Overview
The Institute of Spatial and Environmental Planning (ISEP) is one of the fastest growing and dynamic planning research environments in the UK.
Planning at Queen's achieved a dramatic improvement in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. In 2008, 12 staff were submitted, an increase of one third, and the UK-wide ranking rose by eight places. It is now rated ninth in Russell Group submissions.
Our research programme is based on the concept of spatial planning and whilst our empirical work is partly grounded in the region, it is built on strong international, interdisciplinary and theoretical references. Our particular strength is the staff team who have built a track record in scholarly and applied research and a wide-ranging portfolio of publications, research grants and Doctoral studentships. Since 2000, the Institute has more than doubled its staff base, built an international reputation and attracted a stream of major research funding linked to our main areas. The Institute values the connection between our research and teaching programmes and the application of our empirical work in a learning environment, and continues to innovate and develop teaching programmes to reflect a rapidly changing market place, problem and policy context and changes in professional standards.