Volume 18 (2024-25)

Each volume of Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal consists of four quarterly 100-page issues published both in print and online. The contents of the latest issues are

Volume 18 Number 2

Editorial
Andrew Tallon, Editor
Practice Papers
Heritage-led regeneration in Gloucester
Paul James, Former Leader, Gloucester City Council

This paper describes the regeneration of Gloucester during the period 2004–20. The regeneration efforts adopted by Gloucester City Council used heritage-led regeneration and involved the local community.
Keywords: heritage; regeneration; conservation; development; buildings; viability; community
English devolution: How city-region mayors and industrial policy deliver local and national growth
Patrick Diamond, Professor of Public Policy, Queen Mary, University of London and Director, Mile End Institute, et al

The newly elected UK Labour Government has acknowledged the importance of devolution and combined authorities to its industrial strategy and growth agenda. The initial signals appear promising. Ministers reiterate that powers and resources will be directed towards improving growth and the productive capacity of sub-regional economies as a central element of Labour’s growth ‘mission’. Yet there is considerable uncertainty about the long-term direction of the new government’s industrial policy, while the role of city-region mayors in industrial strategy is not yet well established. Despite the rhetoric about the role of mayors, there are tensions as well as scepticism in Whitehall about the capacity of combined authorities to deliver for local economies. Industrial policy is traditionally perceived as a national project with sectoral priorities and centrally driven interventions that can, in this case, achieve the ‘mission’ of making the UK the fastest growing G7 economy by the end of the Parliament. Historically, place has not been an integral feature of industrial policy. Nevertheless, it is clear that Whitehall lacks the capability to oversee industrial policy from the centre. There is a risk that in the laser-like focus on growth, combined authorities are treated as agents to be managed and UK spatial inequalities (already among the worst in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] countries) get worse. In this paper, we make the case that devolved authorities and mayors should be the main agents of industrial policy, working in partnership with government. This is because the fruits of industrial policy are deeply rooted in communities in the form of employment and skills and if new more productive companies are to invest, existing clusters mature and further employment be created, that will require sub-regional commitment and leadership.
Keywords: devolution; industrial strategy; local government; combined authorities; regional inequalities; mayors
Research Papers
Sustainable urbanism and infrastructural development nexus in Akure, Nigeria
Julius Oluranti Owoeye, Senior Lecturer, Federal University of Technology

This paper examines how infrastructural facilities provision has affected the urban development of Akure, Nigeria. The study adopts the survey research design (SRD) method to investigate the nexus with the aid of a structured questionnaire on sampled households, as well as personal interviews, observations and photos to narrate the existing situation. The average number of households in Akure was estimated at 95,232, of which 1 per cent (representing 952 households) were systematically sampled. Findings reveal unguided expansion in the growth of the city and uneven distribution of facilities across the city zones. The irregular population influx and increased urban sprawl experienced in the city has been attributed to the massive provision of infrastructural facilities in the recent past at the expense of rural contiguous settlements. Meanwhile, this uneven distribution of infrastructural facilities has significantly affected their functionality, as well as security, housing and transport systems within the city. To mitigate this, the study suggests a corresponding increase in the provision of facilities in the city and in the hinterlands to curb the incessant rural influx into the city. Also, as the city expands, the facilities need to be increased and maintained for maximum utilisation and functionality.
Keywords: sustainable urbanism; infrastructure development; nexus; population influx; Akure
Indifferent coexistence in Dortmund-Hörde: How uppermiddle-class newcomers and long-established working-class residents live side by side in a neighbourhood of contrasts
Verena Gerwinat, Research Associate, TU Dortmund University

