Regenerating Places Revision
Regenerating Places Revision
Regenerating Places Revision
Consequences of successful regions:
● High property prices
○ Sometimes a two-tier economy is produced whereby workers in less well paid jobs are outpriced in the housing
market, when high demand to leads to high property prices
● Skill shortages in both urban and areas result
○ There may be a shortage of workers with insufficient training for the quaternary and quinary jobs required
for a new growing economy. Migration may be subsequently encouraged
● Congestion of roads and public transport
● Rural areas too can benefit from regeneration. Some small businesses are growing faster than many larger urban
areas oth in terms of population and economic output
● There has been growth of of micro businesses.
Unsuccessful places
● Economic restructuring refers to change in
manufacturing areas to more service based
areas
● Unemployment can trigger a spiral of decline
● This has triggered a spiral of decline involving
increasing levels of social deprivation
○ Education
○ Health
○ Crime
○ Access to services
○ Living environment
● The highest levels of deprivation found in the 2015 IMD report was found in Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Manchester -
all areas affected by deindustrialisation
Case Study: The Rust Belt, USA
● References once powerful manufacturing regions that stretched from the great lakes to the Midwest - famous for
steel and car production
● It fell into economic decline due to automation, global shift and increased free trade (cheap imports from China)
● Many areas such as Detroit, Baltimore etc have failed and struggled
● Cities in the region are characterised by poverty, depopulation and are near bankruptcy
Priorities for regeneration
Sink estates and declining rural settlements require the highest level of attention/priority. Gates communities and commuter
villages require the least.
● Gated communities
○ Settlements including individual buildings or groups of housing. They are landscapes of surveillance with
CCTV and often 24/7 security guards. They are designed to deter access by unknown people and reduce crime
● Commuter Villages
○ Settlements where the portion of the population living in them commute out daily to large settlements
nearby or further afield
○ Very common in the Isle of Dogs
○ These areas tend to have affluent populations and low levels of deprivation measured by wealth and
employment.
○ Lack of affordable housing
■ Deliver 10,500 new homes, mainly on brownfield site.
■ Encourage a mixture of house sizes, types etc
■ Invest in sustainable public transport
● Sink Estates
○ Housing estates with high levels of economic and social deprivation (crime especially - domestic, violence,
drugs)
○ Home to lots of council housing
● Declining rural settlements
Engagement in communities
There are wide variations in the levels of engagement
● Local and national election turnout
○ National Turnout
■ 7.5 million people are still not registered
■ Poor, black and young people in urban areas are least likely to on the electoral roll
■ 66.1% of people did not vote in the 2015 elections
■ Rural parties tend to support Conservatives whilst industrial areas tend to support Labour
■ Rural areas tend to have higher turnouts
■ 18-24 year olds least likely to vote - 43%
● The Economist believes this is because young people don’t feel like they have a high stake in
society. A lot of people think there isn’t anyone worth voting for - i.e. there is a lack of
charismatic leaders. Most politicians pander to older people, who can secure a vote.
○ EU Referendum
■ The 18-24 Group were least likely to vote.
■ Possible due to the hassle of voting - cost of registering, cost of giving in the vote in etc
■ The level of education also affected voting patterns
■ 90% of older people with degrees voted; 44% of young people with just GCSEs voted
○ Local Elections
■ Local election turnout is even lower
■ In 2014, it was only 36%
■ There have been calls to move voting online
● Development and Support of local community Groups
○ Support varies across the country, depending on local willingness to participate and the aim of the group
○ Not In My Back Yard (NIMBYISM) is quite common in rural areas
○ Some groups are focused of helping the vulnerable people in the local community 0 meals on wheels,
transport to hospitals and friendship groups
○ The National Lottery is one key player in the funding of regeneration project
Attachment to places vary according to age, ethnicity, gender, length of resident (new migrants, students) and levels of
deprivation which in turn impacts engagement
● Immediately after the war, migrants who arrived clustered together, particular in London
● Many non-white communities have disersed themselves to different towns and cities
● In Bolton, people of all ethnicities and religions supported Amir Khan box
● Women may still free less able to go to the pub alone
● Women or men may also be more active in their local community home with their children
● New migrants or students may feel less strong attachments than longstanding locals
● HIgher levels of deprivation may be associated with anti-establishment views
Priorities in regeneration
Different groups within a city have contrasting views of day to day issues - which result in radically different approaches to
regeneration. There are possible causes including:
● Lack of political engagement or representation
○ People who tend to experience social deprivation also tend to be most politically excluded
● Ethnic tensions
○ In some areas there has been a n increase in political extremist - the growth of EDL who have organised
protests ad encouraged antipathy towards Muslim communities
● Inequality
● Lack of economy opportunity
EQ3: How is regeneration managed?
