Regeneration Projects Research Articles

The social return on investment of an urban regeneration project using real-world data: the Connswater Community Greenway, Belfast, UK

ABSTRACT Previous research has illustrated the role of urban green and blue spaces in improving the economic, social, environmental, and health-related outcomes of urban populations. The Connswater Community Greenway is presented as a case study to assess the social value of an urban regeneration project. Using real-world data from two time points (2012 and 2017), our analysis focussed on eight key elements: property values; flood alleviation; tourism; biodiversity; climate change; health and wellbeing; crime; and employment and productivity. Using social return on investment analysis, we estimated the value of the Connswater Community Greenway over a 40-year horizon. The total value was estimated to be between £56.8m and £67m. After subtracting the costs (£42.2m), the net present value of the Connswater Community Greenway was £14.6m - £24.8m. The benefit-cost ratio was 1.34 – 1.59, meaning that for every £1 invested in the Connswater Community Greenway, the local economy gains between £1.34 and £1.59. Overall, the Connswater Community Greenway will provide a positive return on investment which will be realised after 30 years. Social return on investment analysis provides a framework for the incorporation of many multifunctional benefits of urban green and blue spaces into economic evaluation, providing a more complete analysis of value.

Spatial factors affecting the functional diversity of regenerated brownfields: The case of Silesian Voivodeship (Poland)

Abstract Until 1990, the Silesian Voivodeship was one of the most industrialised regions in Central Europe. The restructuring of the national economy after the change of the political system, in particular the extensive deindustrialisation, resulted in the emergence of substantial quantity of post-industrial brownfields. During the research we identified a total of 125 post-industrial brownfield sites that had undergone a regeneration process between 1990 and 2019. The total value of these regeneration projects was estimated at over EUR 1.7 billion. About 55% of the projects were carried out by public bodies, 40% by private enterprises and 5% by non-governmental organisations. The EU aid from structural funds was used in 37% of projects. The aim of the paper is to provide new empirical evidence about the role of spatial factors on the regeneration and new functional use of the brownfields. The analysis has revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between the distance from the city centre and the functions of regenerated brownfield sites: commercial services were located closest to the centre, whereas manufacturing plants and investment zones were found at the greatest distance from the city centre. The research has also shown the crucial role of post-industrial heritage for projects related to redevelopment for public services, which was insignificant for other project types. These results have been interpreted in the context of the rent gap theory and the brownfield redevelopment potential model (the so-called ABC model).

Toward a sustainable urban regeneration? Urban heritage between neoliberal forces and community preferences

The paper discusses a relationship between the neoliberal forces shaping contemporary urban transformations and the social sustainability of recent regeneration projects focused on urban heritage. Analysing two post-transitional cases, based on two different approaches, the paper will provide an insight into the dominant processes influencing both practices, as well as their anticipated/announced social sustainability and its achieved level. The first case is from Serbia - the Power Plant “Power and Light” - which was the first one generating alternating current in Belgrade. Located in the Dorcol area, this ex-industrial setting is situated close to the city center. Since 2005, the entire area has undergone a significant transformation into a luxurious residential and commercial complex, initiated by private investors and directed by city authorities in order to change the previous urban image. The second case, the Contemporary Art Center in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, represents different approach. Created in 1997, the center is a non-governmental organisation of public interest. In 1995 the Municipality of Plovdiv obtained the right to locate the center within the remains of the ancient baths of Rome, which were rebuilt under the Turkish Empire. As the 16th century monument, the building belonged to the municipality and in 2004, the three-year period of support started, provided by the association Art Today (the Swiss cultural program), as well as the National Heritage Fund in Bulgaria. The analysis will be based on the selected principles of social sustainability, simultaneously highlighting the problems of heritage (re)use and regeneration in a challenging global environment of uncertain financial flows and shifting local governmental priorities, which could put on hold or totally ignore the aspect of social sustainability.

