With reference to examples, evaluate the success or otherwise of urban regeneration schemes in combating the causes and consequences of urban decline. (40 marks)
Urban decline is the deterioration of the inner city often caused by lack of investment and maintenance. It is often but not exclusively accompanied by a decline in population numbers, decreasing economic performance and unemployment. There are many reasons for urban decline such as loss of industry through changing market conditions or a lack of withdrawal of government support, Political decisions – governments can favour some cities over others, and encourage the development of some areas over others. Outmigration of wealthier and more skilled people leaves a lesser qualified population behind, which means less skilled workers are taking the jobs, and not doing them right linking back to a loss of industry, really urban decline is one big cycle, and it’s very hard to escape. This is where urban regeneration schemes come into play, urban regeneration schemes are used to improve the appearance of our towns and cities and to regenerate the area by restoring confidence and attracting new investment. In most cases they are used to improve the appearance of public open spaces in the centres of our cities, towns and villages. There are various government led schemes to regenerate cities, I am going to write about three such schemes, in London, Bradford and Southampton, and evaluate the overall effectiveness of whether they have in fact combated the cause or consequences of urban decline.

UDCs (Urban Development Corporations) are a form of property led regeneration established under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. The scheme was run by an executive board and was given money by the central government to spend in the best way for the local area, although there aim was always to improve the area in such a way that businesses would see it as potential investment success. The scheme where market and property led allow physical changes to be made, for example they improved infrastructure to attract businesses and it was market forces, not planners, that decided the ultimate layout of the area, allowing what they wanted to occur, a business led area.

An example of a UDC is the London Docklands UDC, where the aim was to improve the area in such a way that it had an attraction from any business, whether it was financial or media. And they did this be improving the infrastructure, which included new busses and up to 90 km of new roads, they also wanted to improve the environmental image of the area. In a way the UDC was very effective, it had a leverage ratio of 1 to 8.5 (billions) and it created a second CBD on the Isle of Dogs, which many reviews saying the area looked a lot better with new waterfront walks and parks and an ecology site at East India Dock basin.

However improving the overall look of the area and infrastructure isn’t always key to improving the consequences of urban decline, The social aspect of regeneration wasn’t looked at in the process, the lives of the local people were not improved, the new bus system and jubilee line was to expensive, and the jobs created were either relocated from elsewhere or were management jobs, which were very unsuited to the lower skilled residents who previously laboured on the docks. So really the scheme hasn’t really worked, it has created an area with great business prospect, but hasn’t actually regenerated at all, socially people where neglected and are still in the same position now, or worse, because house prices in the area have risen, meaning the majority who previously lived there cannot afford to stay so without choice had to move.
With a total population of 450,000 Bradford is one of Britain’s 10 largest cities, with its early growth centred on the wool and textile trade, the city is famous for links with the Bronte sisters and the artist David Hockney. It is also renowned for the race riots in 2001. The city has been keen to rid of its latter image through the embarking in a multi-million pound urban regeneration scheme.

The city’s social and economic base has completely changed following the collapse of the textile industry, whether it be manufacturing or retailing, and symptoms of urban decline and social deprivation are all too evident. Parts of Bradford are among the poorest in England, being the sixth worst for unemployment (4.6% compared to the national average of 2.8%) and fifth worst for low income, 44% of children live in low income households, compared to the national average of 27%. In 2000, only 34% of children achieved A* to C grades at a GCSE standard. Bradford has a large Muslim population playing a significant part in the cities business and cultural life, making up a fifth of the population. A large proportion of the old housing stock is substandard. So as you can see urban decline has had a very negative impact on Bradford, creating very bad consequences too many people lives.

Bradford is trying to erase its negative image and to exploit a number of its positive attributes, multi-culturist, services and tourism. Heritage tourism is being encouraged and many factories of the industrial revolution have become museums, craft centres and galleries, or they have been subdivided to create small business units, providing business opportunities. Warehouse conversions are becoming increasingly more popular. A scheme called ‘visions of Bradford in 2020’ has recently been implemented, based upon ‘park in the city’ concept that offers open green and leisure spaces, re-introduces water into the city centre and highlights much of the cities heritage of listed buildings. The scheme involves four regenerated quarters within the heart of the city, each creating new spaces for commerce, education and leisure, as well as incorporating the natural feature of the river Aire, long buried under the city. However due to the recent credit crunch the scheme has taken a hold for the time being.

The problem is that whether this regeneration will actually tackle the fundamental problems of Bradford’s historical legacy. However as you can see Bradford have realised that to beat urban decline the regeneration process is more than just bricks and mortar, it’s about making the whole place socially friendly allowing everyone a new chance to change for the best. They have breathed a new life into the city and created an environment that supports the people who live and work there, which personally I think is fundamental to urban regeneration as unlike London Docklands who just aimed to target potential business partnerships, as well as this Bradford have also kept in mind that the people who live there still need to be protected.

Southampton has a worldwide reputation as a port city; this fame was founded on the great ocean liners that carried large numbers of passengers across the Atlantic Ocean. In order to remain a business port however the city has had to make regular changes to its port traffic. When air transport increased, it reduced ocean passenger traffic, the port turned first to the cross channel ferry business and then to containerised cargo, however competition between nearby Portsmouth meant there was little success with the ferry business and, but the container business did boom, but this is now under threat due to lack of waterfront space. This has caused a little urban decline.

But to prevent this like many other cities Southampton has tried to regenerate its central area, to attract potential business investments, so they do not fully rely on the declining port business. With the aim to have a strong retailing centre, and this has been successfully undertaken, involving three flagship development schemes, Ocean Village- a large marina development with housing and leisure facilities, Southampton Oceanographic Centre- a world leading ocean research institution, providing thousands of every skilled level jobs, combating the unemployment crisis found in the decline. And West Quay retail park- one of the largest projects of its type in Europe. So as you can see Southampton have also taken a different approach to regenerating with the aim to secure a stable economy.

To conclude it is fair to say that there comes a time in the history of most towns and cities where urban decline will occur and deliberate attempts have had to be made to regenerate and revive flagging fortunes, following London’s lead, Bradford and Southampton have all had to invest heavily in regenerating and conquering urban decline, Bradford due to heavy deindustrialisation and Southampton for the order to boost its economic status. But the question is have they combated the causes and consequences of urban decline, it is clear in each case that there has been a significant improvement in the social, economic and physical environment, yet at the same time issues do still remain, so they haven’t really combated fully the consequences of urban decline.