a new life 20 years on: have we lost the lessons learned from area based initiatives?
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A New Life 20 years on: have we lost the lessons learned from Area Based Initiatives?. Peter Matthews Department of Urban Studies. Tackling Multiple Deprivation in Communities: Considering the Evidence The Scottish Government, Victoria Quay, 2 June 2009. New Life still matters!. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
A New Life 20 years on: have we lost the lessons learned from Area Based Initiatives?
Peter MatthewsDepartment of Urban Studies
Tackling Multiple Deprivation in Communities: Considering the EvidenceThe Scottish Government, Victoria Quay, 2 June 2009
New Life still matters!
Research
• Better Communities in Scotland: Closing the Gap (Scottish Executive, 2002)
• Quantitative measures of policy success
• How Does a Policy Mean? (Yanow, 1996)
• Maybe ABIs were good?
What we know
ABIs do not work:• Not sustainable (DETR review, 1998)
• ‘Inward looking’ (Hall, 1997)
• Not “value for money”• Stigma (Communities Scotland, 2004)
What we know
ABIs do work:
• Physical redevelopment
• Community engagement(Lawless 2004, 2006)
Case studies – Ferguslie Park
Year
Popul-ation
% Unem-ployed
% Work-less
% RSL-owned homes
1971 12,300 22 n/a 97
1977 9,500 27 n/a n/a
1988 6,000 17 48 99
1998 4,500 18 24 47
2005 4,161 7.81 39.4 57.35
Case studies – Wester Hailes
Year
Popul-ation
% Unem-ployed
% Work-less
% RSL-owned homes
1981 16,021
1988 12,000 12 27 95
1998 11,000 19 24 64
2005 8,747 6.68 35.08 69.03
Case studies – New Life
• £400 millions in four areas in a decade
• Massive physical renewal
• Created new meanings of place for community
• And a new governmentality, counter to some previous findings
New Life through new homes
Symbolism
‘people who were here […] visiting a long time ago who lived here a long time ago who come back often get lost because the road layouts have changed and the plan of the area has changed and if they come to visit then they have to phone and say oh I’m at Clovenstone but I can’t find my way because the road layout’s changed you know how do I get down there now’
(Community volunteer, Wester Hailes)
Community activism
‘Wester Hailes’s the way it is is due to all the hard work of the people in the local ehm communi- neighbourhood councils they’re nae willing to sit back and take what’s been dished oot you know they’re like you cannae have this you cannae have that I’m sorry but what do we pay council tax for is the way I look at it’
(Community volunteer, Wester Hailes)
Policy disappointment
‘it’s never been to it’s original […] specification if you like the original specification stated that it would be a community café it would have a community hall it would’ve have a community heart and […] it’s never happened what has happened has been that everything about the building has been commercial from day one’
(Community volunteer, Ferguslie Park)
Community development
‘they organised play schemes and the big success of their play scheme was that during the holidays you know a lot of the play schemes […] they were either for handicapped children or for able-bodied children whereas wi’ ours it made no difference so if you’d a child in a wheelchair and another couple o’ kids they could all come together there werenae going separate ways and it was run entirely by volunteers and then eventually they got one worker in to help […] then they got three or four workers in then they started getting almost semi-professional care workers in and if that happened the number ae people well they would bring their kids down but instead of staying to give a hand they were going away saying we’re not needed they’ve got all these professional staff there […] but […] you know and that did happen it [unclear] a lot yeah so yeah your question ehm getting paid staff in […] sorta reduces the volunteer’
(Community volunteer, Wester Hailes)
Community planning
• Poor community engagement• Very little visible policy change• Cuts in funding• Few quick “wins”• Did not create a new governmentality
Community planning
‘Been there seen it done it got the tshirt there’s no point do you know what I mean there’s no point to the agenda has already been drawn decisions have already been made […] we know the local authority works to a five year plan […] and always has done ehm and I can’t see that changing so for them to say they’re consulting the community at an area level […] they’re talking about stuff that was decided five years ago […] who’s kiddin’ who […] to me it’s a con’
(Community volunteer, Ferguslie Park)
Area-based initiatives again?
• Producing change that communities want
• Can “empower” communities
• Can respect communities in their dependence (Sennet, 2003)
• Tough Political choices
References
Scottish Executive (2002). Better Communities in Scotland: Closing the Gap. Edinburgh, Scottish Executive.
Yanow, D. (1996). How Does a Policy Mean?: Interpreting Policy and Organizational Actions. Washington D.C., Georgetown University Press.
Dabinett, G., Lawless, P., et al. (2001). A Review of the Evidence Base for Regeneration Policy and Practice. London, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
Hall, P. (1997). "Regeneration policies for peripheral housing estates: inward- and outward-looking approaches." Urban Studies 34(5): 873-890.
Communities Scotland (2004). Implementing Community Planning - Building For The Future of Local Governance. Edinburgh, Communities Scotland.
Lawless, P. (2004). "Locating and explaining area-based urban initiatives: New Deal for Communities in England." Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 22(3): 383–399.
Lawless, P. (2006). "Area-based urban interventions: rationale and outcomes: the New Deal for Communities programme in England." Urban Studies 43(11): 1991-2011.
Sennett, R. (2003). Respect: The Formation of Character in a World of Inequality. London, Allen Lane.