Frontline town centres within the area of the Hirskyi Tikych river

The study presents the history of the emergence, development and decline of the frontline towns concentrated in the area of the Hirskyi Tikych River. The research focuses on Buzivka, Buky, Vorone, Zelenyi Rih, Zubrykha, Okhmativ, Sokolivka and Monastyryshche. Natural factors and the branching of the Black Way determined the concentration of settlements in the river area. The study of the frontline towns is relevant due to the peculiarities of urban processes in Central Ukraine and is important for the development of historical and architectural reference plans. The research aims to determine the spatial features of the city centre in the cities of the right-bank Ukraine frontier in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In the course of the study, the methods of analysis (for literary sources), comparative analysis (for the cartography of different times), and a set of field studies were used. The studied towns had an optimal defensive perimeter dominated by a Ukrainian wooden church, and a key element of the spatial image was a residential wooden house. It is determined that the cities of the frontier had political and cultural conflicts with the centre of the state, which caused the loss of the role of settlements and the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the late seventeenth century. Based on historical cartography, source material, and the preserved ancient street network, the urban planning features of the town centres are localised and identified. The frontier towns concentrated in the area of the Gorny Tikich River were economically and culturally united and were characterised by rational planning. Improvements in the town centres of the frontier towns are linked to the political and economic intentions of magnates in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The spatial layout of the town centre was centred around a Ukrainian wooden church, except Monastyryshche, which also had a wooden church in the town centre. The main building element was the Ukrainian wooden house, which defined the spatial and cultural image of the settlement. Due to the uncertain political boundaries and the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the late seventeenth century, the frontier towns lost their significance. In the nineteenth century, except for Monastyryshche, all settlements declined economically and administratively. The practical value of the study lies in the fact that the results can be used in the development of historical and architectural reference plans, revitalisation projects for the centres of historic towns, downtown regeneration projects, and the commemoration of lost important monuments. The research materials can be used in a course on the history of urban planning and architecture of Ukraine, as well as in the development of tourist and recreational routes

마을경관에 따른 공동체 의식 변화 분석 - 전주한옥마을을 중심으로 -

In the village, the community consciousness of members appears as a landscape characteristic according to the passage of time. In addition, when the landscape of the village is stabilized, the relationship between members is strengthened. Urban villages change and become outdated depending on social conditions. So, it investigates and analyzes the landscape data of the village and the status of the community. The Jeonju Hanok village, which is the subject of the study, was restored from an slum urban village through urban regeneration projects. The village is a tourist attraction with more than 10 million tourists. However, as the commerce in the village was strengthened, the function of the village was weakening. Also, the existing village landscape was changing for commercial purposes. The current village is in a situation where the restored landscape can be changed again. Therefore, efforts are needed to maintain the landscape of the village and restore its function. Jeonju Hanok village needed a member's perspective, not a resident's perspective. Lastly, the relationship between members can be strengthened only when the village landscape is stable.

Planning Around Polarisation: Components of Finding Common Ground Based on Regeneration Projects in London and Gdańsk

Various forms of public participation in urban design and planning—as presented and discussed in literature—have recently been challenged by the needs and expectations of different stakeholders, including those coming from the private sector. This comes with a redefinition of the public good and the roles and responsibilities of municipal authorities in post-liberal times. As a result, contemporary participatory processes need to evolve to accommodate not only the wishes and ideas of the local communities, but also those of institutional stakeholders including investors, developers and land owners. This is also accompanied by the demands, expressed by all partners in this process, associated with having a much stronger influence on the final shape of the development policies and planning regulations. The gradual democratisation of spatial planning results in more engagement of stakeholders in the process. The article focuses on the co-design method as a way to bridge the polarisation of interests and find a consensus. The article focuses on identifying co-design components leading to the successful bridging of divisions and the realisation of large-scale regeneration initiatives that could be replicated. The authors have selected examples of large-scale regeneration areas in London and Gdańsk for a qualitative assessment, given the growing polarisation in both Polish and British societies. The discussion will focus on aspects of inclusivity, partnership working in co-design and political risks associated with co-design.

The Role of Community Participation and Social Inclusion in Successful Historic City Center Regeneration in the Mediterranean Region

Historic city center regeneration in the Mediterranean region is often seen as a tool for economic development and tourism promotion. However, the success of regeneration initiatives is not only dependent on financial investments and physical interventions but also on the social, cultural, and environmental sustainability of the projects. Community participation and social inclusion are two important factors that can contribute to the long-term success of historic city center regeneration in the Mediterranean region. This paper provides an overview of the existing literature on community participation and social inclusion in historic city center regeneration and explores their role in successful regeneration projects in the Mediterranean region. The paper argues that community participation can foster a sense of ownership and collective identity among local residents and can provide valuable knowledge and resources for the planning and implementation of regeneration initiatives. Social inclusion, on the other hand, can help to ensure that the benefits of regeneration are distributed fairly and equitably among all members of the community, including marginalized and vulnerable groups. The paper provides case studies of successful historic city center regeneration projects in the Mediterranean region, including Valencia (Spain), Palermo (Italy), and Chania (Greece), to illustrate the importance of community participation and social inclusion in achieving sustainable and inclusive urban regeneration. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for more research and policy attention to be paid to these critical factors in historic city center regeneration initiatives in the Mediterranean region.

