Public Housing Redevelopment: Opportunity for Community Regeneration?

This article reviewing Australian and international research on community regeneration within public housing redevelopment, explores implications for Victoria, in building community sustainability within the context of a public-private mix. It shows that the requirements for successful redevelopment are similar to those for sustainable communities, with a need to attend simultaneously to economic, social and environmental development. Public housing redevelopment presents particular challenges requiring careful attention to design, services, management and safety. Equally important are the tasks of confronting social exclusion and poverty. Building community empowerment, cohesiveness and problem-solving capacity require both initial effort and ongoing investment because of the impacts of disadvantage and resident mobility.     

从"为大众的住宅"到"为大众的社区"从"居住区规划"到"社区建设"

在历经20年的建设后，中国的城市住房在数量和质量方面都有了飞跃发展，但同时，城市的富裕居民和贫困居民在住房条件上的鸿沟也日益加大。有鉴于美国在住房建设方面的经验，文章提出应制定一种侧重于社会发展的住房新政策，并提出“为大众的社区”和“社区建设”的概念。     

社会转型与中国城市居住形态的变迁

该文通过对1980年代以采中国城市住房政策和住区规划与设计的考察，结合对社会转型与城市居住形态相互影响的分析，概括了居住形态在宏观上从数量短缺到结构性短缺的变迁过程，并由此总结出当前住区规划应当关注的几个主要问题。     

One step ahead of the bulldozer: historic preservation in Houston,Texas

Community development corporations (CDCs) are often at the forefront of providing affordable housing and social services, restoring disinvested communities, and rebuilding neighborhoods. Most CDCs work in older, inner-city communities that, given their age and location, likely contain older and historic buildings. Thus, there is a seemingly logical overlap between community developers’ target neighborhoods and the tools, strategies, and resources associated with historic preservation. This article uses a qualitative case study of Houston’s Avenue CDC to explore how and why community developers use preservation within the context of a high-growth city. For more than two decades, Avenue has worked in three core neighborhoods in an effort to stave off gentrification via teardowns and townhome redevelopment. The findings show that, for community developers in growing cities, carefully crafted preservation strategies may be a way to challenge the forces of gentrification, displacement, and wholesale physical destruction.     

Dutch Housing Associations: Current Developments and Debates

In the Netherlands, social housing accounts for 37 per cent of the total stock, and as much as 75 per cent of the total rented stock. For observers from outside the Netherlands this seems an anachronism. The dominant institution within the Dutch social rented sector is the housing association: a private organisation, functioning within the public framework of the Housing Act. This paper puts forward an explanation of why the Netherlands' social housing sector is so large. An overview is provided of the social housing institutions at sector level, their effectiveness is evaluated, and questions on the efficiency of the housing associations are posed. Several variants for the future status of housing associations are assessed and the political choice made in 2000 by the Netherlands government is elucidated. Finally, there is a discussion about the recent proposals encouraging housing associations to opt out of the public system and some recommendations are formulated for the Dutch social housing sector. It is possible that these could provide a source of inspiration for housing politicians elsewhere in Europe.     

Hoping for more: redeveloping U.S. public housing without marginalizing low-income residents?

Urban restructuring policies have uprooted residents and dismantled communities. Previous studies focus on housing redevelopment that minimizes the fraction of housing units left for poor residents and on interviewing residents only once the redevelopment has been announced. By contrast, this paper examines how residents over time experienced the HOPE VI redevelopment of the Orchard Park public housing project in Boston, which sought to preserve a low-income community. Using official records and a unique set of interviews with residents before and after redevelopment, we find marked declines in crime and increased residential satisfaction, which are attributed to changes in tenant composition. The redevelopment process reduced the total number of public housing units yet maintained the vast majority of housing for poor families while creating a new social mix. The findings suggest that to more fully capture the impacts of restructuring, existing theory must be expanded to consider who is displaced and how poverty is deconcentrated.     

