Disentangling neighbourhood problems: area-based interventions in Western European cities

Abstract

Urban policies in Western Europe have increasingly taken a territorial focus in addressing social problems through area-based initiatives (ABIs). Policy discourses emphasise the role of the residential environment in the social economic deprivation. However, a territorial focus that tackles both place-based issues and people-based problems would only make sense either when a ‘critical representation’ of the target population resides in several areas in an already divided city, or when neighbourhood effects take place. In the European context, the existence of either scenario is not a matter of fact. Our overview of four urban policies reveals that even though the rhetoric makes multiple allusions to the existence of the two scenarios, there is no convincing evidence. Moreover, in some cases the evidence refutes policy assumptions. This means that the policies are merely tackling unrelated problems: people-based social economic deprivation and place-based liveability and housing issues. In addition, urban policies stand against a backdrop of social and cultural integration debates. It is unknown what the territorial focus will do for integration, but it is unlikely that ABIs will be successful in effectively tackling social economic deprivation in European societies.

Keywords:

• area-based initiatives
• urban policy
• urban regeneration
• disadvantaged neighbourhoods
• neighbourhood effects

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Brooke Sykes, Roger Andersson, and others who reviewed earlier versions of this paper. This research was co-funded by the Corpovenista/ Habiforum Research Programme.

Notes

1. Vogelaar, Ella (2007) Answer to parliamentary inquiries into the selection of neighbourhoods, The Hague, VROM Ministry, Tweede Kamer der Staten Generaal; aanhangsel van de handelingen, vergaderjaar 2007–2008, nr 116, kamervragen nr 29532.

2. The table is based on problem emphases in policy documents (CMA 2007), the MDI (see Neighbourhood Renewal Unit 2004 for exact domain weights), on the indicator weights in the 40 Neighbourhood selection in Brouwer and Willems (2007), and on expenditures after three bidding rounds for Llei de Barris funds, reflecting the discretion of the Generalitat. For the last three cases, a black circle () represents 10% and half a circle () 5% of total domain weight or total expenditure. For the Swedish case, 10 were distributed based on policy documents and cited secondary literature.