Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods

DOCUMENTS

URBACT Results Brochure  Read more
URBACT Tribune 2011 dedicated to Local Support Groups  Read more
Final Publication - URBACT Cities facing the Crisis - Impact and Responses  Read more
The URBACT Tribune 2010  Read more
Dilemmas of integrated area-based urban renewal programmes  Read more
Disproportional Rise of Youth Unemployment - Preventing Young People from Falling Though the Cracks  Read more
"Synthesis of Baseline Studies of the URBACT projects focusing on 'Disadvantaged Neighbourdhoods"  Read more

Disadvantaged neighbourhoods



In cities, wealth and poverty have long tended to concentrate in distinct neighbourhoods.

For more than 40 years, urban policy has had a focus on tackling disadvantaged neighbourhoods:

  • 'Rough' urban renewal from 1950s to 1970s - physical renewal, often relocating the people, was seen as the way to improve deteriorating neighbourhoods.
  • 'Gentle' urban renewal in the 1980s – physical regeneration with some social infrastructure to try to encourage community life. 'Waterfront renewal' made areas more attractive and valuable but failed  to deliver jobs to communities.
  • 'Integrated' urban renewal – in the 1990s physical, economic and social interventions were combined in selected small neighbourhoods  (e.g. the URBAN approach).

Integrated approaches to disadvantaged neighbourhoods have been favoured within URBACT. A number of projects have worked to ensure that people are at the centre of urban renewal policy. They aim to tackle worklessness, crime, health and other social problems whilst carrying out physical developments. 


The SURE project (2009 - 2012) is developing an integrated model to promote sustainable growth and diversify local economies in deprived areas of medium-sized cities. SURE stands for 'Socio-economic Urban REhabilitation Model'. Reflecting partners' specific local challenges, the project is exploring five topics: tourism; enterprise; physical improvements; strategic partnerships; and community development.

Co-Net (2009 - July 2011) has explored current approaches to strengthening social cohesion in neighbourhoods. Despite significant investment in trying to improve the living conditions and opportunities of people in deprived areas, there is increasing polarization and social segregation in many European cities. This can be most evident in the wealthiest cities. Co-Net's aim has been to exchange learning about area-based, integrated approaches to local development that strengthen communities, improve education, employment and the economy.

LC-FACIL was a Working Group (2009 - May 2011)focused on fully understanding the 'state of the art' in integrated sustainable urban development. It has explored the implementation of strategies for social, economic and physical renewal. It has addressed areas such as labour markets, skills, social integration, economic mobility, cities as engines of regional growth and contribution to climate change.

RegGov (2009 - July 2011) has worked on regional governance and the sustainable, integrated development of deprived urban areas. It has explored the role of regions as Managing Authorities and the key actors for mainstreaming these approaches within convergence and competitiveness programmes. It focused on how to build a long term relationship between cities and regional authorities.  It is argued that this is decisive for successful development, implementation and funding of integrated urban development policies.

JESSICA 4 CITIES (2008-2010) has explored how cities can make the most of Urban Development Funds aimed at financing integrated plans for sustainable urban development. Aside from focussing on financing disadvantaged areas, it has worked on two issues. Firstly, how European cities can draw the maximum benefit from Urban Development Funds supported through JESSICA and, secondly, how the implementation of JESSICA can be structured to best accommodate the needs of cities (having regard to existing Structural Fund regulations). EIB were closely involved in the project. 

To find out more about the aims, methods, events and outputs being planned by these projects read the synthesis of their baselines studies.



1. URBACT articles on disadvantaged neighbourhoods
2. PPP and urban development funds
3. URBACT reports and papers
4. Resources/Links



1. URBACT articles on disadvantaged neighbourhoods


  • Petra Potz, (September 2011) 'Co-production of Local Action Plans'

Article by the Lead Expert of the RegGov project published in the 2011 URBACT Tribune, depicting the co-production of LAPs as a central element of regional governance in deprived urban neighbourhoods. Experiences and examples from the RegGov network are presented to stress the necessity of exploring new potentials of cooperation and to create synergies within the Local Support Groups that cannot be expected from the traditional working structures. The article concludes that action fields such as economic development that are important for neighbourhood development usually extend beyond the borders of a quarter or neighbourhood. That is why the perspective has to include all levels necessary and involve both elected levels of government and other agencies and NGOs.

Final report of the RegGov project, introducing the subject of network issues and questions, and common challenges and objectives, as well as presenting the practical aspects of regional governance through examples of local cooperation (horizontal and vertical). The report also focuses on the efforts of Local Support Groups in co-producing the Local Action Plans, but also on the subject of integrated neighbourhood development in practice. The chapter dedicated to the lessons learnt presents recommendations for regional governance. Finally, the annexes of the report provide an overview of the project publications, and seminars and conferences held within the project.

This article by the CoNet project Lead Expert who suggests that  early and more efficient support for young people is urgently needed and lays the stress on the fact that URBACT projects like CoNet are developing promising approaches.

This article was produced by URBACT Thematic Pole Manager, Paul Soto, as an output of the Lyon Open Event on Deprived Neighbourhood and the Crisis. 

