Cities and communities

'Community' is a much used yet little understood term. Through a set of detailed case studies of communities in action this book examines the sources of community activism, the ways in which communities define themselves, and are defined by outsiders, and the nature of the interface between communities and public agencies via partnerships.

The report presents the conclusions of a major research programme on strategic, city-wide urban regeneration. Building on case studies in Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh, it proposes an agenda of organisational innovation for the 21st century. Innovations include a long-term process of neighbourhood visioning as a right of all citizens.

Estates of multi-storey housing present some of the most intractable problems for urban policy. Shelter is not enough is an up-to-date evaluation of the issues. Drawing on an analysis of past practice, a 'model framework' is defined which can help to create successful approaches for the regeneration of multi-storey housing.

This report provides an in-depth study of factors that influence the effectiveness of urban regeneration partnerships, and how they work within the national policy context. It highlights the key lessons of partnership, exploring good practice in leadership, visioning and consensus building,

and the translation of vision into workable objectives.

This book will improve understanding of how voluntary organisations are structured and evolve, and how they respond to opportunities and constraints. Drawing on case studies with eight UK organisations, it addresses the key dilemmas of voluntary action and explores how these are experienced and managed within particular organisations.

Managing public services innovation provides an in-depth exploration of innovation and its management in the housing association sector. Drawing on longitudinal case studies and data sets, it explores techniques to develop evidence-based policy in the housing association sector, and makes recommendations for best practice.

This book provides an overview of key social issues set in the context of housing. From minority ethnic housing needs to the housing implications of domestic violence, this broad-ranging study shows how difference is regulated and deploys a distinctive theoretical perspective applicable to other aspects of welfare.

This book makes a distinctive contribution to the debate on housing policy. Bringing together leading scholars from the fields of housing law and housing policy, it engages with the central concerns of policy and demonstrates that the parallel debates of housing studies and socio-legal studies can be strengthened by a fuller exchange of ideas.

The emergence of high levels of unsustainable home ownership has many consequences for social and public policy. Using a wide range of methodological strategies, including in-depth qualitative interviews, this book paints a rich empirical picture of the causes, socio-economic distribution and social consequences of mortgage arrears and possessions.

This book is the first to bring together people from the worlds of architecture, social science and housing studies to look at the future of living environments for an ageing society. It uniquely moves beyond the issues of accommodation and care to look at the wider picture of how housing can reflect the social inclusion of people as they age.

Home zones (areas where cars travel slowly and space has been created for children and environmental improvement) are a common feature of the urban landscape. This handbook explains how to plan and design a home zone in an existing street or as part of a new residential area, including advice and illustrations derived from recent home zone schemes.

This report is the first evaluation of the structural means by which the meaning of partnership is being operationalised at local level, through the development of local compacts. Using detailed case studies of the development of compacts, the report highlights some of the major barriers to, and key lessons for, effective partnership working