James Doyle
About me
I'm a PhD researcher within the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. I'm interested in systemic reform, particularly within a local government context, as well as nature rights and participation in formal planning processes.
I hold a BSc (Hons) in Real Estate Management from the University College of Estate Management (now the University of the Built Environment) and an MSc in Urban Planning from Newcastle University.
I was made an Associate Fellow of the University College of Estate Management in 2023. Prior to becoming a PhD researcher, I worked as a surveyor in the northeast and served as a city councillor on Sunderland City Council.
Project Title
Consultation as transformation: An ethnographic study of liminal space in the planning process
Project Description
My research is situated in the context of ecological decline and chronically insufficient housing supply in England.
By synthesising the conceptual approaches of actor-network theory and liminality, I am seeking to uncover how the transformative potential of planning consultation processes might be harnessed to achieve alternative, nature-oriented ends.
Abstract
The planning system in England faces three distinct challenges:
- the current rate of affordable housing supply is inadequate
- rates of ecological decline continue to worsen, and
- recent attempts at reform risk undermining democratic rights.
In response to this context, I propose a novel framework for understanding the transformative potential of planning consultation processes.
This framework unites the conceptual approaches of liminality and actor-network theory to determine how different actors, and forms of agency, structure and prompt hesitation within these processes.
It also allows for an examination of how power is composed and exerted, the extent to which this incorporates nonhuman actors, and the ways in which this impacts pro-nature concerns.
Ultimately, the framework seeks to uncover how consultation processes may be harnessed to better protect the rights of nature. The framework will be applied via a multi-sited ethnographic study of several housing development case studies in Sunderland.
Research methods will include participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis across all stages of consultation (from pre-application to the grant of planning consent).
This research is timely and has the potential to shape future reform efforts given the expressed desire of the new government to review consultation processes. Moreover, it represents a theoretically and methodologically innovative contribution to planning scholarship.
Supervisors
Qualifications
- BSc (Hons) Real Estate Management (First) - University College of Estate Management
- MSc Urban Planning (Distinction) - Newcastle University
Funding
Fully ESRC-funded via a NINEDTP studentship
Contact
E-mail: j.doyle3@newcastle.ac.uk