Strategy to deliver optimal economic performance in the UK’s planned growth areas through the Oxford to Cambridge (O2C) Arc initiative, a potential technology growth corridor linking the world’s leading university cities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Waters Economics team members were responsible for evaluating the economic and planning strategies of three regional development agencies and over 20 local authorities that impacted the growth corridor. This included a five-year economic assessment, an evaluation of the degree of strategic and stakeholder alignment and recommendations for spatial strategies.

The complex interlocking and overlapping responsibilities of the many agencies involved led the team to develop a Policy Mapping technique that identifies policy conflicts, complementarities and gaps. This technique makes it possible to negotiate a common policy approach for the purpose of strategic planning. 

Core Techniques

Policy Evaluation | Comparative Advantage | Development Scenarios