Strategy 1: Urban Development Corporations (UDCs):

In the 1980s onwards the idea was to set up UDCs – using money from the government and tax payer to attract private investment from business to help develop the area.

 One famous project was to redevelop the old Docklands area which had gone into very severe decline

 The London Docklands Development Corporation was born, but was very expensive: £1.86 billion public money was spent along with £7.7 billion of private money.  The investment led to developments very large scale and expensive developments such as Canary Wharf, the O2 arena, and improvements to the transport system like the eastward extension of the Jubilee line with 144km of new and improved roads.

 The land became available through the selling off of 431 hectares of land and reclaiming derelict (unused) land - 762 hectares of derelict land was reclaimed so that improvements through building could be made.

 All in all 24,046 new homes built, an extra 2,700 businesses are now trading, 85,000 people are now working and services like education and health centres have all been improved with funding for up to 11 new primary schools, 2 secondary and 9 vocational centres, redevelopment of 6 health centres and contribution to 5 new ones.

Overall the area has completely changed from a deprived and run down area where people were poor and unemployed to become a major commercial centre and a very desirable place to live with the conversion of warehouses into loft apartments. There is a problem with the original residents feeling side lined and out priced by the newcomers.

Strategy 2: City Challenge Partnership

The City Challenge Partnership was a big initiative in the 1990s designed to try and improve the inner city. It takes a different approach to regeneration as local authorities (councils), private companies (businesses) and the local community worked together from the start.

Our example is Hulme, an inner city area in .

The focus was to improve the housing that had been built in 1960s to replace the old slum terraced housing, but had actually just caused segregation problems. The high rise blocks were poorly built, damp and people did not feel safe. The large areas between each of the curved crescents, designed to be like playing fields for people to meet and use were instead used for joyriders, abandoned cars and as a meeting place for gangs.

£37.5million was spent demolishing the curved crescents, although some older buildings were kept to keep some of the heritage of the area. The replacement housing was varied so it would suit families, young single people, couples and old people with a variety of friendly, welcoming architecture and different building styles and materials to attract new people to the area, while remaining sustainable by conserving water and being energy efficient (and therefore keeping bills down too)

Locals were involved from the beginning and wanted an improvement in the environment, community facilities and shopping provision. As a result – an old church hall was rebuilt to provide facilities for dance and music lessons and shows, numbers of well equipped play and sporting facilities were built along with a number of local primary schools. Finally the high street was re-instated, providing a local shopping hub for the community.

Strategy 3: Sustainable communities – Millennium Village

This strategy is a way of improving the inner city AND a way in which sustainable settlements are being developed. SO you could use it in two sections…..worth remembering that.

Construction of the New Islington Millennium Village began in 2003 in an area previously called the Cardroom estate, a run-down area with poor slum housing and high crime, closed down industry and derelict empty buildings.

The aim of the scheme was to allow people to live in an area where there is housing of an appropriate standard to offer a reasonable quality of life, with access to a job, education and health care within a sustainable community setting.

The locally community association worked closely with the architects, the housing association (who would rent out the housing), the city council and the company in charge of the regeneration; Urban Splash (remember them?!),

As part of the regeneration more than 1000 new houses or apartments were built many private secured gardens; while the refurbishment of the derelict and Stubbs Mill into apartments providing nearly 1000 more apartments.

New office space, workshops and shops were built to provide areas for employment alongside new parks and gardens with 300 new trees and 2 garden islands with an orchard and beach, and new play areas with climbing rocks. Visitors to the area are encouraged to the area by 3000 metres of new canal side for walks, 50 moorings for narrow boats and canal side facilities including 2 pubs, 2 restaurants; 200 on-street and 1200 underground car parking spaces; and a metrolink stop in 5 minutes walking distance

Community facilities were improved with the building of a health centre with 8 GPs, a new primary school, a number of football pitches and crèche.

Underlying all of this is the idea of resources being used sustainably – the area is clearly a brownfield site, so urban sprawl is being reduced, while the developments have all improved the social sustainability side the environmental side of sustainability is looked after by boreholes being drilled into the ground to provide 25 litres a second of naturally filtered water; recycling collection points have been built around the area to encourage increased recycling; and wind and solar panels have been used extensively throughout.