Welfare Reform on the Web (May 2004): Community Regeneration and Development - UK

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH PARTICIPATORY ARTS: LESSONS LEARNED FROM A COMMUNITY ARTS AND REGENERATION PROJECT IN SOUTH LIVERPOOL

P. Carey and S. Sutton

Community Development Journal, Vol. 39, 2004, p.123-134

Participatory arts programmes can encourage both personal development and social cohesion. This paper focuses on the evolution of a large community arts project in the Speke/Garston area of Liverpool. It highlights some of the challenges faced in planning and delivering the project. The evaluation showed that the project has been successful in increasing participation and that the experience of working on it had been challenging, enlightening, enriching and frustrating for those involved.

DIVIDED AND SPOILED

M. Weaver

Guardian Society, April 14th 2004, p.10

The government had high hopes for Aston Pride Partnership as part of its flagship regeneration programme. Granted £54m in 2000 to revive one of Birmingham's poorest areas, the scheme has achieved little and been dogged by community infighting and friction with local agencies. As a result, many fear a government backlash against community-led regeneration and forsee an uncertain future of the New Deal for Communities.

LOCAL REGENERATION INITIATIVES AND CAPACITY BUILDING: WHOSE CAPACITY AND BUILDING FOR WHAT?

J. Diamond

Community Development Journal, Vol. 39, 2004, p.177-189

The "New Labour" government in the UK has introduced a number of regional, local and neighbourhood regeneration initiatives based on the concepts of "partnership" and "multi-agency working". There is an emphasis on community capacity building and development of local leaders to ensure that improvements are sustained after project completion. The paper draws upon research evaluating regeneration projects in Glasgow and Manchester to explore how community capacity building is working in practice. Emphasizes the need for community development workers to be external to the project management bureaucracy and identify closely with the local people. Only then can they empower local leaders to challenge the bureaucracy.

RE-GENERATION GAMES: THE POLITICS OF CHILDHOOD IN URBAN RENEWAL

B. Philips

Community Development Journal, Vol. 39, 2004, p.166-176

The article reflects on the author's experience of attempting to facilitate youth participation in decision-making as a secondee from an NGO to a government-funded regeneration project in East London. Although the UK government has committed itself to encouraging children's participation in decision-making, in reality they are still excluded from exercising real power in re-generation projects on the grounds of their low social class and their youth and inexperience.