Love thy neighbourhood: People and place in social reform

Love thy neighbourhood: Giving local bodies the power to create great places

Article

A blueprint for rethinking and revitalising neighbourhoods policy, this report draws together a wealth of research into how and why neighbourhoods are changing in Britain. It explores the pressures that they face, the resources and capacities they have within them, and how both people and policies can make them better places to live and work.

Despite laudable achievements in the past, neighbourhoods policy has largely fallen out of vogue since the economic downturn, and policy has instead become overwhelmingly focussed on the macroeconomic conditions for recovery and the role of various local and regional bodies in driving economic growth.

Against this backdrop, this report presents multifaceted research into the state of neighbourhoods today, considering which areas are changing most and why, and the ways in which housing, the physical environment, employment opportunities, transport and other factors come together to make 'good neighbourhoods'.

It also reviews the past effects of services, institutions and government policies on neighbourhoods, and assesses the effectiveness of different approaches to neighbourhood and community policy, in order to offer recommendations for how governments and policy can shape neighbourhood developments in progressive and proactive ways.

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