Book Description:
Distressed urban areas threaten social cohesion in urban regions, the very centre of our economies... This problem can be traced to no single cause, rather it represents a combination of environmental, economic, social and cultural circumstances that take spatial form in different parts of inner cities and suburbs. Thus, it is not so much the poverty, exclusion and economic change fuelling this process that are a cause for alarm, but more the specific dynamics that undermine the capacity of particular urban areas to sustain their own regeneration. Traditional policies have not succeeded in halting this downward spiral which results in unacceptable social, urban and environmental costs which compromise economic development. Most of the sectoral policies pursued until now have proven ineffective because they were unable to address the complex and area based nature of the problem at the local level. The aim of this study is, therefore, to describe this phenomenon, through analysing policies implemented in OECD countries, so as to come up with multisectoral policies that are better suited to the problems they have to address. Policy objectives include attracting investment, creating jobs, rebuilding sound economic and social foundations and, more generally, combatting the isolation from which distressed urban areas suffer. Different levels of government, civic society and the private sector all have roles to play. There are no miracle solutions, and each place requires its own strategy. But over and above the characteristics specific to each distressed area, analysis reveals pronounced similarities, indicating that this is a policy issue appropriate for international study. There is an urgent need for integrative policies based on reinforcement of the local dimension and on partnerships that bring all the actors together.
|
