ABSTRACT
A brief overview of 1980s-style urban regeneration in the UK, which was the focus of Chapter 3 , sets the context for the changes that were to follow from the early 1990s. There were a number of factors driving the need for change from the 1980s model of urban regeneration. During the 1980s, the dominant view was that urban areas had been left behind by a rising tide of the economy resulting in ‘islands of decline’ in a ‘sea of prosperity’ (Atkinson 2003). The distinctive policy element of this period was an experiment, that of encouraging the private sector to operate within speci c run-down areas in order to redevelop them (Healey et al. 1992). This approach was underwritten by grants, subsidies, tax relief, relaxation of planning controls and similar measures, designed to attract wealth creators back to cities. It was believed that by allowing investors to make pro ts, they would then rebuild cities and create jobs and wealth, which would ‘trickle down’ to those in need. Local government and communities were increasingly marginalised from the urban regeneration process and the property development industry took on a key role in ‘property-led regeneration’ (Turok 1992). However, little thought was given to how the large number of projects related to one another and so projects ran side by side in a largely unco-ordinated fashion (Audit Commission 1989). Robinson and Shaw (1994) argued that urban policy in the early 1990s was still ‘in search of the big idea’, and sought to deal with the failings of 1980s urban policy. Additionally, the UK continued to suffer severe social and economic problems, particularly ongoing de-industrialisation and rising unemployment at the same time as new area-based initiatives were to be employed ( Table 4.1 ).