This article was written by the Lead Expert of the URBACT NODUS project.  He argues that there have been three generations of area based urban renewal programmes. In the 70s there was 'Rough urban renewal'.  This was followed in the 80s by efforts to keep the original population in place – gentle urban renewal and in the 1990s integrated urban renewal in which physical, social and economic interventions were combined. The new approach requires a high level of cooperation between different levels of government both horizontal (e.g. among neighbouring municipalities, agencies) and vertical (among levels of government cities, regional, national). He argues that a second integration is occurring in which local area based solutions are part of a larger scale regional strategy.

2. PPP and urban development funds


This paper was a product of a seminar of the RegGov network held in Kobanya (Hungary) on June 22-23, 2009. The seminar was based around the involvement of private sector and community representatives in efficient governance models of the regeneration of deprived urban areas. It was understood that although the European Structural Funds are of essential and crucial importance to help the cities in their constant battle against the tremendous challenges they are facing, public activities and resources alone will not solve the problems, even in a medium-term perspective. Therefore, there was a strong need to learn more about the potentials and added value of Public-Private Partnership – not only to open up additional sources for funding, but also to make private sector know-how and skills available for integrated urban policy and the public sector. With this as an objective, this paper offers an insight into relevant case studies from Hungary, Poland, The Netherlands, Sweden and Romania.

In light of the effects that the 2008 crisis has had on EU public finance framework, new financial instruments have to be considered. EU public budgets are strained and public debts have risen to the highest level since the post-war years. In order to return to the pre-crisis debt/GDP ratio, UE-27 will need at least a ten year fiscal adjustment process worth 1 - 1,5% of GDP per year. This will strongly constrain public resources for financing fixed investments. This is one of reasons behind the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions entitled "Mobilising private and public investment for recovery and long term structural change: developing Public Private Partnerships". Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) can provide effective ways to deliver infrastructure projects, to provide public services and to innovate more widely in the context of these recovery efforts.  At the same time, PPPs are interesting vehicles for the long term structural development of infrastructures and services, bringing together distinct advantages of the private sector and the public sector, respectively. This paper brings up an interesting question: is there a risk that the public budget will eventually have to bear the extra expenses of the PPPs. Taking into account the relevant facts and aspects of the entire crisis, the document ends with the conclusion that PPPs initiatives are going to be a challenge for public administrations in the future.


    The paper prepared by Petra Potz the Lead Expert of REGGOV emphasizes that the organisation of private involvement in neighbourhood management through the local support groups is a challenge and an important resource. It is also a precondition for a city-wide integrated approach and has to be tackled from a wider governance perspective. The paper is trying to identify the main action fields in which public authorities need private support, and in which way, and to offer answers to some of the other questions, related to integrating potential forces in the neighbourhoods, and the effect of private involvement on integrated urban and neighbourhood development. This article clearly stresses the importance of a strategic active involvement of private actors at neighbourhood level. It examines what the neighbourhood management includes and tries to identify who the private actors in the neighbourhood are, through an overview of the case studies from Duisburg (Germany) and Södertälje (Sweden). Finally, the article examines the European learning process, highlighting the additional value of a broad platform of stakeholders, public and private, involved at all relevant levels.


    3. URBACT reports and papers

    NODUS has developed a four stage framework for the comparative analysis which has been tested with partner cities. This framework includes all the steps (stages) which are needed to establish a strategically controlled urban regeneration system with area-based interventions: multi-link and potentially multi-level government cooperation model for linking strategic planning and renewal policies (stage 1), methods to identify and select deprived areas, dependent on the aims of urban renewal and the strategic plan towards renewal (stage 2); possible approaches to achieve the social goal (sectoral and area-based policies), including the content of integrated urban renewal activities (stage 3). evaluating the outcomes on a regional level to achieve territorial balance and greater effects for the whole area (stage 4). This paper gives an overview of progress made and conclusions drawn from the first two stages.

    Within the framework of the activities of Jessica 4 Cities project, a valuable study outlining how Jessica works was created. This technical document is very useful for potential Jessica cities as it explains clearly how the scheme works and allows sensible planning. The idea of Jessicability is helpful in deciding which types of projects and groups of projects in urban development should go forward into Jessica schemes.

    A study of the impact and results of the Urban Community Initiative on the integrated approach. The first phase of the evaluation contains a general survey of the 70 programmes and their impacts, including a comparison of performance with similar areas elsewhere. There is also an analysis of URBACT I and other urban networks. The second phase consists of 15 in-depth case studies.

    4. Resources/Links

    • Eurocities is the European network of cities
    • Quartiers en crise - the regeneration network which specialises in issues about regeneration of disadvantaged areas and social and spatial inclusion in cities and also provides expertise to  a number of URBACT projects
    • Community planning website, organised by author and activist Nick Wates, the site is full of valuable techniques for participation. 
    • Restate project (2005)  – restructuring large housing estates in Europe – funded under the Framework Programme  - very useful country reports outlining the genesis of national urban policies. Now a little bit out of date
    • Assessment of urban dimension of cohesion programme and guide on urban dimension.
    • EUKN website for information about non URBACT meetings on urban issues
    • Socially Integrative City in North Rhine-Westphalia - Getting deprived urban areas back on track.
      This report on the socially integrative city in North Rhine Westphalia (involved in the REG GOV project) describes how the integrated approach to disadvantaged neighbourhoods has been applied in the region.  The overall scheme is described, the action levels, how cities apply for development funds, monitoring and evaluation and how networking between cities is organised. It goes on to provide case study examples covering a wide range of themes including housing, transport and environment, infrastructure, education and integration, local economic development, work and qualifications, security, culture and leisure.