The Role of the government
The government help fund infrastructure projects to maintain growth and improve accessibility. The UK government has tried
to address the inequality between the North and South by developing Northern Powerhouse where infrastructure investment will
connect industrial towns and cities in the North East and North West
● High Speed Rail
○ Lack of rail infrastructure in the Northeast has led to inequalities and lack of labour mobility
○ A 65 km train from Middlesbrough to Newcastle takes 90 minutes; the same length from Chelmsford to
London takes 36 minutes
○ Crossrail is meant to easy congestion in Central London
○ High Speed Rail hopes to connect London to Birmingham and later northern cities such as Manchester
○ The government has funded electrification projects in Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool to allow for
cheaper, faster and longer electric trains
● Airport Development
○ Calls have been made to expand Gatwick and Heathrow
○ In 2015, a proposed third runway was recommended - costing $18.6 billion - mostly privately funded
■ Many MPs, local and nation protest groups (e.g. Greenpeace) were against the plan
■ Business leaders such Richard Branson were in favour of the expansion
The Conservative government have opted for some top-down approaches - e.g. The 2012 London Olympics regenerated the East
of London. The scheme led to 9000 new homes in the Park alone with schools getting new facilities. East to west rail connectivity
has greatly improved. The olympics games boost Australia's economy by $5 billion in the five years after the 2000 games - a
similar effect is expected.
Type of development
The type of development and the rate at which it happens affects regeneration of both rural and urban regions
● Planning law
○ Refers to how land is used
○ National interests often supercede local interests in planning decisions
● House building targets and Housing affordability
○ Labour governments have fostered social housing
○ Conservative governments have favoured a market led approach
○ The right to buy policy resulted in more than 2 million council homes from 1980 to 1995
○ The expectation that private housing association would replace local authorities in building lower costs homes
never happened
○ Currently the prices in London and the South east are inflated - large number of empty properties exist in
London
○ Social changes, especially increases in the numbers of elderly people and single households, adding pressure
on the housing market
○ Cultural changes have led to a rise in single owner occupancy, longer life expectancy and a lack of housing
supply - all of which lead to house prices rapidly increasing
● Permission for fracking
○ The government sees it a priority to increase energy security and economic prosperity
○ There are many local and national anti-fracking movements - e.g. Frack Off
○ In 2015, £300 billion of oil and gas were discovered close to Gatwick Airport in Sussex
● International Migration
○ Opening of UK borders have helped regeneration of local areas
○ Many people from the A8 countries migrated to the UK - many have settled in towns like Slough and Corby
and other rural market towns and small cities
○ Corby used to be a town with an aging population and poorly skilled workforce. East European entrepreneurs
have set up many businesses there - including restaurant, bakeries, marketing agencies
● Deregulation of capital marks
○ Deregulation made it easier for companies to locate to the UK and for FDI to flow more easily
○ The London Stock exchange is on the largest in the world
○ The City of London has lawyers, accountants and consultants creating an industry worth of £95 billion
○ Some of this wealth has created regeneration in the former dockland area of East London, which as been
developed as a financial centre
The Role of local government
Local governments can try and create business environments to attract domestic and foreign investors - e.g. through Science
Parks
● Science Parks
● Represent areas as being attractive for investments - they have attractive environments, purpose built buildings and
sufficient infrastructure and networking groups
○ Cambridge Science Park
■ Set up in 1970s and grew rapidly in the 1990s
■ Expansion in the early 2000s has attracted many foreign TNCs - such as AstraZeneca, Microsoft
and Toshiba
■ Life Science industries play a huge role in the park.
