Since 1997 and the accession of New Labour to Government, area-based regeneration programmes have been undertaken to alleviate multiple deprivation within inner-city areas. Improvements and positive change was to be achieved through the implementation of Urban Regeneration Companies, who were responsible for establishing a regeneration framework for the area and overseeing its implementation. This thesis undertook a multi-methods approach to understanding how regeneration practice has impacted upon sense of place and well-being amongst local residents living within an area of regeneration in the North-West of England. The research incorporated both a pragmatic and participatory approach to the research, drawing upon visual methods to capture the experiences of local residents, alongside more traditional research approaches, including participant observations in the community and semi-structured interviews with residents and regeneration professionals. Fieldwork was conducted over an 18- month period between 2006 and 2008, during which I undertook a 12-month placement at an Urban Regeneration Company in the North-West of England. The findings from the study identified a disconnect between how local residents experienced notions of sense of place and well-being and that articulated by the professional community through regeneration practice. Local residents discussed a sense of place-well-being dynamic, identifying the importance of third places within the community and reflecting upon their deep rooted attachment to home. Physical transformation brought about by regeneration professionals had the potential to undermine this sense of place-well-being dynamic, challenging local residents' claims to space and resulting in the alienation of local residents in the place- making process. A stakeholder event was facilitated at the end of the research to engage the professional and resident community in a process of active dialogue and shared visioning. The outcome was a series of recommendations for changes to regeneration practice and policy that need to be implemented if regeneration is to situate notions of sense of place and well-being within the change process and to ensure that local residents are involved in the place-making agenda. In capturing and bringing together the perspectives of both the resident and professional community within a single regeneration programme, the research makes a unique contribution to the field of sense of place, well-being and urban regeneration practice.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:582567 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Woolrych, Ryan |
| Publisher | Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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