Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Professor John Horton is Research Leader in the Faculty of Health, Education & Society and Chair of the University of Northampton’s Research Ethics Committee. John’s research mainly focuses on the geographies, cultures, politics, playful practices and social-material exclusions of contemporary childhood and youth.
John is currently one of the Editors of the international academic journal ‘Social & Cultural Geography’, and previously served a term as Editor of the international academic journal ‘Children’s Geographies’. John is Series Editor of a new major book series on Spaces of Childhood and Youth (Routledge) as well as co-author of the book Cultural Geographies (Routledge, 2013) and co-editor of new books on Austerity Across Europe (Routledge, 2021) and International Perspectives on Childhood and Youth in Hard Times (Policy Press, 2021).
John has been Principal or Co-Investigator on more than thirty funded research/evaluation projects with children and young people in the UK. For example, John has been Co-Investigator on five major, interdisciplinary research projects funded by ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) and AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council).
John is Chair of the University of Northampton’s Research Ethics Committee, which is chiefly responsible for reviewing all ethics applications for doctoral research at the University. John is lead author of the institutional ‘Research Ethics Code and Procedures’, which summarises expectations and principles for all research at the University of Northampton.
Before moving to the University of Northampton, John completed a BSc and ESRC-funded MSc and Doctorate in the School for Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol.
Research Interests
Spaces of care, service-provision and austerity
John has a major research interest in the processes through which spaces, services and policies for children, young people and families are produced, regulated and lived-with, particularly ‘in the current climate’ of austerity politics in the UK. John has been Principal or Co-Investigator on 30+ externally-funded studies of diverse youth organisations, public libraries, Sure Start Children’s Centres, youth involvement projects, spaces of care, and spaces of learning/teaching in the UK. For example, in 2007-09 John collaborated with colleagues from Coventry University and University of Leicester on a major AHRC/ESPSRC-funded study of pupil participation in school building (re)design and renewal policies in the UK. John is co-editor of new books on Austerity Across Europe (Routledge, 2021) and International Perspectives on Childhood and Youth in Hard Times (Policy Press, 2021).
Everyday geographies of sustainable urbanism
In 2009-13, John collaborated with colleagues from the Universities of Leeds, Birmingham and Leicester on the major three year ESRC-funded New Urbanisms, New Citizens study of children and young people’s lives, mobilities and participation in new, large-scale urban developments constituted by the Sustainable Communities agenda in England. Findings from the project have been published in the book Children Living in Sustainable Built Environments (Routledge, 2018) as well as an extensive programme of research outputs and impacts. John was also Mentor for Dr. Sophie Hadfield-Hill’s ESRC Future Research Leader project on New Urbanisms in India, and a member of the ESRC/CONFAP-funded Sharing Futures/Partilhandø Futurøs knowledge exchange programme between Brazilian Engineering Scientists and British Human Geographers. John collaborated with colleagues from Universities of Birmingham, Leicester and Sao Paulo State as Co-Investigator on the threeyear ESRC/Newton/FAPESP-funded project (R)econnect the Nexus: Young Brazilians’ Experiences of and Learning about Food-Water-Energy
Children and young people’s play and popular culture
John has a longstanding research interest in relation to children and young people’s play and poular culture. On one hand he has completed a number of large-scale funded projects focusing on diverse designated play-spaces, which he has written up as a sequence of peer-reviewed papers about the complex, bodily, everyday, social-material, emotional-affective, often-exclusionary geographies of outdoor play. On the other hand, John has written a series of peer-reviewed papers about children and young people’s engagements with different forms of popular culture (e.g. children’s TV, pop music, toys, books, collectables). With Prof. Peter Kraftl (University of Birmingham) John has written a range of conceptual, critical and methodological reflections upon interdisciplinary work on geographies of children and young people. In their continuing work, they have sought to develop playful, creative, autoethnographic, multiperspectival styles of thinking-writing-doing in order to acknowledge the complexities of everyday, bodily, social-material, emotional-affective geographies.
Supervision
John is an experienced supervisor and examiner of postgraduate research. John currently supervises ten PhD researchers, and has co-supervised ten doctoral researchers to successful completion. John has been External Examiner for PhD research at 20+ different international universities. John has also served as External Examiner for undergraduate programmes in Childhood Studies, Geography and Environmental Sciences at 5 UK HEIs
Teaching Interests
John contributes to undergraduate teaching in Human Geography and also a range of postgraduate and Professional Doctorate modules in the Faculty of Health, Education & Society. As Chair of the University of Northampton’s Research Ethics Committee, John also delivers a wide range of training and development sessions on ethical research practice.
