Collaboratory for Urban Resilience and Energy (CURE)

The Collaboratory for Urban Resilience and Energy (CURE) specialised in studying energy and environmental systems in cities and regions.

Dilapidated buildings

The first generation Centre for Urban and Regional Ecology (CURE) was launched in 2000 by John Handley and Joe Ravetz, with a large community of interest and the landmark text City-Region 2020 as a foundation.

This was restructured in 2013 as the Collaboratory for Urban Energy and Resilience (CURE), led by Stefan Bouzarovski: then in 2018, along with other smaller centres, CURE was merged with the new Manchester Urban Institute (MUI).

An overview of CURE was published as a special issue of Town & Country Planning Vol.82.

The following now forms the CURE archive, with materials of interest to many current projects.

About us

CURE is a leading research centre for socio-ecological resilience and urban sustainability.

Global challenges like climate change, environmental damage, and equitable energy access require more than just new technologies. They also demand a grasp of culture, politics, and socio-spatial dynamics.

Our research approach is critical. We examine and challenge prevailing practices and power structures that harm human and environmental well-being, seeking alternatives.

Our goal is to produce practical, applicable research for policymakers, businesses, and civil society. We collaborate with various stakeholders, academic and non-academic, to create knowledge through exchange, experimentation, and discussion.

We draw from diverse fields like human geography, environmental science, spatial planning, and socio-technical and systems studies, using various research methods.

CURE actively contributes to Manchester's research scene through consistent external funding, including projects like EVALUATE (supported by the European Research Council), Triangulum, RESIN, and COMBI (funded by Horizon 2020), and the European Energy Poverty Observatory.

Our research themes

Our teaching

Our people

Contact us