■ The existing campus of the Institute of Cancer REsearch are already in the top 5 global cancer
research and treatment facilities
Local interest groups play a role in decision making about regeneration
● Chamber of Commerce
○ Local businesses are often represented by the the local chamber of commerce
○ They are a network of business that aim to further the interest of businesses
■ They want economic growth even if it means demolishing of historic old buildings - often older
people have a nostalgic attachment to historic buildings and campaign to save them
● Local Preservation Societies
○ A study (Parliamentary SElect Committee in 2004) found that projects should use historic buildings as a
foundation as they reinforce a scene of community. They make an important contribution to the local
economy and act as catalyst for improvements to the wider area
● Trade Unions
There are inevitably tensions between groups that wish to preserve the environment and those that seek change
Case Study: London Olympics
● Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
○ New infrastructure has been put in place acting as lasting legacy in East London
○ Many of the original sporting stadiums - e.g.. The Velodrome and Aquatic Centre- are still there
○ The Olympic Stadium was sold to West Ham
○ The Olympic Village has been converted into 2800 flats
○ Two new primary schools, 9 nuraries, 3 health centres were all part of the plan
○ Stratford International has bolstered transport linksa
○ Transport for London and the Financial COnduct AUThority aim to love their offices in the park - creating
25000 jobs
○ Newham Borough Council are responsible for the development of the park for the rest of the century,
brining benefits to local residents and the use of facilities for school sports
○ Unemployment in the areas has decreased from 13% in 2012 to 9%in 2015
Tensions
● Environments are concerned the habitat loss due to redevelopment - the Liver Lea acts as a key migratory route
○ 500 mature trees would be cut down
● 450 housing flats will demolished as will Britain's largest church
● 300 businesses will have to be located - leading to loss of jobs as they move to places out of reach for some people
● Noise, dust and visual pollution will come true during the construction and associated heavy vehicle movement
● Concerns over going over-budget where taxpayers will bear the brunt of the cost.
● Studies suggest little evidence of benefits from holding a large sporting events
● There will be an increase in house prices as demand increases. This negatively affects local people on low incomes as
they struggle to get on the property ladder
Modern Regeneration strategies
● Retail
○ Local authorities may change the use of buildings and influence shop types and location of malls,
pedestrianised areas and alcohol free zones
○ There is growing competition from out of town centres
○ The rapid growth of internet shopping has brought new challenges to the high street
■ E.g. Bath SouthGate
● Tourism
○ There is a great diversity in types involving individual households offering B&B to private centres such as
Centre Parcs
○ Declining coastal communities (e.g. Margate) may be more vulnerable to deprivation as they used to be
seaside resorts with a tourism legacy but fell into a spiral of deprivation when holidays abroad and jet travel
became more commonplace
■ Bournemouth managed to diversify itself but turning into a business and conference hub while
holding onto its family holiday image
■ Marketing heritage for tourism - e.g. Titanic Quarter - Southampton
■ Themed events including music festivals - Reading
● Leisure and Sport - London Olympics
○ Sport attracted inward investment and external funding as well as creating new green spaces
○ This strategy brings in associated jobs, infrastructure and buildings but also as a catalyst for longer term
regeneration
■ See case study notes
● Public/Private Rural Diversification (Powys Regeneration Partnership)
○ Some fars use a diversified activity in their farming business to boost income - dependent on location, land
type etc.
○ Grants are available through Defra. The EU has a policy of helping diversity through the Common Agricultural
Policy
○ The National Trust is also influence as the 2nd largest landowner in the UK
○ Diversification can include:
■ Agricultural based - producing speciality cheeses, farming unusual animals (Deers, llamas), growing
non food crops or energy crops (rapeseed oil)
■ Non-agricultural based - redundant farm buildings turned to officers, campsites building. Motocross,
car boot sales sites may also be developed. Wind and solar farms also feature
■ Environmental schemes - funded by Defra which includes planting in woodland - administered by the
Forestry Commission
● POWYS Regeneration Partnership
● Funded by the Welsh Government and the EU
● GRants of over £4 million helped 310 businesses and community projects
● Powys council aim to use projects such as sustainable tourism, farm diversification etc.
