 76, 104-111.
• Powe NA. Small town vitality and viability: learning from experiences in the North East of England. Environment and Planning A 2012, 44(9), 2225-2239.
• Powe N, Bek D. Localising activity within the context of relational complexity: exploring the relevance of ‘rural centre’ and ‘town centre’ conceptions. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 2012, 39(3), 501-517.
• Powe NA, Hart T. Housing development and small town residential desirability: valued aspects, resident attitudes and growth management. Town Planning Review 2011, 82(3), 317-340.
• Powe NA, Hart T. Competing for the custom of small town residents: exploring the challenges and potential. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management 2009, 37(9), 732-747.
• Powe NA, Hart T, Bek D. Market town centres in England: meeting the challenge of maintaining their contemporary relevance. Planning Practice and Research 2009, 24(3), 301-319.
• Powe NA, Gunn S. Housing development in market towns: Making a success of 'local service centres'?. Town Planning Review 2008, 79(1), 125-148.
• Powe NA, Hart T. Market towns: Understanding and maintaining functionality. Town Planning Review 2008, 79(4), 347-370.
• Powe NA, Hart T, Shaw T, ed. Market Towns: Roles, Challenges and Prospects. London: Routledge, 2007.
• Powe NA. Redesigning Environmental Valuation : Mixing Methods within Stated Preference Techniques. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2007.
• Powe NA, Willis KG, Garrod GD. Difficulties in valuing street light improvement: Trust, surprise and bound effects. Applied Economics 2006, 38(4), 371-381.
• Powe NA. Understanding urban attitudes towards country towns: considering their potential as visitor attractions. Journal of Retail & Leisure Property 2006, 5(4), 255-269.
• Willis KG, Powe NA, Garrod GD. Estimating the value of improved street lighting: A factor analytical discrete choice approach. Urban Studies 2005, 42(12), 2289-2303.
• Powe NA, Garrod GD, McMahon PL. Mixing methods within stated preference environmental valuation: Choice experiments and post-questionnaire qualitative analysis. Ecological Economics 2005, 52(4), 513-526.
• Powe NA, Garrod GD, McMahon PL, Willis KG. Assessing customer preferences for water supply options using mixed methodology choice experiments. Water Policy 2004, 6(5), 427-441.
• Powe NA, Shaw T. Exploring the current and future role of market towns in servicing their hinterlands: A case study of Alnwick in the North East of England. Journal of Rural Studies 2004, 20(4), 405-418.
• Powe NA, Bateman IJ. Investigating insensitivity to scope: A split-sample test of perceived scheme realism. Land Economics 2004, 80(2), 258-271.
• Powe NA, Willis KG. Mortality and morbidity benefits of air pollution (SO₂ and PM₁₀) absorption attributable to woodland in Britain. Journal of Environmental Management 2004, 70(2), 119-128.
• Powe NA, Wadsworth WA, Garrod GD, McMahon PL. Putting action into biodiversity planning: Assessing preferences towards funding. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 2004, 47(2), 287-301.
• Richardson R, Powe NA. Service implications of population growth in market towns in the UK. Planning Practice and Research 2004, 19(4), 363-373.
• Powe N, Shaw T. Market towns: Investigating the service role through visitor surveys. Planning Practice and Research 2003, 18(1), 37-50.
• Powe NA, Bateman IJ. Ordering effects in nested ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ contingent valuation designs. Ecological Economics 2003, 45(2), 255-270.