Regeneration is 30 Conference

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IFHP Annual International ConferenceLiverpool
June 2008
Beyond Regeneration Learning the lessons from an
attempt to create a sustainable community in
Liverpool the case of the Eldonian
VillageProfessor Peter Roberts OBE Chair of the
Academy for Sustainable Communities, UK

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INTRODUCTION

• It is essential to go beyond regeneration and
  create sustainable communities.
• Regeneration in its modern form in the UK can be
  traced back to the Shelter Neighbourhood Action
  Project (SNAP) the report of this Liverpool
  project argued for the comprehensive treatment of
  failing places reflected in the 1978 Inner
  Urban Areas Act.
• The SNAP approach to the creation and management
  of places still has much to offer it is an
  approach which has deep roots, but many of the
  key messages have been neglected.
• Is constant regeneration a given circumstance for
  our communities, or can we learn to manage places
  without the need for further regeneration?
• Heroic and Husbandry models need to think
  whole of life and whole of place.

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DEFINING REGENERATION

• Comprehensive and integrated vision and action
  which leads to resolution of urban problems and
  which seeks to bring about a lasting improvement
  in the economic, physical, social and
  environmental condition of an area that has been
  subject to change.
• Regeneration chiefly occurs in places that have
  experienced change and some form of failure it
  can be typified as spatial crisis
  (mis)management.
• But why wait for failure to occur why not
  manage change, encourage planned evolution and
  avoid the need for regeneration?
• Regeneration is also often regarded as a single
  project, frequently over a fixed time period
  and/or deals with a limited range of elements
  this is wasteful and disruptive.

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REGENERATION AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

• Regeneration is a sub-set of the sustainable
  communities policy system.
• Wider sustainable communities policy system also
  includes the creation of new places (the minority
  of places) and the management of evolving places
  (the majority of places).
• Health analogy
• creating new places maternity and childcare
  services
• managing evolving places preventative medicine
  and fitness
• regeneration accident, emergency and intensive
  care.
• The real measure of success is to manage
  evolution and to anticipate the need for the
  transformation of places this avoids the need
  for regeneration.
• Problem prevention (or avoidance) is preferable
  to having to deal with an emergency this
  approach is more effective in social,
  environmental and economic terms maintaining
  healthy places is the aim.

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TYPES OF PLACE
Regenerating Places
Evolving Places
NewPlaces
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POLICY CONTEXT

• Context of sustainable development sustainable
  communities (including regeneration) activities
  must deliver environmental, social and economic
  outputs and should also reflect other sustainable
  development priorities.
• Equally, it is essential that sector-specific
  activities are delivered through a co-ordinated
  place-based approach attempting to deliver
  sectoral functions, such as housing, transport or
  education as stand-alone activities can result in
  fragmentation, inefficiency and sub-optimal
  outcomes.
• The integrated delivery of sustainable
  communities (including regeneration) should also
  conform to central government community
  priorities and to guidance from local government
  and other sources it also reflects European
  Union policy Bristol Accord and Leipzig Charter.

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Social Dimension
Inter-generational Equity
Intra-generational Equity
Places
Economic Dimension
Environmental Dimension
Politics and Applications
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SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES CONCEPT AND PRACTICE

• Sustainable communities are places where people
  want to live and work, now and in the future
  they can be neighbourhoods, villages, towns,
  districts or entire regions.
• Objective of most regeneration exercises is to
  transform failing or restructuring places into
  sustainable communities.
• In practice the characteristics that guide the
  creation and maintenance of sustainable
  communities are almost identical to the
  characteristics of successful regeneration.
• This suggests that we can move to the abolition
  of regeneration, but only if we ensure places are
  managed as sustainable communities.
• But it is also essential to recognise that common
  characteristics dont imply a one size fits all
  approach application varies between places.

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COMPONENTS OF A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY

• Eight Basic Components
• active, inclusive and safe fair, tolerant,
  cohesive
• well run effective and inclusive participation
• environmentally sensitive caring for
  environment and resources
• well designed and built quality environment
• well connected good services, access and links
• thriving flourishing and diverse economy and
  jobs
• well served good public, private and voluntary
  services
• fair for everyone just and equitable
• Plus the extra essential component placemaking
  the process of bringing the eight basic
  components together to plan and deliver a
  community.

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KEY COMPONENTS
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REGENERATION LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

• Key features from ODPM/BURA study, Rowntree
  evaluation and recent party reviews of policy
• Major elements determining success almost
  identical to sustainable communities model
• Emphasis on economic activity creation and jobs
  provision
• Linking jobs to local people through training and
  advice
• Establishing and supporting community facilities
  and capacity
• Promoting social, cultural and leisure activities
  and services
• Improving residential neighbourhoods and housing
  quality
• Provision of excellent transport links,
  especially public
• Effective management of the environment and
  resources
• Good partnership and effective engagement
• Above all else, good strategic vision and quality
  programme delivery at all spatial levels
• All of the above are essential components not
  optional activities

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SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

• Skills and knowledge requirements specialist
  and generic
• Common or generic skills include
• visioning, strategy building and innovative
  thinking
• partnership, team working, inclusion
• analysis, decision making and evaluation
• leadership and supporting delivery
• programme and project design and management
• process management and enabling change
• stakeholder management and conflict resolution
• communication
• These skills are required by all members of the
  sustainable communities or regeneration team
  this implies lifetime learning for
  professionals and others, including councillors
  and community/voluntary sector members.
• Knowledge support is also essential to accelerate
  capability.

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THE ELDONIAN VILLAGE

• Eldonian Village is in the Vauxhall Road area of
  Liverpool an area of multiple deprivation,
  comprehensive redevelopment and extensive
  decline.
• Eldonians established early schemes aimed at
  resisting relocation of residents and improving
  housing stock but these were only the
  foundations for more extensive engagement.
• By the 1980s it was clear that the local
  community needed to take direct action this
  resulted in proposals for the first stage of the
  Eldonian village an earlier housing
  co-operative was reconstituted as a
  community-based housing association.
• The CBHA was established as part of a wider
  structure.

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THE ELDONIAN ORGANISATION
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LESSONS FROM THE ELDONIAN VILLAGE

• They satisfy most of the sustainable communities
  criteria at a high level they have a whole of
  life and whole of place approach.
• Other key features-
• clear strategy and sense of purpose
• high level community engagement and ownership
• innovation, determination and dedication
• excellent leadership and partnership
• concern with quality and effectiveness
• willingness to learn, share experience and
  mentor
• But this takes time a more than 20 year
  programme.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

• It is important to make the transition from a
  regeneration rescue approach to a sustainable
  communities managed change model.
• Whilst celebrating the success of regeneration,
  we must also commit to its abolition to do
  otherwise will perpetuate a culture of failure
  and rescue.
• The Eldonian case demonstrates the need for this
  transition to be done with the community.
• It is also essential to recognise that such an
  approach can take 10 or 20 years to implement.
• The ASC is keen to learn from your experience and
  to engage your active support in changing the
  culture.