Community Based Initiative and State Urban Policy: The Church Urban Fund

Abstract

LAWLESS P., ELSE P., FARNELL R., FURBEY R., LUND S. and WISHART B. (1998) Community based initiative and state urban policy: the Church Urban Fund, Reg. Studies 32 , 161-174. For much of the post 1979 period, community based development initiatives have played only a limited role in urban economic and social regeneration. A number of more informal community based initiatives have however been implemented. Of these the Church of England's Church Urban Fund (CUF), represents one of the more substantial innovations. By 1994 the CUF Trustees had approved over 1,000 projects collectively worth more than 17 million. In 1994 the authors undertook an evaluation of the CUF based on 21 local projects in Birmingham, Manchester and Southwark. This evaluation concluded that CUF projects had only limited generalized impacts on urban areas, but had directly assisted small numbers of individuals, occasionally in a dramatic fashion. CUF initiatives are characterized by extensive inter-agency networking, although relationships with local authorities sometimes prove problematic. CUF projects are generally not especially innovative. And, although the CUF is being placed under increasing pressure from local clients, it cannot hope to plug gaps in the welfare state to any substantial degree. It may be best to refocus the CUF such that it supports a small number of exemplar projects. LAWLESS P., ELSE P., FARNELL R., FURBEY R., LUND S. et WISHART B. (1998) Les actions d'initiative locale et la politique des villes d'initiative nationale: le fonds de l'Eglise en faveur du milieu urbain, Reg. Studies 32 , 161-174. Pour la plupart, les actions d'initiative locale ne jouent depuis 1979 qu'un role limitedans la restauration economique et sociale urbaine. Toujours est-il qu'un nombre d'actions d'initiative locale officieuses ont etemises en oeuvre, dont le Church Urban Fund (le CUF), le fonds de l'Eglise anglicane en faveur du milieu urbain qui represente une des innovations les plus importantes. Avant 1994 les fiduciaires du CUF avaient approuveplus de 1.000 projets d'un montant global de 17m. En 1994 le CUF a etee value a partir de 21 projets locaux a Birmingham, a Manchester et a Southwark. Il s'est avereque les retombees generales des projets CUF sur les zones urbaines avaient etelimitees mais avaient aide directement, voire sensiblement, quelques individus. Les actions du CUF se caracterisent par une connexion considerable des agences, bien que les rapports avec l'administration locale s'averent quelquefois problematiques. Les projets CUF ne sont guere innovateurs et quoique les clients locaux fassent de plus en plus appel au CUF, il ne peut pas pretendre a boucher sensiblement les trous de la protection sociale. Peutetre qu'il vaudrait mieux concentrer les ressources du CUF sur le soutien d'un petit nombre de projets modeles. LAWLESS P., ELSE P., FARNELL R., FURBEY R., LUND S. und WISHART B. (1998) Gemeinschaftsinitiativen und staatliche Stadtpolitik: kirchliche Mittel fur Stadte, Reg. Studies 32 , 161-174. In einem Grossteil der Zeit n...

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