ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the response of deprived communities to the development of prestige projects and mega-projects near, or adjacent, to their neighbourhoods, focusing on the extent of local community resistance to such developments in three cities: Vancouver (Canada), San Francisco (USA) and Birmingham (UK). Utilising the three case study cities, it focuses on the extent of community participation in the development process and the success of those communities in minimising disbenefits and maximising the benefits that flow from this type of development. Community groups based in the neighbourhoods adjacent to the Expo site asked for impact studies to be undertaken. Activists working for the Downtown Eastside Residents Association (DERA) warned the provincial government of the potential risk of housing displacement as Expo progressed. As a result of DERA's efforts the Downtown Eastside has become one of the most stable neighbourhoods in the city in the context of a rapidly changing central area.
