The Development Planning Unit's research has a far-reaching impact on development policy, practice and thinking.

Our research serves three main purposes:
- to deepen the understanding of development processes and practices.
- to interrogate the theoretical underpinnings development thinking and collective action in the public sector, civil society and private sector.
- to strengthen DPU teaching, capacity building and advisory work
DPU's research is conceived in three ways:
DPU Research Clusters
The DPU has four research clusters, each with sub-clusters that reflect the development of different strands of our work.
- Environmental justice, urbanisation and resilience
- Urban transformations
- Diversity, social complexity and planned intervention
- State and Market: governance and policy for development
DPU Research Projects
We often engage in research activities with academics and organisations outside of the DPU through a wide variety of interdisciplinary research projects.