Youth Investment Fund to boost vital support for young people

Construction of an OnSide youth zone, refurbishment of a youth centre and involvement of young people in a regeneration project are just some of the recipients of the government's flagship funding programme

The spatio-temporal dynamics of urban growth and population in metropolitan regions of Iran

The spatial configuration and the dynamics of urban physical growth are important topics of analysis in contemporary urban studies. This paper examined urban land expansion and population distribution evolution and their coupling in seven major Iranian metropolitan regions (pop>1M), and it contributes to understanding diverse urban physical growth patterns in the vast Global South. The analysis is based on an innovative approach of integrating two growth indices: a) ULE (urban land expansion) and b) PPE (population pattern evolution), applied to the demographic data and satellite imageries from 1990 to 2020. The findings show that population decentralization and land consumption have been significant over the previous three decades, although spatial growth patterns varied significantly across the chosen metropolitan regions. Furthermore, Iran's urban physical growth pattern goes from monocentric to polycentric, which is largely associated with the parent city's dominance. In fact, urban physical growth follows a concentrated-decentralization trend, with the latter spreading quicker than the former. Despite expectations, the infill growth has not essentially exposed to higher population density. This study's findings can help readers understand the urbanisation pattern and occurrence in Iran, and may assist policy-makers in understanding the physical impact of conflicting national executive policies, such as mass housing supply projects in urban edges versus inner-urban regeneration projects. In addition, it gives a major knowledge of the evolution of urban physical growth patterns, intra-city interactions, and growth drivers.

Walkability for children in Bologna: Beyond the 15-minute city framework

The current research work is based on an extended spatial analysis executed through the application of GIS, aiming at assessing the level of walkability in the city of Bologna (Italy). In particular, the research focused on walkability for children (aged between 5 to 13 years old), as they experience the city differently than adult pedestrians, since they are more vulnerable to road accidents and they need proper infrastructures to freely play outdoors and walk independently. The GIS analysis was based on a series of location-based data retrieved from different open source repositories and focused on the level of usefulness, comfort, safety, and attractiveness of Bologna for child pedestrians. The proposed Walkability for Children Index was aimed at identifying the neighborhoods characterized by the lowest level of pedestrian friendliness in relation to the childrens needs while walking. Results helped to identify and characterize a short list of suitable areas where to prioritize interventions focusing, for example, on guaranteeing the presence of relevant public services within a walkable distance of 15 minutes from place of residence and on the implementation of urban regeneration projects through the tactical urbanism approach.

From ‘brown’ to ‘bright’: Key issues and challenges in former industrialized areas

In the era of climate change and increasing vulnerabilities, the ‘renewable’ choice has become a commonly accepted strategy to promote resilient and sustainable solutions. The intensive activities of the industrialized era of the past century brought disused and derelict land amidst chances and ambiguous issues on their management. Although research on regeneration projects is active, integrated and theoretically grounded approaches are still under exploration. From this spectrum, this work handles the compelling transition on ‘solar energy farms’ (the so-called ‘brightfields’) through a qualitative and multiple case study analysis. This research fills a gap where there is otherwise very little on the subject of ‘brightfields’ as an alternative form of land use management, a persistent problem of urban settings providing an in-depth description of the phenomenon towards a strategy beyond current literature. Key issues of questioning the brownfields’ transformation through a case analysis of the barriers and opportunities of the ‘brightfield’ strategy are provided. Further research is expected to result in supporting tools enabling progress in more sites around the world.

도시재생사업의 경관요소 도출 및 중요도 분석

The importance of landscape is emphasized to the extent that landscape regeneration is mentioned in the guideline of the Urban Regeneration New Deal Project. In this study, the meaning of the formation landscape type in the general neighborhood type was defined and detailed landscape guidelines were presented. Through the review of previous studies on regeneration and landscape and related laws, the landscape elements in the regeneration project were largely identified as buildings, streets, and open spaces, and detailed components of each were also derived. Each element showed a priority targeting experts, and as a result of the analysis, most of the detailed elements of the street type were found to be high. However, the detailed components of the building were also relatively high, indicating that the elements of the building should be considered as important in the regeneration project.

