Putting the social into urban regeneration policy

Abstract

FEATURES • ABSTRACTUrban regeneration is a policy area which has been dominated by property development and economic forces, and is therefore relatively ignored as an element of social policy. Social regeneration, meaning the improved and •appropriate delivery of welfare services in poor neighbourhoods and the empowerment of local communities in regeneration processes, has never been a prominent feature. Social regeneration came briefly onto the policy agenda in the late 1960s and early 1970s but largely withered away in the welfare crisis and the Thatcherite decade. In recent years a revived movement for social regeneration has emerged, which is having some impact on policy. This article reviews the emergence of this movement and the changing policy contexts, arguing that practical and conceptual tools may now have been developed to support successful social regeneration.

The Politics of 'Integrated' Local Policy in England

“…However, the most recent developments would seem to indicate a growing concern to incorporate these policy realms in line with New Labour's greater attention to social themes in regeneration policy and a more general concern to achieve linkage between main programmes and discretionary initiatives (Ginsburg, 1999;Mawson and Hall, 2000; see also Harding, 1999).…”

The Evolution of Housing Renewal in Shanghai, 1990–2010: A ‘Socially Conscious’ Entrepreneurial City?

“…Yet, it is important to note that both the nature and extent of this transition remains distinct from that which can be expected other entrepreneurial cities. In the West, where numerous entrepreneurial projects have also prevailed in the 1990s, mounting evidence of their uneven costs and benefits have triggered a notable 'return' towards more careful government regulation, more inclusive forms of regeneration partnerships, and recognition of social programmes as a key component of urban regeneration (Brenner & Theodore, 2002;Ginsburg, 1999). In China, however, power and resources remain concentrated in the hands of state, and there has not yet been impetus for a further decentralisation of power and decision making towards urban residents Furthermore, Chinese policies remain committed to large-scale redevelopment and speculation, invariably involving substantial destruction of affordable inner city neighbourhoods.…”

Gouvernance métropolitaine : vers un programme de recherche comparatif

“…Il n'y avait pas eu de constitution d'une « coalition de croissance » mais bien au contraire d'une « coalition subventionnée 41 ». L'importance de l'État britannique dans les politiques urbaines, la structuration de l'échange politique et la sélection des acteurs légitimes qui peuvent prétendre à agir sur l'élaboration et la mise en oeuvre de programmes locaux est attestée par le changement des politiques nationales concernant la ville, à partir du lancement de la procédure Single Regeneration Budget en 1994 42 . Les travaux les plus récents sur la question insistent sur le fait qu'à partir du gouvernement de John Major, la politique urbaine connaît une inflexion significative dans ses principes opératoires.…”