Philip Pinch

‘Hollowing out’ the Local State: Compulsory Competitive Tendering and the Restructuring of British Public Sector Services

The process of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) for the provision of local-government services has forced significant changes to the way in which such services have been provided, whether such services have been contracted out or remain in-house, and has spawned a considerable literature on the impact of these changes on the quality, reach, and cost of public services. The primary focus of this literature has been on service users (or ‘consumers’) and the local taxpayer. In this paper, however, we attempt an analysis of these changes in terms of their impact on the nature of work within public sector services. Empirical evidence of geographical and sectoral variations in the degree of success of the private sector in winning contracts is considered, and explanations for these variations are offered. In particular, the discussion focuses on variations in the form of work in different sectors and the treatment of workers in different places and in different types of services, through a study of the labour processes involved and a consideration of the diverse potential for different fractions of capital to benefit from the introduction of CCT. Last, the concept of ‘hollowing out’ is reworked in order to further assist the theorisation of employment and other contemporary changes in the local state.

Moto-mobilities: Geographies of the Motorcycle and Motorcyclists

Abstract This paper draws upon and seeks to extend accounts of systems of automobility through an examination of geographies of the motorcycle and motorcyclist – or what we term ‘moto-mobilities’. We utilize the figure of the motorcycle to raise the importance of analysing alternative mobilities: to consider how they appeal to different travelling dispositions and emotions; how they have been represented; and how they have been produced, marketed and consumed. The paper first reflects upon the experiences and embodiment of the motorcycle-rider; second, evaluates representations of moto-mobility; and finally attends to the materiality of mobility via an examination of the economy of motorcycle qualities.

Governing Urban Finance: Changing Budgetary Strategies in British Local Government

The restructuring of local government finance in Britain is increasingly being viewed as part and parcel of a broader transformation in the capacity for local welfare provision and scope of local governance. The ways in which local authority budgetary processes and strategies have been affected by these changes are examined. It is suggested that, despite strong elements of continuity, significant new developments in local budgeting behaviour are emerging. However, such changes are not universal. The paper incorporates a comparative case study analysis of two local authorities in central southern England in order to illustrate the geographically uneven way in which local circumstances have mediated the experiences of and reactions to increasing fiscal austerity.

Indicators for Spatial Planning and Territorial Cohesion: Stakeholder-Driven Selection Approach for Improving Usability at Regional and Local Levels

González A., Daly G., Pinch P., Adams N., Valtenbergs V., Burns M. C. and Johannesson H. Indicators for spatial planning and territorial cohesion: stakeholder-driven selection approach for improving usability at regional and local levels, Regional Studies. Reformed European Union Cohesion Policy aims at delivering a coherent investment policy to achieve the Europe 2020 Strategy goals and to reduce regional disparities. Spatial indicators measure progress towards agreed policy goals and support place-based approaches to policy implementation. Despite the range of indicators available, development of a standardized approach in support of Cohesion Policy has received little empirical attention. A set of key spatial indicators has been identified in a stakeholder-driven process. The methodological approach applied is presented and resulting indicators critically appraised with regards to their applicability and potential for assisting improved integration between Cohesion Policy and spatial planning.

Legible London: mobilising the pedestrian

This chapter takes as its central focus the design of the MotoGP racing motorcycle. Our key aim in scrutinising MotoGP is to conceptualise the location of design and its meaning: to reflect upon where and how design happens; and to enrich understandings of the heterogeneous, networked and distributed character of design. Whilst many consumer objects are mobile, our analysis extends beyond the design of the motorcycle as a single mobile artefact to consider both the motorcycle-rider assemblage (Pinch and Reimer 2012) as well as the complex architecture of design technologies which support MotoGP racing. We stress the agency of material objects and non-material inputs (expressions and emotions) that operate relationally and act upon the MotoGP motorcycle, crucially defining its movement and performance. The chapter emphasises the multifaceted nature of design: it runs through mechanical engineering, the design of electronic control systems, the regulation of international motorcycle racing; and the physical body of the rider.This chapter examines the design of the Legible London pedestrian wayfinding system. Overseen by Transport for London (TfL), this innovative scheme for enabling walking has developed from an early prototype study in 2007 to become a key part of transport policy in the UK’s capital city (AIG 2006, 2007; Arquati 2008; TfL 2014). An integrated combination of signs, pedestrian focused mapping and other directional information, Legible London has two complementary aims; to help people plan journeys on foot; and to give people the confidence to walk and explore. The scheme consists of a city-wide, consistent, pedestrian navigation system encompassing on-street wayfinding elements supported by identical information in public transport nodes (e.g. tube stations and bus stops) and paper based products as well as ongoing development of the provision of digital mapping information. The current on-street system is comprised of a mixture of information boards, known as ‘liths’ that come in a standardised range of sizes (see Figure 3.1), directional fingerposts, wall mounted signs and a range of supporting printed maps located in bus stops and inside tube stations. Information on all liths is presented in a hierarchical fashion: a top yellow beacon locates the sign in busy urban environments, directional information is given to nearby points of interest (replicating traditional finger signs), whilst differently scaled ‘planner’ and ‘finder’ maps locate the lith within 15 minute and 5 minute walk scales respectively. A street index also is provided.

Waterspace Planning and the River Thames in London

Abstract London is a city that stands, for many, at the pinnacle of neoliberal global urbanization and market-led residential and commercial property investment. Its iconic River Thames has become a focus for much of this development, particularly of luxury apartments. There has been an emerging sense that the river increasingly has been captured by a specific set of class interests and its edges privatized to the exclusion of other claims on the Thames’ identity, usage and meaning. Although cognizant of the power of private and property interests and the leverage they may exercise through state mechanisms, this paper interprets Londons ‘waterspace’ policy and planning in a way that rejects interpretations of the river that simplistically foreground the will of capital and global neoliberalism.