Rebecca Madgin is delighted to be re-joining Urban Studies in the School of Political and Social Science from January 2014. Her affinity for Glasgow remained whilst she spent an enjoyable and productive three and half years as a Lecturer at the Centre for Urban History, University of Leicester. Previously Rebecca held an Urban Studies Journal Research Fellowship in Urban Studies and has continued to develop many of the research leads identified whilst working in Glasgow. Her current research explores the relationships between the economic and emotional values of heritage and their role in urban redevelopment. Using a range of case studies her work explores the emotive power of the built environment and examines the ways urban agencies, including planners and architects, use the historic legacy to legitimate their initiatives, stimulate economic development, and foster place attachment.

Rebecca has lived and researched abroad during her academic career and will continue to examine international perspectives on urban conservation. A distinctive feature of her work focuses on the extent to which the urban past informs the future development of the city. Rebecca retains an active involvement with a number of planning and heritage organisations and is writing a report for Edinburgh World Heritage Trust on the economic value of their world heritage site. She has also worked closely with Leicester City Council to deliver aspects of their Heritage Action Plan. Rebecca is an Associate Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and sits on the editorial board of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation’s professional journal, Context.

Outside work she has had a long, but rapidly receding, football career playing for clubs in five different countries and is looking forward to the move back to Scotland. 

First published: 21 November 2013

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