Colin Lorne

Colin Lorne

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Doctoral Researcher

Contact details

Email
cal747@bham.ac.uk
Secondary Email
colinlorne@gmail.com
Address
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Title of PhD: The multiple trajectories of coworking: Reimagining space, work and architecture

Supervisors: Dr Phil Jones, Dr Lloyd Jenkins, Joe Holyoak (external supervisor, architect and urban designer)

I am an urban and social geographer with an interest in change and continuity in ways of working, designing and experiencing architectural and urban space, as well as Localism, Neighbourhood Planning and co-production.

I have recently submitted (awaiting examination) my doctoral research into the practices and spaces of coworking in the UK. Produced by researching with and alongside coworkers over 18 months, my thesis - The multiple trajectories of coworking: Reimagining space, work and architecture – examined how these particular workplaces are constituted through negotiating spatial relations of ‘home’, ‘work’ and ‘community’, how these architectural spaces are designed to prompt chance encounters and how they are entangled with becoming entrepreneurial and enacting economic possibilities.

Whilst undertaking this PhD research, I have worked as an RA on an AHRC-funded Connected Communities project MapLocal responding to the Localism Act 2011 (PI Jones, Geography, Birmingham) and as a seminar series co-ordinator for an ESRC-funded seminar series Ways of Neighbourhood Working and Knowing working with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the University of Bristol (PI Layard, Law, Bristol).

Qualifications

  • PhD (submitted, awaiting examination) in Geography, University of Birmingham. 2011 – 2015
  • PGCert Advanced Research Methods, University of Birmingham. 2011 – 2015
  • MSci Geography Undergraduate Masters, First Class Honours, University of Birmingham. 2007 –  2011

Biography

I completed my undergraduate Masters in Geography at the University of Birmingham and recently submitted my thesis – The multiple trajectories of coworking: Reimagining space, work and architecture – in the department.

Alongside this research, I have worked as an RA on an AHRC Connected Communities project MapLocal (PI Jones, Geography, Birmingham) and as seminar series co-ordinator on an ESRC seminar series Ways of Neighbourhood Working and Knowing working with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the University of Bristol (PI Layard, Law, Bristol).

I have been invited to present this research to the Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Transport as well as to Connected Communities Digital Economy 2013: Open Digital, Salford.

Research

Research interests

Coworking; Diverse economies; Designing and experiencing architectural and urban space; Localism, neighbourhood planning and co-production; Visual, digital and experimental ethnographic research methods.

Research group

Human Geography

Other activities

I have taught on the Berlin fieldtrip for four consecutive years. This included developing a module on digital visual methods which explored visuality, power and different ways of seeing the city by harnessing new Instagram smartphone mobile-visual practices. This received excellent student feedback and the results can be viewed at geogberlin.tumblr.com. 

With a team of colleagues, I co-organised the Royal Geographical Society Mid-Term Conference 2013 at the University of Birmingham. Entitled ‘Geographic Transitions’, over 100 delegates attended making it one of the largest ever RGS Mid-term conferences.

Publications

Peer-reviewed articles

Jones, P., Layard, A., Speed, C. and Lorne, C. (2015) ‘MapLocal: Use of smartphones for crowdsourced planning’, Planning Practice and Research, 30(3), 322-336

Invited book chapters

Lorne, C. and Scheer, D. (2016 in preparation) ‘When prison architects (reluctantly) play Tetris’ in Moran, D. and Schliehe, A. (eds.), Title tbc

Jones, P., Lorne, C. & Speed, C. (2016) ‘Using technology to help communities shout louder’ in Richardson, L. & Durose, C. (eds.) Designing public policy for co-production: Theory, practice and change, Policy Press, Bristol

Jones, P., Layard, A., Lorne, C. & Speed, C. (2016) ‘Localism, neighbourhood planning and community control: the MapLocal pilot’, in O’Brien, D. & Matthews, P. (eds.) After Urban Regeneration: Communities, policy and place, Policy Press, Bristol

 

At the time of writing, I have two peer-reviewed journal articles under review, one solo-authored and one co-authored, relating to my interest in architecture.