ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the role and value of the local area to the individual citizen both in terms of his early psychological development and his adult social and political life, referring particularly to the nature and impact of current urban policies. Its main aim is to examine an assertion that lies at the root of many criticisms that have been directed against the areal basis of British urban policy: namely, that the concept of the ‘local area’ is no longer relevant to the urban resident and therefore no longer valued by him.
