ABSTRACT
This chapter considers some experiences in the city of Plymouth, predominantly focusing upon the relationship between urban partnerships, economic regeneration and the 'healthy city'. It begins by locating the latter within a broader health promotion context, before going on to describe developments in Plymouth since the late 1980s. The chapter considers some of the ways in which both health and economic behaviour may relate to wider discourses, notably those around claims concerning 'rights' and 'duties'. It explores Plymouth, describing aspects of urban regeneration and the healthy city initiative, illustrates some of the competing pressures which confront cities. Plymouth was declared as a 'healthy city' by the city council in 1989, although by 1991, when political control of the council passed from Conservative to Labour, an officer's report noted, 'little real progress has been made over the last two years'. The chapter illustrates in Plymouth's receipt of 1.8 million capital funding under the 'Urban Partnership' programme for road and parking improvements.
