Professor Richard Cowell

Personal statement:

I have thirty years of experience researching the interface between environmental sustainability and systems of public policy, especially the planning system, seeking to deepen our understanding of how and why decisions and policies shift towards greater sustainability (or not). A recurring theme is understanding how site/place/project-specific conflicts inter-relate to wider policy change. My research draws on a breadth of qualitative social science methodologies, with particular expertise in the analysis of planning documents (plans, policies, application documents, consultation responses) and elite interviews. I have produced research for the public and private sector, and have experience of giving evidence to government.

Key topic areas of research or interest:

My research has examined energy transitions (embracing the expansion of renewables and the persistence of fossil energy generation systems); the role of planning and other institutional measures (like spatial planning, community benefits, community ownership of energy, habitat creation) in mediating public responses to energy infrastructure, but also the effects of new knowledge/institutional tools on decision-making (currently, Local Area Energy Planning). My research has tracked and assessed successive UK planning reforms. I have also examined cross-cutting issues like the effects of multi-scalarity on the pursuit of environmental sustainability (e.g. devolution, Brexit), the role of knowledge and learning on policy change.

Publications:

Cowell R and Webb J (2024) ‘What do we know about the effectiveness of local energy plans? A systematic review of the research’, Energy Research and Social Science 103767, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S221462962400358X

‘Understanding the effects of spatial planning on the deployment of on-shore wind power: insights from Italy and the UK’, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09640568.2021.1987866, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management’

Are the impacts of wind energy reversible? Critically reviewing the research literature, the governance challenges and presenting an agenda for social science’. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629621002553 Energy Research and Social Science

‘Making useful knowledge for heat decarbonisation: lessons from local energy planning in the United Kingdom’. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629621001031 Energy Research and Social Science

‘Conceptualizing environmental governance in turbulent times: insights from Brexit and waste in the UK’, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0962629819304238 Political Geography

‘Integrating planning and environmental protection: an analysis of post-Brexit regulatory styles and practitioner attitudes in the UK’. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14649357.2020.1801819, Planning Theory and Practice

‘The role of place in energy transitions: siting gas-fired power stations and the reproduction of high-carbon energy systems’. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016718520300749 Geoforum