ABSTRACT
Two important considerations, constitutional and historic, underlie urban policy in both the UK and France. First, each of the four constituent parts of the UK, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, has policy responsibility in this area and while there are similarities in approach there are differences in development and application. France, however, is a unitary state covered by a single policy approach. This chapter focuses primarily on comparing England and France but includes brief references to policy elsewhere in the UK. Second, the national approach to urban policy in each country has evolved in relation to shifting social and economic conditions over the last few decades and consequently comparisons are made from a historical perspective. The funding context for the regeneration aspects of urban policy is broadly covered in Chapters 10 and 11.
