John Downie

John began his career as an Environmental Health Officer in the early 1970s. His aptitude and ability took him into specialist roles and also brought him a senior position with the City of Birmingham Urban Renewal Programme. Here, during the 1980s, John continued to develop his knowledge and skill sets by taking on roles as Project Team Leader; Area Manager; Principal Assistant Urban Renewal Officer; and Head of Programme Implementation.

Further progress in the 1990s and into the new millennium saw John strengthen his portfolio of experience, ultimately taking him on to the City of Birmingham Housing Department, initially as Head of Private Sector Renewal and Regeneration, and then to the role of Assistant Director for Housing Strategy.

As a regular contributor to the University of Birmingham Centre of Urban and Regional Studies Seminar Programme, John addresses issues of Private Sector Housing and Regeneration and lectures to students studying for a MSc in Environmental Health. Through his work with the University John has presented papers on Private Sector Housing Renewal and Urban Regeneration to international conferences in Chile, Finland, France and as recently as May 2007 to an International Conference in, Seoul, South Korea.