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Example 1: local champions, Glasgow. There are local
residents who feel strongly about a single issue and who mobilise others
to become involved. In the Gorbals, one such issue was uninhabitable
damp houses. These local champions took on local government and after a
prolonged campaign, won the battle and eventually the housing was
demolished. This left a “can do” legacy in the local community. It is
worth noting that a number of these local champions went on to set up
and support other services in the area such as the Credit Union and the
Gorbals Initiative. One problem is that these local champions are
ageing, and how can younger people be mentored, and encouraged to take
their place? A similarly impressive initiative in the East End was that
taken by the local community to establish the Bambury community centre,
which provides facilities locally for a range of different client groups
in the community. Here too, however, it is clear that the success of the
project owes much to the force of personality of a number of key
local champions .
Example 2: Collective mobilisation by community, Fatima
Mansions , Dublin . In this case, the impetus for a plan for
regeneration came from the community, and this formed the background to
Dublin City Council's own plan for regeneration. The community in Fatima
was extremely pro-active through the locally organised group, Fatima
Groups United. This group commissioned a socio-economic profile of the
community, its needs and wishes in 1998. The survey was directed by a
researcher but carried out by members of the community. After further
intense consultation with the community over two years the group
published and launched a document, Eleven Acres, Ten Steps .
This document comprised a brief from the community of Fatima Mansions to
the planners, developers and service providers tasked with the
regeneration of the housing estate. It set out the community's vision
for its future, and invited Dublin City Council to enter into a dialogue
on how the area ought to be regenerated. In turn, Dublin City Council
produced its own regeneration report. Following further consultation and
agreement with the residents, the independently chaired, Fatima
Regeneration Board was established and is proceeding to implementing the
regeneration on a partnership basis.
Outcome
- Residents see that as a result of their initiatives,
mobilisation and actions, change can be brought about.
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Partnership, Urban regeneration and
the European city: a community participation perspective
