While, Aidan, Dr

Dr Aidan While

School of Geography and Planning

Senior Lecturer

a.h.while@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 6184

Room C4a, Geography and Planning Building

Full contact details

Dr Aidan While
School of Geography and Planning
Room C4a
Geography and Planning Building
Winter Street
91̽��
S3 7ND

Profile

Having studied for a BA and MA in English and Art History, I discovered urban planning through a studentship for the Masters in Civic Design (RTPI-accredited) at the University of Liverpool (1992-4).

My research and teaching combines interests in environmental and climate policy, urban technology and future cities and the politics of planning in the UK and internationally. Those interests are reflected in current research on the social, environmental and urban impact of advances in robotics and automation, including new forms of climate engineering and automated ecological management.

I am co-director of the Urban Institute and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. I am recognised internationally for work on future cities and urban environmental policy. My research interests are reflected in current research on the social, environmental and urban impact of advances in robotics and automation, including new forms of automated ecological management. I'm currently a Dapeng Visiting Scholar at the University of Jinan, China (Shenzhen campus).

I have been Associate Editor for the and I am currently an editorial board member for and a member of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Policy Review College. I am currently Dapeng Visiting Scholar at the University of Jinan, China (Shenzhen campus).

I have successfully supervised 20 PhD students.

Research interests

1. Environmental/climate policy – I am interested in the factors that influence responses to environmental and climate change, including political and citizen resistance and conflict with social and economic interests. I am particularly interested in questions of environmental justice (who gains, who loses) from policies that do or not address environmental and climate challenges.

2. Robotics and the infrastructures of everyday life – I am the leader for the 91̽�� Urban Institute’s research theme on Urban Automation and Robotics. We are at the forefront internationally of examining the impact of robotics in the public realm through drones, Autonomous Vehicles, delivery and service robotic and other forms of automation, with funded research undertaken in China, the USA, Africa and Japan as well as the UK. I work closely with robotic engineers to understand and explore future possibilities for urban robotic restructuring and how they might be managed and regulated in the public interest.

3. The politics of planning – I have a core interest in the role of planning regulation in shaping urban and regional futures, with a particular interest in government-citizen relations and challenges for planning in managing growth.

Publications

Books

(2020) . Springer International Publishing.

Edited books

(Ed.) () . Routledge.

Journal articles

Lockhart A, Marvin S & While A (2023) . Geoforum, 145, 103825-103825.
Hickman H & While A (2023) . Land Use Policy, 124, 106429-106429.
Marvin S, While A, Chen B & Kovacic M (2022) . Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 4.
Lin D & While AH (2022) . Political Geography, 97, 102685-102685.
Leary J, Czyrnek-Delêtre M, Alsop A, Eales A, Marandin L, Org M, Craig M, Ortiz W, Casillas C, Persson J , Dienst C et al (2020) . Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 133.
Taylor Buck N & While A (2020) . Journal of Environmental Planning and Management.
While A, Marvin S & Kovacic M (2020) . Urban Studies.
Chen B, Marvin S & While A (2020) . Dialogues in Human Geography, 10(2), 238-241.
Dunnning R, Hickman H & While A (2020) . Town Planning Review, 91(3), 305-324.
Whittle C, Jones CR & While A (2020) . Energy Policy, 139.
Inch A, Dunning R, While A, Hickman H & Payne S (2020) . Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space.
Macrorie R, Marvin S & While A (2019) . Urban Geography.
While A & Eadson W (2019) . European Planning Studies.
Taylor Buck N & While A (2017) . Urban Studies, 54(2), 501-519.
While A (2016) . Planning Theory and Practice, 17(3), 319-322.
Sturge D, Sobotta D, Howell RJ, While A & Lou J (2015) . Renewable Energy, 80, 525-537.
While A (2014) . Planning Theory & Practice, 15(4), 447-450.
R. Jones C, Lange E, Kang J, Tsuchiya A, Howell R, While A, J. Crisp R, Steel J, Meade K, Qu F , Sturge D et al (2014) . AIMS Energy, 2(4), 461-484.
Sturge D, While A & Howell R (2014) . Energy Policy, 65, 245-250.
While A & Whitehead M (2013) . Urban Studies, 50(7), 1325-1331.
While A, Gibbs D & Jonas AEG (2013) . Environment and Planning A, 45(10), 2379-2398.
While A (2012) . Planning Theory & Practice, 13(4), 503-506.
While A (2012) . Area, 44(3), 392-393.
Leary J, While AH & Howell RJ (2012) . Energy Policy, 43(0), 173-183.
Jonas AEG, Gibbs D & While A (2011) . Urban Studies, 48(12), 2537-2554.
While A & Short M (2011) . AREA, 43(1), 4-13.
Jonas AEG, While AH & Gibbs DC (2010) . Regional Studies, 44(2), 183-200.
While A, Jonas AEG & Gibbs D (2010) . Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 35(1), 76-93.
Pendlebury J, Short M & While A (2009) . Cities, 26(6), 349-358.
Tait M & While A (2009) . Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 27(4), 721-737.
While A & Tait M (2009) . Planning Perspectives, 24(1), 77-97.
While A (2008) . Town Planning Review, 79(1), vii-xiii.
While A (2007) . Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 34(4), 645-663.
Gibbs DC, While AH & Jonas AEG (2007) . Environment and Planning A, 39(2), 339-358.
While A (2006) . Urban Studies, 43(13), 2399-2419.
While A, Jonas AEG & Gibbs D (2004) . International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 28(3), 549-569.
Jonas AEG, While A & Gibbs DC (2004) . Policy & Politics, 32(2), 151-168.
While A, Jonas AEG & Gibbs DC (2004) . Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 36(2), 279-304.
While A (2003) . Area, 35(3), 251-263.
While A & Haughton G (2001) . EUROPEAN PLANNING STUDIES, 9(6), 721-737.
While A & Bruff G (2001) . Regional Studies, 35(4), 363-367.
While A, Littlewood S & Whitney D (2000) . Town Planning Review, 71(4), 395-413.
While A (2000) . Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit, 14(4), 329-345.
Haughton G, Jones M, Peck J, Tickell A & While A (2000) . Regional Studies, 34(7), 669-680.
Haughton G & While A (1999) . Urban Affairs Review, 35(1), 3-23.
Littlewood S & While A (1997) . Local Government Studies, 23(4), 111-123.
Kovacic M, Marvin S & While A () . Urban Geography, 1-20.
Macrorie R, Marvin S, Smith A & While A () . Journal of Urban Technology, 1-18.
While A & Eadson W () . New Political Economy, 1-18.
Simoes Aelbrecht P & while A () . Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 1-23.
Lockhart A, While A, Marvin S, Kovacic M, Odendaal N & Alexander C () . Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers.

