The state of regeneration

The right stuff
Of course, there are many causes for celebration. The government has embraced the regeneration agenda in word, deed and funding. In its five years in office, it has endorsed the work of Lord Rogers' Urban Taskforce, and delivered the urban regeneration companies to champion visionary projects in major cities, the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit and the New Deal for Communities to affect change at micro-level, and the regional development agencies to bring consistency to economic development. To the government, regeneration is now alongside health and education as vital to improving the life chances of people in deprived communities.

Meanwhile, the urban renaissance can be seen in action in cities like Leeds, Gateshead and Manchester, and in the progress made in turning around towns like Barnsley in Yorkshire and Burnley in Lancashire.

Many of the positive effects of the regeneration work that has been done so far are easily overlooked, because they knit so well into the visible fabric of urban society.

As Lee Shostak, a director of regeneration consultant Shared Intelligence, says: "Ten years ago, no one was promoting policies to encourage housing development in town centres. There was still a presumption that everyone wanted to live in the suburbs, but now housing for rent and for sale in all price ranges is an important building block of a successful town centre."

Lingering uncertainty
But hold on to that champagne cork – we're not there yet. Despite the very visible successes and the enthusiasm of government at all levels, problems remain.

Not least among these is the lingering uncertainty about which agency is responsible for filling the gap between the high-level economic strategy of the regional development agencies and urban regeneration companies and the social focus of the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit.

The government announced in July that English Partnerships would have a lead role in coordinating regeneration, including social and private housing, on strategic sites it owns. But this still leaves many other projects struggling in a policy gap.

The underlying problem is the complexity of the task. Each regeneration project is different and needs a unique approach.

Regeneration is generally seen as having three interlocking components: first, physical improvements to homes, public spaces and facilities to make areas more attractive to live in; second, strengthening the social fabric through improved healthcare and educational opportunities, and third, targeted training and business support to boost the local economy so improvements made during regeneration can be self-sustaining. Tackling one side of the triangle does not automatically benefit the other two. It can even inadvertently undermine work being done in other areas. For instance, investing in new homes without making the area a more desirable place to live can lead to low-demand anomalies. On the other hand, boosting the employability of local people through training schemes can be fruitless if the beneficiaries move out of the area and take their skills and increased disposable incomes elsewhere.

"You're dealing with something so complicated, it's very difficult for participants to understand the implications of the decisions they're taking," says Chris Brown, development manager of regeneration specialist Igloo Urban Regeneration Fund. Controversially, he advocates a massive change of focus for regeneration spending: "The system is upside down," he says. "The Housing Corporation is putting money into deprived communities, but it needs to do the opposite – to allow deprived members of society to live in prosperous areas."

Brown, who will be speaking at the summit, is also concerned that spending priorities are misplaced: "A lot of money gets spent on the inside of the house and not on the area around, which is a very important aspect. When neighbourhoods start to decline, it doesn't really matter what your house looks like inside if the surroundings are so bad that people don't want to move in and those already there want to move out."

He puts much of the overlap and lack of coordination in regeneration down to poor communication. "In the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the housing people don't talk to the regeneration people. Communication is even worse at regional level. I would prefer urban priority areas to be designated, where all agencies could target their resources."

Community involvement
The government's response to the three-sided regeneration challenge has, in recent years, been to promote "area-based initiatives". To reverse social exclusion, the argument goes, the socially excluded must be at the heart of any regeneration project. Community involvement is often vital to a project's success, and is a major step forward from the old "top-down" approach.

It is right for local people to be consulted. But you can’t design regeneration projects around a policy of appeasment 

keith Carey, HTA

The early involvement of local stakeholders is often the key to a well-focused project. Dave Lewis, regional manager of Places for People, points to the success story of the redevelopment of Gravesham in Kent, to which Places for People contributed 51 social homes (see "History saves Gravesham", above). "We built consensus and trust through talking with a range of stakeholders.

It operated at an accessible level for local people – it wasn't hijacked by consultants."

On the other hand, community involvement isn't a universal solution and, arguably, can increase problems in some projects rather than diminish them. Some experts fear that too great a stress on community involvement has created projects that peer short-sightedly at local problems rather than tackling the big picture. According to Professor Brian Robson of Manchester University's Centre for Urban Policy: "A lot of area-based initiatives X X have not delivered the improvements the government might have hoped. They're a bit small and patchy, and can't drag areas of poverty into the mainstream."

Architect HTA has been involved in several major regeneration programmes. Regeneration director Keith Carey also feels the pendulum has, in some cases, swung too far. "The New Deal for Communities seems to be having problems in meeting output targets. It is right and proper for local people to be involved and consulted. But you can't design regeneration projects around a policy of appeasement." As an example, he points to the stalled New Deal for Communities in yuppified Shoreditch, east London (see "Trouble in Shoreditch", below): "The government is looking for a mixed-tenure response in line with wider policy objectives, while the locals want mono-tenure."

Professor Robson believes a balance needs to be struck between "area-based" projects and "strategic mainstreaming". This buzzword refers to the practice of allowing local authorities to divert "mainstream" education, housing or social services budgets, so that different aspects of one regeneration project no longer have to compete for funding. Robson cites East Manchester as an example of what can be done when a project is "mainstreamed" (see Manchester's Millennium Community). East Manchester is backed by an urban regeneration company, a New Deal for Communities, two single regeneration budget programmes and an education action zone. "Together, they can achieve a critical mass," says Robson. "We need to think big, think bold, and not get too bogged down in narrow areas."

Money worries and skill shortages
Of course, given the inherent complexity of regeneration programmes, there are other areas where projects can be derailed. The financial basis of a project can often be its undoing, says Carey: "You need more rigorous appraisals before projects are released into the public domain. That was the problem on the Aylesbury Estate, where a hole in the business plan meant it couldn't be delivered as it had been expressed to tenants."

Brendan Nevin, strategy director for social investment agency Prime Focus, also questions the quality of the economic advice on which many regeneration plans are based. "We're collectively spending tens of millions on consultancy, but what emerges is so general you could often just change the name of the area on the cover."

Meanwhile, in some major projects, participating organisations can develop their own internal agendas and programme delivery becomes an end rather than a means. Dave Lewis of Places for People says: "Projects need to be focused on outcomes rather than programmes of work. It's not about getting the next slice of single regeneration budget money – it's about improving a community where people want to live and invest."

Often a project is only as strong as the partnership behind it. But Merron Simpson, policy officer at the Chartered Institute of Housing, says some partnerships do little more than lend their logos to the project newsletter: "How partnerships are designed and managed needs more thought. Formal partnership charters are a feature of the nine housing market renewal pathfinders – one that could lead us down a better route."

These problems all stem in part from the fact that modern regeneration as a concept is still in its early stages, and those involved are often learning on their feet.

In the report that started it all, Towards an Urban Renaissance, Lord Rogers recognised this when he identified the problem of a regeneration skills gap: a lack of multi-skilled professionals who can develop a rigorous economic masterplan, engage local communities and get the best out of talented architects. As a new-born industry, the regeneration sector has had little chance to develop the training programmes or postgraduate degrees to transform planners, economists or housing professionals into regeneration visionaries for the 21st century.

"How many people have the skills to manage urban change? So far, we've looked at static environments, or small interventions. But we're now looking at huge areas," says Brendan Nevin of Prime Focus.

Onwards and upwards
There is little prospect that all the answers to these dilemmas will be found on the conference floor next week. But at least the Urban Summit will allow these issues to be aired and discussed and will, hopefully, ensure that complacency doesn't set in.