이주민의 지역 문화재생 사업 수행의 장애요소 : 나주의 ‘3917마중’과 ‘A&A문화연구소’의 사례를 중심으로

이주민의 지역 문화재생 사업 수행의 장애요소 : 나주의 ‘3917마중’과 ‘A&A문화연구소’의 사례를 중심으로

도시재생의 마을관리사회적협동조합 활성화에 관한 연구

In order to continuously generate revenue for cooperatives, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has presented business models by sector and type, but unlike the direction of self-sustaining businesses and the will of residents, most of them are public facility management and public service projects, making sustainable business difficult. situation. In order to solve this, it is necessary to prepare and utilize the space that can be owned by the concept of citizen property through institutional and legal improvements so that the village management social cooperative can purchase assets within the urban regeneration project site. It is necessary to recognize that it is a citizen asset and inspire a sense of ownership so that a successful urban regeneration project can continue even after the regeneration project is completed, so the village management social cooperative must take the lead in investing in local regeneration that guarantees asset investment and citizen participation. In addition, by nurturing experts (citizen asset managers) for citizen asset development and granting a certification system, it is required to act as a participation leader for the vitalization of village management social cooperatives. It was suggested that it should be reflected and proceeded.

Health damage assessment of reconstruction dust from old industrial buildings under multi-process.

The regeneration of old industrial buildings produces considerable construction dust, thereby seriously threatening the occupational health of construction workers. The existing articles concerning the exposure and health impacts of reconstruction dust in enclosed spaces are limited, but this research field has received increasing attention. In this study, multi-process during the demolition and reinforcement stages of a reconstruction project were monitored to determine the respirable dust concentration distribution. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain the exposure parameters of reconstruction workers. Moreover, a health damage assessment system for the reconstruction process of old industrial buildings was established by applying the disability-adjusted life year and human capital method to explore the health damage caused by the generated dust at different stages to the construction personnel. The assessment system was applied to the reconstruction stage of an old industrial building regeneration project in Beijing to obtain dust health damage values for different work types and to conduct comparative analysis. The results indicate that there are significant differences in the dust concentration and health damage at different stages. During the demolition stage, the manual demolition of concrete structures has the highest dust concentration, reaching 0.96mg/m3. This exceeds the acceptable concentration by 37%, and the health damage cost is 0.58 yuan per person per day. In the reinforcement stage, the dust concentration generated by mortar/concrete mixing is the highest, but the risk level is acceptable. The health damage cost of concrete grinding, which is 0.98 yuan per person per day, is the highest. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the protective facilities and improve the reconstruction technology to reduce dust pollution. The results of this study can help in improving the existing dust pollution control measures at construction sites to reduce the risk of dust hazards during reconstruction.

Role and Meaning of Public Space: Findings From the Margins of Milan

This article investigates the meanings of the public space, specifically addressing urban marginalized areas. It explores the issue of inequality in relation to public space and how this is reflected in urban policies. Starting from a theoretical framework based on three heuristic dimensions regarding practices, imaginaries, and norms, the authors will analyze through a multidisciplinary approach—that brings planning and cultural anthropology into dialogue—three cases related to some resignification and re-appropriation dynamics within a neighborhood of social housing located in Milan. The three cases concern: a regeneration project of a road accomplished through an experimental municipal device; a recently renewed square located on the border of the neighborhood; the organization of a public event to clean up waste. The public space of San Siro will emerge as an arena where several social actors and their conflicting interests clash, thus affecting the everyday life of its residents and the possibilities for planning an inclusive city as a whole.

