The vitality of a region depends on a competitive and dynamic economy. Understanding the complex range of factors that influence how fast, and in what ways, our regional economy is growing is at the heart of the City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI).
Based at the University of Birmingham City-REDI is developing a better understanding of our region to support intelligent policy interventions that will shape this growth. Not just promoting improvements in productivity and the region’s GVA (Gross Value-Added) per worker, but driving better, more inclusive forms of economic growth.
To launch City-REDI we were pleased to welcome Professor Geoffrey Hewings, Director of the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory at the University of Illinois and Dr Martin Reeves, Chief Executive of Coventry City Council to open a discussion on the themes of regional transformation, growth and competitiveness.
Welcoming guests from the universities from across the region, councils, representatives from the Local Education Partnerships (LEP’s) and the Chamber of Commerce came together to debate and define the challenges that City-REDI will help the Combined Authority deal with.