Dr Francesca Froy

Francesca’s teaching focuses on complexity and systems thinking, urban morphology, evolutionary economic geography, and governance. She helps students to develop an understanding of interdependences and complexities at the urban scale, using a variety of pedagogical techniques. 

Francesca welcomes prospective doctoral students whose research interests match hers. She is keen to supervise students who are interested in any of the research themes outlined below: 

• Urban complexity and systems thinking 

• Urban economies, local economic development, the spatial organisation of urban economies, and evolutionary economic geography 

• Urban morphologies and space syntax 

• Nature-based infrastructures and circular economies 

Francesca’s research has three main strands. Firstly, she focuses on urban morphology and the spatial organisation of cities. Secondly, she explores evolutionary economic geography and the factors influencing economic diversification and economic complexity in cities. Thirdly she analyses local governance and the ways in which local policy makers work together to govern economic and spatial complexity in cities.  

Francesca is currently working with Dr Patricia Canelas on a research project called Protected Spaces, which involves, amongst other things, analysing pockets of social, economic and ecological complexity in cities. Under this umbrella she and Patricia are researching the Oxford Covered Market this year. She is also part of a team lead by Dr Thomas Hesselberg and involving Dr Joanna Bagniewska, Dr Oliver Burdekin and Dr Oskar Kindvall (Chalmers University) to map biodiversity in the Oxford University Estates.

Journal articles, books and book chapters 

• Froy, F (2024) Rebuilding urban complexity: a configurational approach to postindustrial cities, Abingdon, Oxon: Rouledge (shortly coming out in paperback) 

• Froy, F (2023) Learning from architectural theory about how cities work as complex and evolving spatial systems. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, rsad024: https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsad024 

• Froy, F., Heroy, S., Uyarra, E., & O’Clery, N. (2023). What drives the creation of green jobs, products and technologies in cities and regions? Insights from recent research on green industrial transitions. Local Economy, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/02690942231170135 

• Straulino, D., Froy, F., Schwanen, T., & O’Clery, N. (2023). Connecting up embedded knowledge across Northern Powerhouse cities. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X231159108 

• Froy, F (2023) Review of Howard Davis’s Working Cities: architecture, place and production (1st ed.), Journal of Urban Design, 28:2, 254-256, DOI: 10.1080/13574809.2023.2167302 

• Froy, F, (2020), Editor of a Special Edition of the Local Economy Journal on ‘Place-based industrial strategies’, Sage Journals, London, UK. 

• Froy, F and H. Davis (2017), ‘Pragmatic urbanism: London’s railway arches and small-scale enterprises’, European Planning Studies, Special edition on Culture and Innovation: Implications for SMEs and micro-firms, 25(11). 2076-2096. 

• Froy, F; Davis, H; Dhanani, A; (2017) Can the organisation of commercial space in cities encourage creativity and ‘self-generating’ economic growth? A return to Jane Jacob’s ideas.In: Proceedings of the 11th Space Syntax Symposium. Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal: Lisbon, Portugal. 

• Froy, F. (2016), ‘Understanding the spatial organisation of economic activities in early 19th century Antwerp’, The Journal of Space Syntax, Vol. 6, Issue 2, p. 225-246  

• Froy, F. (2013), ‘Global policy developments towards industrial policy and skills: skills for competitiveness and growth’, in “Government and Business: A New Industrial Policy?” A special edition of the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford. 

• Froy, F (2003) ‘In/determinacy in Cyberspace’ – Book Chapter in Segal, N,, Taylor, L. and Cook, R. eds. Indeterminate Bodies, Palgrave Macmillan 

• Bishop, M., Taylor, L. & Froy, F.(2000) ‘Computer-mediated Communication Use by the Deaf & Hard of Hearing: Kybernetes Journal. Millenium Volume III Vol 29 9/10 

OECD Books 

• Froy, F and S.Giguère (2010) Breaking out of policy silos: doing more with less, OECD Publishing, Paris 

• Froy, F., Giguère, S. and Hofer, A eds. (2009) Designing local skills strategies, OECD Publishing, Paris 

• Giguère, S. and Froy, F. eds. (2009) Flexible policy for more and better jobs, OECD Publishing, Paris 

• Froy, F and Giguère, S. eds. (2006) From Immigration to Integration: Local Solutions to a Global Challenge, OECD Publishing, Paris (translated into French and Greek)