Managing TQM's soft side: an explorative study of social care multiservice organizations

PurposeThis paper explores total quality management (TQM) soft domain efficacy in social care organizations to determine the extent to which an organization's project success may stem from soft TQM critical success factors (CSFs).Design/methodology/approachNon-structured interviews were conducted with 16 managers overseeing the prosthetic device regeneration project of the Italian local health unit (located in Salerno) to explore which soft factors could contribute to the success of a social care multifunctional organization.FindingsOrganizations' handling of certain projects, such as pivoting on soft TQM issues, may allow them to be configured as multiservice organizations. Therefore, a conceptual model of a multiservice social care organization is proposed.Practical implicationsFrom a managerial perspective, this study presents an interesting success case of a multiservice social care organization with a total annual expenditure of €20 million on prosthetic assistance. Preliminary data show a 13% reduction in public expenditure for Salerno's local health unit via a refurbishment project.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the soft TQM literature debate: although Italian local health professionals appear aware of soft TQM issues' implementation and consciously apply them in their organization and projects, this occurs more with specific CSFs emerging from the literature. Therefore, this article paves the way for further quantitative and theoretical investigations on the adoption of TQM soft issues in social care organizations' performance measurement.

The life and death of the ‘Baron mall’: The shifting politics of urban regeneration in Valparaiso

The waterfront regeneration of Valparaiso in Chile has been the expression of significant institutional efforts aimed at reaching the so-called urban renaissance of the port-city, seeking to overcome the sustained symptoms of urban decay and economic underperformance. Over the years, a locally born idea became a controversial proposal led by the central government: A privately developed commercial project, named Puerto Baron (Baron Port). This article explores spatialized political struggles both underpinning and undermining this project, from institutional and elite interests pushing its realization to social actions triggering its end. In Valparaiso political and economic forces coalesced across different scales in their attempt to materialize a project that transfers globalized spatial imaginaries with tangled territorialized politics that exceed the limits of the city. Although state-led entrepreneurialism sets the waterfront regeneration agenda, interdependencies with networks of elites and local government were key to sustaining the project. In opposition, social movement strategies of scale jumping help to contest and influence the project’s delay. The case highlights the fragile nature of governing coalitions in Valparaiso as a shift in municipal power, which brought an alignment towards grassroots actors, ended the rather flawed regeneration project of Baron Port. The paper shows how unbounded spatial politics become highly permeated by interests at different scales, though still dependent on national centralized actions and definitions.

How value is enacted by public actors within urban development funding and the implications for levelling up in England

The aim of the article is to understand how public actors perform value and how this effects urban development. This article answers this by examining how value is enacted in urban development funding in England. Urban development funding from central to local government is a key source of financing for regeneration and infrastructure projects. Attending to how value is enacted reveals who shapes the underpinning rationale, which in turn influences how value is represented in decision-making and urban development projects. Building on the recent work in geography that questions the concept of value and drawing on performativity and diagrammatic thinking, this article argues that HM Treasury is central to how value is enacted and that the prevailing conception of value in urban development prioritises short-term, financial outcomes despite an awareness of the need to be sensitive to temporal and spatial concerns. The findings proceed from 24 in-depth interviews with senior civil servants, politicians, local government representatives and policy experts that took place during the summer of 2021. The article concludes by considering the implications for enacting value under the UK government’s Levelling up agenda.

Spatial Reflections on Muslims’ Segregation in Britain

The diversity of multicultural, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic groups and communities within Britain has created cohesion and integration challenges for different community groups and authorities to adapt to the current diverse society. More recently, there has been an increased focus on Muslim segregation in Britain in official reports and reviews. Those documents mentioned the Muslims’ segregation (directly or indirectly) for various reasons, and some recommendations have aimed to improve “community cohesion” in general and Muslims’ “integration” in particular. However, community participation in the design or planning of regeneration and development projects has yet to be focused on, although these documents recommended promoting community cohesion and integration through these projects. Community participation in architecture—in its broader sense—is a crucial aspect that contributes towards fulfilling the tasks of serving communities with different religious and ethnic backgrounds. Muslims’ religious and cultural practices have been problematised in urban spaces and perceived as leading to social and spatial segregation. This paper intends to explore how secular urban spaces are used and perceived by Muslims through their religious and cultural practices. Therefore, the article aspires to inform the community participation in urban projects and demonstrates the role that Muslims’ inclusion in designing urban projects has in promoting cohesion and integration. The Ellesmere Green project in Burngreave, Sheffield, UK, is an empirical example of exploring this locally through semi-structured interviews with community members, leaders, and local authorities’ officials. The findings demonstrate that sacred and secular spaces are interconnected in Muslims’ everyday lives, and the boundaries between them are blurry. The data also show that having the ability to manifest their religious and cultural practices in secular urban spaces does not suggest the desire for segregation, nor does it reduce Muslims’ willingness to have social and spatial interactions with non-Muslims.