Chapters

While A (2023) , Artificial Intelligence and the City (pp. 99-113). Routledge
Castán Broto V, Robin E & While A (2020) , Climate Urbanism (pp. 243-252). Springer International Publishing
Castán Broto V, Robin E & While A (2020) , Climate Urbanism (pp. 1-11). Springer International Publishing
While A (2014) In Hodson M & Marvin S (Ed.), After Sustainable Cities? (pp. 41-58). London: Routledge.
Jonas AEG, While AH & Gibbs DC (2010) Carbon control regimes, eco-state restructuring and the politics of local and regional development, Handbook of Local and Regional Development (pp. 283-294).
Bulkeley H () Routledge

Book reviews

While A, Berglund E, Pahl-Wostl C, Smith B & Rohilla S (2010) . Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 12(2), 223-233.
While A (2009) . Urban Studies, 46(8), 1749-1751.
While A (2008) . cultural geographies, 15(4), 521-522.
While A (2008) The practice of modernism: modern architects and urban transformation, 1954-1972. URBAN MORPHOLOGY, 12(1), 65-67.
While A (2005) . Progress in Human Geography, 29(3), 402-404.
While A (2003) Devolution in practice: Public policy differences within the UK. REGIONAL STUDIES, 37(8), 872-873.
While A (2003) City of revolution: Restructuring Manchester. URBAN STUDIES, 40(10), 2106-2107.

Conference proceedings papers

Macrorie R, Kovacic M, Lockhart A, Marvin S & While A (2020) . UK-RAS Conference for PhD and Early Career Researchers Proceedings
Leary J, Howell R, While A, Chiroque J, VerKamp K & Pinedo C (2012) . 2012 IEEE Third International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies (ICSET), 24 September 2012 - 27 September 2012.
While A & Pendlebury J (2008) . Proceedings of the 10th International DOCOMOMO Conference - The Challenge of Change: Dealing with the Legacy of the Modern Movement (pp 55-60)
Gibbs D, Jonas A & While A (2002) . Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, Vol. 4(2) (pp 123-138)

Reports

Marvin S, While A, Kovacic M, Macrorie RM & Lockhart A (2018) Urban Robotics and Automation: Critical Challenges, International Experiments and Transferable Lessons for the UK
Dunning R, Henneberry J, Inch A, Payne S, Watkins C, While A, Young G & Hickman H (2017) Attitudinal research on financial payments to reduce opposition to new homes
Dunning R, Watkins C, Inch A, Payne S, While A, Young G, Hickman H, Bramley G, McIntosh S, Watkins D & Valler D (2014) The impact of the New Homes Bonus on attitudes and behaviour

Research group

PhD supervision

I am Primary Supervisor for the following PhD students:

Jiaxi Yang, Digital villages and state strategies of rural development in China
Bei Chen, Automation and urban development in China: Xiong'an New Area
Hakjin Lee, UK neighbourhood planning after the plan
Ryan Belllinson, Co-production and the risky politics of climate urbanism: embedded research in Greater Manchester, UK

I welcome applications for PhD research on topics related to my main research interests, including: planning for climate change; low-carbon policy; the relationship between planning and economic development; growth management and sustainable development.

Teaching activities

My teaching seeks to promote (and provoke) critical debate about the processes and outcomes of decision-making and their potential social and environmental impacts. Emphasis is placed on helping students develop an appreciation of policy choices and the possibility for alternatives.

The intention is to equip graduates with the skills, knowledge and understanding to make a difference in their future careers. This combines a deep understanding the underlying logics of planning in the present with the skills and knowledge needed to anticipate and respond creatively to change in the future.

An important part of my teaching approach is to create space for discussion and debate through workshops, seminars and student presentations.

In 2007 I was awarded a University of 91̽�� Senate Award for innovation in interdisciplinary environmental teaching.

I currently teach the following modules:

TRP 468 Development Planning

TRP 461/6306 Planning Law and Development Control

TRP 329/618 Transport and Infrastructure

TRP 451/651 Managing Cities: Seoul Field Trip