Innovation in progressive urban leadership: Why bringing 'place' to the centre of public leadership studies is vital in our globalising world

Hambleton, Robin

Abstract

The new, directly elected mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, has set out a vision for a new kind of civic leadership for a progressive city. Launched at a citywide event, in September 2016, Mayor Rees’s ‘City Office’ concept brings together most of the interests in the City of Bristol that care about the city. The aim is to tackle growing inequality in the city by developing new forms of collaboration. This is, potentially at least, a significant innovation in the design and development of urban public leadership.

This paper examines the progress made with this initiative and sets the Bristol innovations in urban governance within a wider international context. It discusses the challenge of place-less power in modern society, and considers the nature of the major struggle that is now taking place in different countries between place-less and place-based power. By drawing on arguments set out in the author’s recent book, Leading the Inclusive City, the paper outlines concepts that may be able to help us understand the power of place and, more specifically, the emerging possibilities for place-based leadership in particular geo-political settings. The paper is divided into six parts:

1) Introduction

2) Framing the power of place

3) The ‘New Civic Leadership’ (NCL)

4) The introduction of mayoral governance in Bristol, UK

5) The City Office Concept – a new way of governing a city?

6) Emerging themes for leadership studies

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Leadership for Public and Social Value, 2nd International Public and Political Leadership Conference
• Start Date: Apr 6, 2017
• End Date: Apr 7, 2017
• Acceptance Date: Mar 22, 2017
• Publication Date: Apr 7, 2017
• Deposit Date: Oct 23, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: May 17, 2018
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 1-14
• Keywords: leadership, city governance, city office, public innovation, progressive politics
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/889409
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : Leadership for Public and Social Value
• Contract Date: Oct 23, 2017