Ben Clifford
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Contact Details
Department of Geography
King’s College London
Strand
LONDON
WC2R 2LS
Tel: +44 (0) 207 848 1204
Fax: +44 (0) 207 848 2287
E-mail: benjamin.clifford@kcl.ac.uk
King’s College London
Strand
LONDON
WC2R 2LS
Tel: +44 (0) 207 848 1204
Fax: +44 (0) 207 848 2287
E-mail: benjamin.clifford@kcl.ac.uk
Research interests and PhD project
Ben’s research interests are centred on urban and environmental management, specifically the British planning system. Planning is a form of ‘Applied Geography’ with important implications for how our city and natural environments are managed day-to-day. Ben is currently investigating how ongoing reforms of the planning system and of local government and the public sector more generally are affecting the quality and performance of planning in Britain.
To do this, Ben’s PhD, entitled “Planning at the Coalface: British Local Authority Planners and Planning Reform in an Age of Neoliberalizing Governance”, will examine how chartered town planners, as ‘street-level’ professionals, are themselves responding to the current process of planning and public sector reform being promoted by central and devolved government in Great Britain. This research is funded under the ESRC-ODPM (now ESRC-CLG) joint programme. Ben is also interested in how the activity and profession of planning are represented in the media.
To do this, Ben’s PhD, entitled “Planning at the Coalface: British Local Authority Planners and Planning Reform in an Age of Neoliberalizing Governance”, will examine how chartered town planners, as ‘street-level’ professionals, are themselves responding to the current process of planning and public sector reform being promoted by central and devolved government in Great Britain. This research is funded under the ESRC-ODPM (now ESRC-CLG) joint programme. Ben is also interested in how the activity and profession of planning are represented in the media.
Biography
Ben Clifford was born and raised in the exciting ‘edge city’ of Croydon, where he attended local state primary and secondary schools. Fancying a change of scenery, Ben headed north to study Geography at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Following four years in Fife, Ben graduated with a first class BSc honours degree in 2004 and was awarded the Royal Scottish Geographical Society University Medal. He then returned to South-East England to enter the MPhil/PhD programme in Geography at King’s College London.
Outside academia, Ben has had a variety of part-time jobs to support his studies and social life, including being a Civil Servant administrative assistant, a Library Assistant and a Tour Manager with coach trips of American students all around the UK and Ireland. These days he can often be found at a local pub putting the world to rights.
During the course of his PhD research, Ben was seconded for three months to work in Communities and Local Government, the Government department responsible for planning in England. Whilst there, Ben was involved in a major consultation on planning reform and the redrafting of the planning policy statement on local spatial planning and accompanying best practice manual. This initial secondment was then followed by a further three month period spent working on the secretariat of the Killian Pretty Review, a national review of the planning application process co-sponsored by CLG and BERR, where Ben worked as a policy advisor.
Outside academia, Ben has had a variety of part-time jobs to support his studies and social life, including being a Civil Servant administrative assistant, a Library Assistant and a Tour Manager with coach trips of American students all around the UK and Ireland. These days he can often be found at a local pub putting the world to rights.
During the course of his PhD research, Ben was seconded for three months to work in Communities and Local Government, the Government department responsible for planning in England. Whilst there, Ben was involved in a major consultation on planning reform and the redrafting of the planning policy statement on local spatial planning and accompanying best practice manual. This initial secondment was then followed by a further three month period spent working on the secretariat of the Killian Pretty Review, a national review of the planning application process co-sponsored by CLG and BERR, where Ben worked as a policy advisor.
Publications
CLIFFORD, B.P. (2007a). "A Cause for Concern" Town and Country Planning, June/July 2007, pp 203-204. pdf
Response to this from Andy Kliman of the RTPI and my reply to him:
CLIFFORD, B.P. (2007b) "Writeback" Town and Country Planning, August 2007, p 228. pdf
CLIFFORD, B.P. (2006) “‘Only a Town Planner Would Run a Toxic Waste Pipeline Through a Recreational Area’: Planning and Planners in the British Press” Town Planning Review, 77 (4), pp 423-455. pdf
CLIFFORD, B.P. and WARREN, C.R. (2005). “Development and the Environment: Perception and Opinion in St Andrews, Scotland” Scottish Geographical Journal, 121 (4), pp 355-384. pdf
Response to this from Andy Kliman of the RTPI and my reply to him:
CLIFFORD, B.P. (2007b) "Writeback" Town and Country Planning, August 2007, p 228. pdf
CLIFFORD, B.P. (2006) “‘Only a Town Planner Would Run a Toxic Waste Pipeline Through a Recreational Area’: Planning and Planners in the British Press” Town Planning Review, 77 (4), pp 423-455. pdf
CLIFFORD, B.P. and WARREN, C.R. (2005). “Development and the Environment: Perception and Opinion in St Andrews, Scotland” Scottish Geographical Journal, 121 (4), pp 355-384. pdf
Planning at the Coalface Project: Preliminary Results and Outputs
March 2007: Results of the 'Planning at the Coalface' questionnaire survey are now available.
The survey was sent out to planners across Great Britain in summer / autumn 2006 and measured reactions to, and opinions of, planning and public sector reform. A full results report and an executive summary are available - please click the links below for free downloadable copies or contact the author for hard copies.
CLIFFORD, B.P. (2007). Planning at the Coalface: The Planner's Perspective Survey Preliminary Results - Executive Summary. Department of Geography, King's College London. ISBN 978-0-904547-22-1.
Available in hard copy for £3.00 or free to download as a PDF.
CLIFFORD, B. P. (2007). Planning at the Coalface: The Planner’s Perspective Survey - Preliminary Results. Department of Geography, King’s College London. ISBN 978-0-904547-21-4.
Available in hard copy for £10.00 or free to download as a PDF.
The survey was sent out to planners across Great Britain in summer / autumn 2006 and measured reactions to, and opinions of, planning and public sector reform. A full results report and an executive summary are available - please click the links below for free downloadable copies or contact the author for hard copies.
CLIFFORD, B.P. (2007). Planning at the Coalface: The Planner's Perspective Survey Preliminary Results - Executive Summary. Department of Geography, King's College London. ISBN 978-0-904547-22-1.
Available in hard copy for £3.00 or free to download as a PDF.
CLIFFORD, B. P. (2007). Planning at the Coalface: The Planner’s Perspective Survey - Preliminary Results. Department of Geography, King’s College London. ISBN 978-0-904547-21-4.
Available in hard copy for £10.00 or free to download as a PDF.
Conference presentations, teaching experience and funding
Please see the attached academic CV document (below) for more details
Attached files
›
Clifford Cause for Concern
(pdf,
37 KB)
› TCP response 2007 (pdf, 33 KB)
› Clifford 2006 Planning and Planners in the British press (pdf, 455 KB)
› Clifford and Warren 2005 (pdf, 532 KB)
› Executive summary of survey results (pdf, 303 KB)
› Preliminary Report of Survey Results (pdf, 872 KB)
› Ben Clifford Academic CV Sept 2008.pdf (pdf, 49 KB)
› TCP response 2007 (pdf, 33 KB)
› Clifford 2006 Planning and Planners in the British press (pdf, 455 KB)
› Clifford and Warren 2005 (pdf, 532 KB)
› Executive summary of survey results (pdf, 303 KB)
› Preliminary Report of Survey Results (pdf, 872 KB)
› Ben Clifford Academic CV Sept 2008.pdf (pdf, 49 KB)