Chapter 13

Countryside and Community Research Unit

http://www.glos.ac.uk/ccru/

If you are interested in the study of rural communities, then this is a good place to start. The CCRU is a research centre based at the University of Gloucestershire, and here you can find out about recent projects about agriculture, environmental planning and rural leisure, as well as the innovative scheme of ‘village appraisals’ that the centre promotes. A useful point of contact for anyone who wants to pursue this area of research.

Center for Urban and Community Studies

http://www.urbancenter.utoronto.ca

The CUCS is based at the University of Toronto, and employs a multidisciplinary research team who liaise with policy makers, government officials and NGOs in Canada and across the world. Although some of the pages have not yet been completed, you can follow the links to the contact addresses of the staff to find out about their latest research and publications.

Centre for Urban and Regional Development (CURDS)

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/curds/

Based at the University of Newcastle, this is a multidisciplinary centre that combines urban sociology with cultural geography, economics and environmental studies. From the home page you can find your way to details of recent publications, current research and forthcoming events.

Virtual Communities

http://www.rheingold.com/

This is the personal website of Howard Rheingold, who coined the term ‘virtual community’. Here you can find out more about the man, follow the links to an electronic version of his classic book, and read some related articles he has collected. You can also read Rheingold’s blog or join his own virtual community!

Urban planning

http://www.planetizen.com/

If you are interested in finding out more about urban planning and regeneration, this site contains lots of useful resources. Planetizen is the website of the Planning and Development Network, based in the USA, and it provides up to date information on the latest projects planned for different cities in that country. It is interesting to compare the different kinds of design that have been planned for urban and rural cities, northern and southern cities, and so on.

Manchester Gay Village

http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/gay/gay-vill1.html

This web page provides information about the ‘Gay Village’ area of Manchester, which can be seen a new type of community. It provides an overview of how and why this area developed and the kinds of facilities you can find there, from pubs and clubs to shops and social groups, and there are details of events such as the Gay Pride march and the Village Carnival.

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Chapter 13