Mixed Communities as a Means of Achieving Sustainable Communities: A Comparison Between US Experiences and UK Policy Intentions

Abstract

Current British urban policy reflects the importance of the concept of mixed communities as a means of achieving sustainable communities. This paper will argue that the relationship expressed in UK policies between ‘mixed’ and ‘sustainable’ communities tends to refer to the final stage of the (re)development process of a community (the product), with far less consideration of all the in-between phases (the process). By comparing actual experiences in two US cities with the UK's policy intentions, this paper suggests that one of the implications of the emphasis on ‘product’ rather than ‘process’ is that the aims of sustainable communities may not be realised because they may be diverted during the process and because the in-between phases themselves could be intrinsically unsustainable.

Acknowledgements

This article is partially based on the results of a wider research project carried out at the Johns Hopkins University's Institute for Policy Studies in 2005/06, sponsored by the Italian foundation Compagnia di San Paolo. I feel particularly indebted to Colin Marx for his constructive comments on earlier versions of this article.

Notes

¹ This fear emerged during a meeting with the local residents in the community centre of Cabrini Green in April 2006.