Community involvement has been a growing aspect of urban policy for at least ten years, and has become particularly prominent in the last five, being a fundamental aspect of regeneration, local government modernisation and local governance.

However, it occupies an ambiguous position, mostly lacking specific aims and targets. There is a tendency for community involvement objectives to get swallowed up into the objectives of other fields or to dissipate as programmes unfold.

There has been considerable volume of government guidance on community involvement since 1998. A particular landmark of government guidance was Involving the Community in Urban and Rural Regeneration, produced in 1995. Other than this, guidance is in general policy documents or short pamphlets.

The Urban White Paper of November 2000 promoted Urban Renaissance and contains a prospectus of the urban policy field. A variety of community involvement aims are apparent. Community involvement was an important aspect of local sustainability fostered by Agenda 21 over the past ten years, but what makes communities themselves sustainable. The new plan prioritises community involvement.

The research reviewed guidance and literature on community involvement to pull out implications for the implementation of urban policy. This largely desk based study benefited from interviews with key stakeholders.

A workshop was also carried out with a range of stakeholders including policy officials, local authority officers and voluntary and community sector representatives.

This summary reports on findings from the final report. An interim summary was published in November 2002 and launched at the Urban Summit. ‘Community Involvement: The Roots of Renaissance?’

Community involvement is growing within urban policy but often lacks specific aims and targets. Guidance on community involvement and literature on urban change are rarely linked. Involvement in the voluntary and community sector is most accessible to the whole population.

All objectives should distinguish the forms of community involvement:

To realise government intentions, a statement of objectives across ODPM policy streams should be produced, linking with cross-government policy on active communities and understanding and appreciation of involvement promoted.

Communities and Local Government
contactus@communities.gov.uk

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/09/2003

The Community Development Foundation

research

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Citizens' participation, Support for local groups