Where next for neighbourhood regeneration in England?

Abstract

There has been a ‘triple whammy’ for neighbourhood regeneration in England in 2010. Key agencies and infrastructure have been abolished or cut back since the election of a new government; the previous administration’s area-based initiatives are ending; and property-led developments have slowed markedly during the recession. However, while policy stands at a crossroads, the underlying drivers for regeneration remain as pertinent as ever, regardless of wider fiscal and economic circumstances. Within this context, the article considers the form which neighbourhood regeneration might take during the next decade, exploring how evolving policy developments (e.g. localism, ‘Big Society’, Local Enterprise Partnerships) could impact on practice. Analysis suggests that neighbourhood regeneration will exist in a very different world to that which practitioners are familiar with, characterized by resource constraints, organizational change, uncertainty and upheaval. However, there are opportunities: a more powerful position for voluntary and community sector organizations with the greatest capacity; new forms of collaboration between neighbourhood regeneration organizations; and the development of new relationships between commissioners and service delivery organizations.

‘Communities with Oomph’? Exploring the Potential for Stronger Social Ties to Revitalise Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods

“…The most notable departure is that the initiatives proposed under the Localism Act will not be delivered through centrally devised, large-scale urban regeneration programmes. The Coalition government has no intention of reprising new interventions in the mould of the NDC programme in the current period of austerity (Broughton et al, 2011;Lawless, 2010). Instead, localist measures are intended to encourage a mosaic of activities within neighbourhoods that do not require significant public spending.…”

Work Clubs and the Big Society: reflections on the potential for ‘progressive localism’ in the ‘cracks and fissures’ of neoliberalism

“…Thus despite their initial commitment to 'localism' (see, for example, DCLG, 2010), policies for dealing with worklessness have become 'strikingly centralised' (House of Commons, 2011: 15). Certainly, the Coalition Government have shown little enthusiasm for area-based initiatives (ABIs) in the current period of austerity (Broughton et al, 2011;Lawless, 2010).…”

Tottenham after the riots: The chimera of community and the property-led regeneration of ‘broken Britain’

“…The current policy context, illustrated by the case of Tottenham, marks a profound departure from this approach. Since the election of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat Coalition government in 2010, there has been ‘a dramatic shift in the discourse around neighbourhood regeneration’ with regeneration itself apparently sidelined as a policy tool (Broughton et al, 2011: 82). Indeed, the explicit theme of Coalition local economic development policy as set out in its White Paper, Local Growth: Realising Every Place’s Potential , has been to foster prosperity and growth in all parts of England (Crowley et al, 2012).…”