2.1 Definition of area-related aims

Officially declared visions for area-regeneration programmes – either nationwide or city-wide – are usually formulated by a relevant top, i.e. national or municipal authorities and governments. Usually there is no direct influence of the regeneration-areas respectively the local stakeholders on this vision-definition.

The “problem-definition-process” is taking place even before the “area-related aiming-process”. Main issues and questions in this phase are: Why is an area dysfunctional or failing? Are economical issues regarded? Are the reasons policy-failures or market-failures or both? Areas for regeneration should be defined with respect to both their deficits and potentials. This early definition is an important prerequisite for the involvement of partners, especially from the private business-sector. If there is nothing of interest in the designated area for them, they can hardly be motivated to join the partnership. But to reflect the private interests one has to involve the relevant partners in the programming phase or at least one has to strongly take their interests into account.

The definition of specific area-related aims is depending on or at least strongly related to the underlying vision and the problem-definition, i.e. the overall aims of a political strategy, a relevant funding scheme and / or a regeneration programme. And these overall aims are usually formulated in an exclusive political process without stakeholders from the areas. Although one might say that experiences and needs from the area-level feed back into the political decision-process in the long run.

Area-related aims are very often defined in the programming-phase before the actual funding and the structures / instruments for participation are available (exception Kvaterløft in Copenhagen). Usually a broad variety of stakeholders is not yet involved in the process at this early stage.

The Municipalities (Local Authorities) are usually the lead partners in the programming phase and they intend to consult other partners. So the variety of stakeholders involved in the definition process is supposed to be very broad and depending on the underlying funding programme, i.e. from national or even European partners via regional and citywide stakeholders down to local stakeholders in the area.

Local stakeholders are sometimes involved directly and sometimes represented by e.g. local councils, but their influence is usually small due to the fact that the definition power lies definitely within the centralised governmental or the municipal level. Usually there is only consultation of local stakeholders in the definition process with a very limited or just formal participation and with nearly no shared powers or influence on the definition of aims. The area-related definition of aims always depends on the aims at higher levels.

The jointly agreed aims for area-regeneration are finally formulated in an operational programme or an integrated area plan. These programmes or plans define the framework and give guidance for the implementation phase.