The research design is centred around in-depth studies of existing community-led and policy driven urban initiatives in cities across the UK.

In each case study, participant-researchers from the community organisations will undertake: organisational and community archival research; in-depth interviews and facilitated group conversations, and a preliminary system mapping of the interface with policy to identify specific mechanisms.

Following the preliminary system mapping – and in collaboration with the participant-researchers – a more detailed system mapping of policy areas that support the selected projects and community-policy interactions will be produced to identify those related to care, and wider systems of interdependency.

The UK case studies will also be explored in relation to two international examples of best practice of embedding care into community-development and urban policy-making: one focussing on embedding of care into the municipalist support for collaborative housing in Barcelona, Spain; and another examining a system of mutualised care integrating birth and end-of-life facilities in the Brussels CLT CALICO (Care in the Community) project, and its relationship with the city regions and city policy, in Brussels, Belgium.

A series of events will be held to invite contributions to interim work and to share key insights from the project on completion.