Development, Inequality, Resilience and Environments (DIRE)

Our Research

Many of the greatest challenges facing societies today occur at the nexus of environmental degradation and social marginalisation; deprived communities in both the Global South and the Global North often live in poor environmental conditions and deprivation is associated with vulnerability, including an increased likelihood of being severely impacted by the current Covid-19 pandemic. The University of Lincoln was one of the first signatories to the Civic University Agreement, demonstrating our commitment to reducing inequalities, removing barriers to access for underrepresented groups, and promoting resilience in our communities. Our research group addresses the key theme of Communities, advocated by the University through diverse inter-and-transdisciplinary research into the upstream ‘causes of causes’ that produce inequalities in built and natural environments, and innovative methods of promoting development and resilience in vulnerable spaces.

Our research group addresses the most urgent and immediate threats to the resilience of human-environment systems and seeks to understand the complex interactions between societies and the landscapes they inhabit that precipitate vulnerability, including rural and urban dynamics. Thus, our scope also contributes to the growing body of research undertaken by University of Lincoln academics around Sustainability, in particular environmental justice, and the role of governance, both within the UK and abroad.