Attracting middle-class residents to disadvantaged neighbourhoods is still widely accepted and promoted as a strategy in urban regeneration by urban policy and planning professionals, even though the strategy has often been criticised for promoting the gentrification of these areas. In the traditional working-class district of Hörde in Dortmund, Germany, a closed-down steel mill has been replaced by a luxurious new housing development around an artificial lake. This paper proposes that the planned influx of upper-middle-class newcomers to this area has caused a spatial and social divide in the neighbourhood. The paper examines how winners and losers of structural change live side by side. It shows that interaction between newcomers and long-established working-class residents is extremely rare. Newcomers feel uncomfortable at being an affluent minority in a poor neighbourhood and withdraw into their private spheres around Lake Phoenix. Long-established residents, on the other hand, criticise the newcomers’ lack of interest in engaging with the neighbourhood. They have ambivalent feelings towards the transformation: even though they welcome Lake Phoenix as a project that improves environmental quality and the image of their neighbourhood, it makes them aware of their own social marginalisation. It is argued that this ambivalence prevents open conflicts between long-established residents and newcomers but at the same time increases social distance between the two groups. The findings from the Hörde case study support the thesis that middle-class-oriented urban regeneration leads to small-scale segregation instead of actual social mixing. Furthermore, this paper stresses the importance of the participative planning approach in the urban regeneration process to enable acceptance by the established community and identification with new-build developments.
Keywords: (middle-class-oriented) urban regeneration; social interaction; social mix; small-scale segregation
Slum rehabilitation and sustainable feminine health practices: A case study from an urban slum in India
Muskan Verma, PhD Student, University of British Columbia, Niharika Singh, Assistant Professor, Symbiosis School of Economics, and Sudipa Majumdar, Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) aspire to halve the proportion of slum dwellers by 2030, which prompted the launch of the ‘Slum Rehabilitation Mission’ in India. Rapid urbanisation has been a major challenge due to the proliferation of urban slums, characterised by inadequate sanitation facilities. Females in such informal settlements are particularly vulnerable due to lack of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. In response, the Government of India undertook an urban slum redevelopment mission in 2011, whereby Dhanas emerged as the largest rehabilitation colony in Chandigarh. Our research reveals laudable efforts by the local administration to provide ample access to sanitation amenities and adequate rubbish disposal setups within the colony, making Dhanas an exemplar case. Stigma, embarrassment and shyness surrounding menstruation, however, was prevalent across all age groups. So, despite provisions of physical infrastructure, socio-cultural transformation requires efforts in the forms of community-level initiatives, marketing campaigns, media involvement and corporate social responsibility. This study makes a significant contribution, being the first survey of a slum rehabilitation colony – in Dhanas, Chandigarh – delving into practical civic aspects such as sanitation for girls in school, comfort in the workplace and access to absorbents, among others. Most importantly, this is the first primary study in India to highlight the success of its Slum Rehabilitation Mission at Dhanas, which should be emulated in accordance with Goal 3 of the SDGs.
Keywords: WASH infrastructure; menstrual hygiene; stigma; slum rehabilitation; India
Public sector condominium complexes for low-income dwellers: Social and environmental impacts in Colombo, Sri Lanka
N. Chandrasiri Niriella, Professor of Urban Sociology, University of Colomo

The Colombo City Beautification Project is one of the most discussed social programmes in recent urban development policy. This beautification strategy initiated by the Sri Lankan Government in 2006–14 included urban development and urban housing in the project, which had become a major issue for the city of Colombo. In order to address this, the former government came up with a master plan to relocate over 68,000 underserved households to adequate housing units under the urban regeneration project. The inevitable outcome of the 2011 project was the forced relocation of low-income dwellers into new urban housing communities in Colombo.
Keywords: low-income dweller; public sector condominiums; city beautification; urban regeneration; sustainable urbanisation

Volume 18 Number 1

Editorial
Andrew Tallon, Editor
Practice Papers
Incentivising the market to build affordable housing: The New York City toolkit
Yuxiang Luo, Director of Urban Economic Development, James Lima Planning + Development

Affordable housing is among the biggest policy challenges facing cities worldwide. Treating New York City as a case study, this paper reviews a multifaceted toolkit to combat the housing crisis. Specifically, the analysis focuses on how the government incentivises real estate developers to build affordable housing, with both financial incentives such as tax abatements, tax credits and loans funded by tax-exempt bonds and non-financial means such as zoning regulations. The study demonstrates both the successes achieved by New York City and the unintended consequences that emerged from these interventions, and the research argues that beyond financial and economic considerations, long-range spatial planning factors play a pivotal role in the formulation of effective affordable housing policies. The research underscores the need for policy makers globally to take a holistic approach and integrate various elements of city growth to address the intricate challenges posed by housing crises in urban environments.
Keywords: levelling up; unemployment; infrastructure; skills; productivity; globalisation; networks
Stakeholder engagement: From sharing information and building consensus to mobilising public and private actors to create collaborative ecosystems
Marco Dall’Orso, Development Director, Marina Development Corporation