● Better investment in ICT has already started, installing two new broadband masts to
address black spots
● The Green Investment Bank is making £1 billion of finance available for research and
development for low carbon technology and to to encourage renewable heat.
Rebranding strategies
Rebranding: The marketing aspect of regeneration designed to attract business, residents and visitors
Reimaging: Making a place more attractive and desirable
The media is used to improve the image of both urban and rural locations and make them more attractive for potential
investors.
● In urban areas, taking advantage of historic Victoria industrial heritages sites are one strategy; in rural
areas,historical and literacy refers to how the place was portrayed in the past.
● Sometimes rebranding might simply be the change in name of a city - e.g. Chennai used to be called Madras
● Books, film music or art may incorporate a representation and meaning for place
● How I met your mother - a TV sitcom idealises life in the large city where characters still have enough energy to spend
the evening in bars.
For UK deindustrialised cities, rebranding can stress the attraction of places, creating specific place identity building on their
industrial heritage; this can attract national and international tourists and visitors
● A mix of sports, leisure and cultural catalysts have been used to stress the attraction of places. Improvements to
infrastructure and physical environment are key to success in creating a place identity.
● Often urban areas build on industrial heritage.
● Between 04-13, Scotland with Style rebrand aimed to attract trade into the city.
○ There Were new hotel chains, conference centres, flight routes etc.
○ Its achievements include the UEFA Cup Final in 2007
○ In 2014, Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth Games resulting in £390 million being injected into Glasgow’s
economy, supporting 2100 jobs and reducing youth unemployment
○ The facilities are now being used by the public and will be reused for future events - such as the Sir Chris Hoy
Velodrome, Emirates Arena
Rural Rebranding strategies
● Based on heritage and literacy associations
○ Bronte Country
❖ The Pennine HIlls in Yorkshire are through to be inst[praiton of the Bronte sisters including works
like Wuthering HEights
❖ It is marketed to attract visitors and revenue
❖ Haworth - where the sisters were born - has become a hotspot for tourists
● Farm diversification
● Specialised products
○ Outdoor PUrsuits and adventure in both accessible and remote areas
○ Kielder Forest
■ An outdoor nature playground
■ Keiler is a remote area in Northumberland
■ IT changed dramatically after the largest coniferous plantation in the 1930s
■ The forest park attracts 345,000 visitors annually
■ It generates revenue from car parking and the facilities on site
■ Kielder has rare red squirrels
EQ4: How successful is regeneration?
Measuring success of regeneration
● Economic
○ Relative and absolute changes to areas and comparison to other more successful areas can measure
generation
○ Income
■ Schemes involving an immediate job focus other than a construction phase will generate an initial
rise in income
■ If incomes have risen then this points to success, however, if only certain groups have benefited this
may be relative
○ Poverty reduction
■ Relates to a short term increase in household income but a longer term investment in educational
investment
○ Employment
■ Regeneration may provide new employment strategies but outsiders may take the jobs more easily
● Social
○ Social progress can be measured through a reduction in inequality
○ This could be through measures of deprivation
○ Demographic changes: Life Expectancy improvements
● Environmental
○ Success can be measured through an improvement in the living environment
■ Levels of pollution reduced
● The IMD measures air quality through concentration of four pollutants NO2, Benzene, SO2
and particulates in its Living Environment Deprivation
■ Reduction in abandoned and derelict land
● The local environment could have access to more open,green space within walking distance
of home and the quality of local areas
● Regeneration that focuses on better transport links, upgrading retail space, parks etc will
have positive impacts on health and draw people to live there
● Traditionally dereliction is associated with ex manufacturing areas and redundant
infrastructure. Although unused buildings can be found in other places such as in the
countryside through redundant diaries and barns
● CPRE argued that 1 million new homes could be built on brownfield sites in England alone
Varying views on regeneration depending on stakeholders
Sustainability Quadrant
Being closer to knowledge rather than resources is now a primary driver of growth
Equity Futurity