John is an experienced supervisor and examiner of postgraduate research. John currently supervises ten PhD researchers, and has co-supervised ten doctoral researchers to successful completion. John has been External Examiner for PhD research at 20+ different international universities. John has also served as External Examiner for undergraduate programmes in Childhood Studies, Geography and Environmental Sciences at 5 UK HEIs
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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- 1 Similar Profiles
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Well Northants evaluation work
Horton, J. (CoPI), Campbell, J. (CoPI), Pyer, M. (CoI), Redwood, T. (CoI) & Payne, K.-L. (CoI)
17/11/22 → 30/09/24
Project: Research › Local Government
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Understanding Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions about the Energy-Water-Food Nexus in Education for Sustainability: A Brazilian Perspective
Camargo Vieira, L. B., Cesar Delamaro, M., Marques Campos, A. E., Horton, J., Perrella Balestieri , J. A., Soares, P. V., Kraftl, P., Nunes Leal, R., Dias, R. A. & Hadfield-Hill, S., 1 Mar 2025, In: Journal of Education for Sustainable Development. 18, 1, p. 5-26 22 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
“It can feel like they’ve forgotten you”: Enhancing Older Adult Participation in Urban Regeneration
Hill, K., Woodbridge-Dodd, K., Horton, J., Graham, L. & Taylor, J., 1 Jan 2025, In: Population, Space and Place. 31, 1, 10 p., e2862.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Água negra (black water) and overwhelming details: for more-than-nexus approaches to global water-energy-food challenges
Horton, J., Kraftl, P., Perrella Balestieri , J. A., Campos Marques, A. E., Coles, B., Cesar Delamaro, M., Dias, R. A., Hadfield-Hill, S., Hall, J., Nunes Leal, R., Soares, P. V., Walker, C. & Zara, C., 29 May 2024, In: Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space. p. 1-25 25 p., 1.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Children's Geographies (second edition)
Kraftl, P., Horton, J. & Tucker, F., 23 Mar 2023, Oxford Bibliographies: Childhood Studies. Oxford University PressResearch output: Contribution to Book/Report › Entry for Dictionary/Encyclopedia › peer-review
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Developing research and evaluation opportunities through partnerships Toolkit
Ryan, D., Hardwicke, J., Baxter, B. A., La Penna, T., Lehner, A., Banga, S., Redwood, T., Baross, A., Parkes, J., Horton, J., Kay, T., Kayij, B. & Jones, P., 12 May 2023, University of Northampton. 55 p.Research output: Book/Report › Technical Report
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Some popular cultural geographies, starring Cyrille Regis, Delia Derbyshire, an Ewok, Mickey Mouse, Napalm Death, the Sylvanian Families, and anonymous hate mail…
Horton, J., 11 Oct 2023, In: Social and Cultural Geography. 25, 5, p. 814-830 17 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Not just muddy and not always gleeful? Thinking about the physicality of fieldwork, mental health, and marginality.
Tucker, F., Waite, C. & Horton, J., 20 Nov 2022, In: Area. 54, 4, p. 563-568 6 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Centring reflexivity, positionality and autoethnographic practices in creative research
Horton, J., 1 Jan 2021, Creative Methods for Human Geographers. von Benzon, N., Holton, M., Wilkinson, C. & Wilkinson, S. (eds.). SAGE Publications LtdResearch output: Contribution to Book/Report › Chapter › peer-review
Datasets
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Popular cultures of Coventry: mentions in the back catalogues of 15 academic journals
Horton, J. (Creator), Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 23 May 2023
Dataset
File
Activities
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Public Health - UON Partnership Away Day
Ryan, D. (Organiser), Hardwicke, J. (Organiser), Baxter, B. (Organiser), La Penna, T. (Organiser), Lehner, A. (Organiser), Banga, S. (Organiser), Redwood, T. (Organiser), Baross, A. (Organiser), Parkes, J. (Organiser), Horton, J. (Organiser), Kay, T. (Organiser), Kayij, B. (Organiser) & Jones, P. (Organiser)
22 Mar 2023Activity: Organising a conference or workshop › Research
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Integrated Care Board Research and Innovation Plan Away Day
Ryan, D. (Author), Horton, J. (Speaker), Campbell, J. (Speaker), Parkes, J. (Speaker), Redwood, T. (Speaker) & Bain, P. (Author)
2 Nov 2023Activity: Academic Talks or Presentations › Seminar/Workshop › Research
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A Place for Me? Enhancing Active Ageing and Participation in Town Centre Regeneration
Hill, K. (Author), Woodbridge-Dodd, K. (Author), Horton, J. (Author), Graham, L. (Author) & Taylor, J. (Author)
4 May 2022Activity: Academic Talks or Presentations › Conference Presentation › Research
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Geography fieldtrips and mental health
Tucker, F. (Author) & Horton, J. (Author)
13 Dec 2022Activity: Academic Talks or Presentations › Invited talk › Research
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Not just muddy and not always gleeful? Thinking about mental health, intersectionality and the physicality of fieldwork.
Tucker, F. (Invited speaker), Waite, C. (Speaker) & Horton, J. (Speaker)
10 Nov 2021Activity: Academic Talks or Presentations › Invited talk › Research
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Research and Enterprise in FHES: celebration video
Fawdon, J. (Author), Winter, A. (Author), Cousens, D. (Author), Horton, J. (Author), Dann, C. (Author), Farini, F. (Author), Khatri, R. (Author), Lumsden, E. (Author), Maunder, R. (Author), Murray, J. (Author) & Ward, A. (Author)
15 Dec 2020Activity: Academic Talks or Presentations › Promotional Video › Research
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A Place for me? Northampton Centre Research Study
Woodbridge-Dodd, K. (Speaker), Graham, L. (Speaker), Taylor, J. (Speaker), Hill, K. (Speaker) & Horton, J. (Speaker)
3 Feb 2020Activity: Academic Talks or Presentations › Oral presentation › Research
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Courses
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Doctor of Professional Practice in Health and Social Care
Pyer, M. & Campbell, J. 4/11/21 → 3/05/27
Course
Press/Media
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A Place for Me? Coverage on BBC Northants
Woodbridge-Dodd, K., Graham, L., Taylor, J., Hill, K. & Horton, J.
14/02/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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A Place For Me? NLive Coverage
Woodbridge-Dodd, K., Graham, L., Taylor, J., Hill, K. & Horton, J.
7/02/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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Pensioners feel ‘lost sense of belonging’ in Northampton centre as retail and bus station improvements recommended Northampton needs to improve its retail offer, improve signage and review the function of the bus station if it wants to attract more older people into the town centre.
Woodbridge-Dodd, K., Hill, K. & Horton, J.
4/02/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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Report finds listening to your elders can create a town centre fit for all
Woodbridge-Dodd, K., Graham, L., Taylor, J., Hill, K. & Horton, J.
3/02/20
1 Media contribution
Press/Media