The paper proposes a novel approach to dialogue with local stakeholders to maximise the shared value that can be generated by infrastructure investments for the benefit of urban communities. The approach proposes a method for deliberately activating synergies between infrastructure and complementary initiatives through the active engagement of public and private stakeholders. In many cases today, infrastructure is designed, financed and implemented as functionally unitary engineering works that meet a specific need, leaving synergies with complementary initiatives to be activated spontaneously. Moreover, the dialogue with local stakeholders is limited and reductive, aiming mainly at the exchange of some project information and consensus building, thus missing the opportunity to identify and mobilise those ideas, capabilities and resources that are always present within a community. In the proposed approach, infrastructure is the catalyst for a long-term vision and stakeholder engagement is the tool for identifying the synergistic initiatives that can be implemented with the participation of public and private actors to maximise value creation.
Keywords: infrastructure; stakeholder engagement; urban regeneration; cities; urban communities; sustainability; impact investment; public–private partnership
Research Papers
Respecting, retaining, recreating: The successful renovation of the Beijing 751 D-Park
Fang Bin Guo, Reader/Senior Lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University, and Yonggang Wang, Designer, Idea Latitude/Urban Planning and Design Institute

Post-industrial sites in Chinese cities are being redeveloped as catalysts for urban regeneration and economic development. Calling the shift from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Created in China’, the Chinese government is encouraging the development of the creative industry to transform post-industrial sites. Successful examples of city renewal projects provide examples of this strategy, tuning into the creative cultures and industrial heritage of these cities and offering platforms for creative enterprises to flourish. This paper describes a recently funded renovation project, Beijing 751 D-Park, which has been undertaken to analyse these opportunities, and offers the initial findings of a case study. It unlocks the development process of the renovation project in terms of its philosophy, design method and planning strategy.
Keywords: urban regeneration; industrial heritage; aged-factory transformation; human-centred design; culture value
Adapting to climate change and the European Union pursuit of a just transition
Brian G. Field, Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Professor, University College London

The European Green Deal was launched by the European Commission (EC) in December 2019, before being formally approved in 2020. It comprises a package of policy measures that aim to set the European Union (EU) on the path to a green transition, with the ultimate objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Despite the EU’s longstanding commitment to reducing carbon emissions in support of climate change mitigation and the achievement of its net zero ambition, this paper focuses on the growing importance of climate change adaptation within its policy portfolio. With respect to the latter, the long-term vision is for the EU to become a climate-resilient society that is also fully adapted to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Achieving climate neutrality and a climate-resilient society by 2050 will be more challenging for some EU member states and regions than for others, eg poorer regions and those highly dependent on fossil fuels or with carbon-intensive industries that employ significant numbers of people. To address such issues, the EU has introduced a Just Transition Mechanism to help level the playing field and provide financial and technical support to regions most adversely affected by the move towards a low carbon economy. The paper traces the evolution of the EU’s climate policy agenda leading up to the adoption of the Green Deal, outlines its proposed road map in pursuit of climate neutrality and a climate-resilient society by 2050, and questions the efficacy of some its intermediate targets including the adequacy and equity of its just transition aspirations. It also details and scrutinises the key role that the European Investment Bank (EIB) will play in supporting delivery of the strategy.1,2
Keywords: sustainable development; resilient cities; climate change; climate change mitigation; climate change adaptation; EU climate policy; EU Green Deal; Just Transition Mechanism; Just Transition Fund; just resilience; EIB climate policy; Europe’s climate bank
A tale of two generations: Justice in cities for a low-carbon world
Alicia Phillips, PhD Researcher, and Raphael J. Heffron, Professor, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour

According to the greenhouse gas (GHG) protocol for cities, GHGs are responsible for an estimated 75 per cent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. This represents a key opportunity to tackle climate change. With the year 2023 and, in particular, the month of July delivering record-breaking temperatures, this demonstrates a clear need to accelerate decarbonisation and, in this context, to reduce the carbon footprint of cities. Further, acting on urban development addresses a number of key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Many cities, however, are struggling to break away from a reliance on carbon and some are economically dependent on it. This paper seeks to investigate, through an energy justice lens, some first considerations of how to secure just and sustainable urban regeneration. It posits that energy justice, and its five core principles, is a useful analytical tool for considering the justice and development concerns related to the transition to a low-carbon world. The cities examined in brief in this comparative study are Bordeaux in France, Venice in Italy, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Bangkok in Thailand. The research posits that despite different trajectories, cities can play a leading role in ensuring justice and sustainability in our low-carbon world.
Keywords: cities; decarbonisation; energy justice; sustainable urban regeneration; economic development; Bordeaux; Venice; Bangkok; Ho Chi Minh City
Stakeholders’ longitudinal perspectives on a large public housing redevelopment in Los Angeles, California
Judith L. Perrigo, Assistant Professor of Social Welfare, Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California, Jose J. Scott, PhD Candidate, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, Victoria Shier, Research Scientist, Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics and Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California and Ashlesha Datar, Associate Director, Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California

The Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere VI programme (HOPE VI) model created a new approach to redeveloping public housing in the US, paving the way for the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI). Unlike traditional public housing redevelopment, CNI aims to revitalise entire ecosystems to create sustainable, thriving communities by focusing on housing, people, neighbourhoods and participatory community planning. This study used qualitative methods to explore the longitudinal perspectives of 12 stakeholders involved in a large CNI-funded public housing redevelopment project in Los Angeles, California. Our grounded theory analysis identified four key themes: (1) persistent community ghosts; (2) growing regeneration rooted in optimism and hope for the future; (3) displacement concerns; and (4) the emergence of a mixed-income dichotomy. These findings underscore the importance of continued community involvement in redevelopment efforts, especially in communities that bear complex historical and social challenges.
Keywords: ecosystems; community development; economic development; low-income housing; public housing; Choice Neighborhoods Initiative
From desperation to best practice: Spatial decision-making in the regeneration of Gyldenrisparken
Nezih Burak Bican, Professor, Department of Architecture, Atilim University

Post-war social housing estates in Europe have been undergoing wide-scale regeneration to improve the physical decay of these sites and address the concentration of vulnerable residents in these areas, which has resulted in their social segregation, marginalisation and stigmatisation. As these estates cover and affect quite large public spaces, holistic approaches have recently been adopted. Bearing in mind that each regeneration case is unique, this paper describes the collaborative approach taken in the regeneration of Gyldenrisparken in Denmark, which evolved from a desperate situation to a best practice case. The paper focuses on the spatial decision-making process — in particular, how the architectural quality of physical interventions was established and how participatory mechanisms were utilised and developed to enable liveable spaces and sustainable regeneration. Making use of a combination of qualitative documentary analysis and in-depth interviews with key actors, this study encompasses the whole regeneration process, including initiatives taken by the housing association and municipal agents, the methodology developed to collect ideas and implement them in the physical design of the public spaces, and the social effort to make the whole process sustainable and the estates liveable. It concludes that post-war estates have the potential to secure their future by embracing physical and social efforts through proactive empowerment strategies and creating new spatial identities.
Keywords: post-war housing; social housing; regeneration; architecture; participation; liveability; sustainability; Gyldenrisparken
Community energy in Italy through the lens of social innovation
Caterina Nicolais, Researcher in Geography and Economic-Politics, University of Naples Parthenope, and Valentina Battista, Lecturer, Materias

Sustainable urban regeneration, in particular with respect to energy, has become a very important issue for local communities currently as a result of the Green New Deal (GND). Renewable energy in domestic consumption is being used to initiate a transition to cleaner energy and limit environmental damage. Through the lens of social innovation, this paper highlights the continuous challenges faced in the transition to lower carbon energy by investigating the opportunity to change the classical top-down management approach to a bottom-up process. The paper fills a gap in the literature by presenting a regional overview of recent Italian community energy sector developments and outlines a number of national best practices in renewable community energy innovation.
Keywords: renewable energy sharing; Green New Deal; sustainable urban regeneration; energy communities; social innovation
Book Review
What’s possible: Investing now for prosperous, sustainable neighborhoods by Kista Egger, David Erickson, Madeline Fraser Cook and Claire Kramer Mills (eds)
Reviewed by Marie Howland, Professor Emeritus, Urban Studies and Planning, University of Maryland