Privatizing public housing redevelopment: Grassroots resistance,co-operation and devastation in three Dublin neighbourhoods

This article examines variations in residents' responses to proposals to redevelop three public housing neighbourhoods in Dublin using Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and the outcomes their resistance achieved. It investigates the important role that structures of participation and representation and local social cohesion play in developing effective resident resistance to displacement and gentrification through regeneration. In two of these neighbourhoods community representative structures were strong and although one community co-operated with the PPP plans and the other opposed them, both were broadly successful in achieving their campaign objectives. Community structures in the third neighbourhood were weak however and the imposition of PPP redevelopment devastated this community which is now almost entirely vacant. This article provides some important insights for the literature on grassroots resistance to urban redevelopment, welfare state restructuring and public housing redevelopment. It reveals that, despite their lack of power, residents' resistance can significantly influence public housing redevelopment strategies particularly where community representative structures are strong. However for vulnerable communities, where representative structures are weak, the over emphasis on poverty de-concentration and refurbishing the built environment in public housing redevelopment policy can have devastating consequences. Thus, it concludes that the rationale for grass roots resistance to redevelopment is centred upon a strong place attachment, but also opposition to the privatization of public housing and the desire for poverty to be addressed in an holistic manner.     

Self-esteem and Social Motivation in Age-segregated Settings

This paper is concerned with daily life and social negotiation within sheltered housing. The focus of research was to explore tenants' social interactions as older people and as members of a small community, in order to understand better how such settings affect quality of life and environmental meaning in later life. Research took place in three similar sized London schemes, all within the social rented sector. One scheme is managed by a local authority housing department, the other two by different housing associations. Analysis reveals that sheltered housing has significant social consequences in respect of tenants' experiences of this setting as a communal, age-segregated environment. In particular, exploration of the subject of self-esteem in respect to these aspects of the environment highlights both positive and negative features of social life in sheltered housing. Conclusions are reached that in evaluating this form of housing, and any such provision set up exclusively for older people, researchers and providers must pay greater attention to the subject of social interaction, and its benefits and challenges to older people.     

Housing Tenure and Neighbourhood Social Capital

Prior research finds a positive association between social capital and community well-being, ranging from decreased crime to greater local economic development and resiliency. Using a nationally representative sample from Canada, this study explores the specific impact of housing tenure (homeownership vs. renting) on three forms of neighbourhood social capital: bonding (trust, exchanges among neighbours and sense of belonging to one’s community), bridging (participation in local organizations) and linking social capital (voting in municipal elections). Findings suggest a positive association between homeownership and forms of bonding social capital and, to a lesser degree, linking social capital, but no clear effect on bridging social capital. Length of residence, having children at home, education, being a visible minority and region also emerged as significant in many models. We argue that exploring further housing stabilization and community-building efforts among rental properties – both public and private – might yield important social capital returns.     

大型社区的人口、住房、活力与公平 上海大型社区规划理念与策略的社会学思考

文章围绕大型社区的人口、住房、活力与公平问题,对上海大型社区的规划理念与策略进行了社会学思考,并贯穿了对保障性住房规划与建设得失的反思,对上海的新城、大型社区建设及至更多城市新城、新区的住房建设、人口导入和社会管理问题具有启示意义。     

Creating Inclusive Communities through Balancing Social Mix: A Critical Relationship or Tenuous Link?

This paper explores some fundamental assumptions being linked by State Housing Authorities to 'social mix' strategies in contemporary Australian public housing estate regeneration policy. Six case-study estates, two each in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland form the basis for the empirical analysis. The two major ideas emerging from South Australian and Queensland projects are: first that lowering concentrations of public housing and developing more mixed income communities offers a means to reconnect socially excluded public housing tenants to mainstream society; second that a balanced social mix is a prerequisite for the development of 'inclusive', 'sustainable' and 'cohesive' communities. However, in light of the empirical findings that strong cohesive communities already exist on some estates prior to regeneration commencing, there is no evidence that a balanced social mix is a necessary condition for building inclusive communities. Coupled with findings in the projects of inadvertent negative consequences of implementing social mix policies, the paper questions whether policy makers are over-emphasising the extent to which social mix assists regeneration.     

It can be done. Let's think how

This paper explores some fundamental assumptions being linked by State Housing Authorities to 'social mix' strategies in contemporary Australian public housing estate regeneration policy. Six case-study estates, two each in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland form the basis for the empirical analysis. The two major ideas emerging from South Australian and Queensland projects are: first that lowering concentrations of public housing and developing more mixed income communities offers a means to reconnect socially excluded public housing tenants to mainstream society; second that a balanced social mix is a prerequisite for the development of 'inclusive', 'sustainable' and 'cohesive' communities. However, in light of the empirical findings that strong cohesive communities already exist on some estates prior to regeneration commencing, there is no evidence that a balanced social mix is a necessary condition for building inclusive communities. Coupled with findings in the projects of inadvertent negative consequences of implementing social mix policies, the paper questions whether policy makers are over-emphasising the extent to which social mix assists regeneration.     

Social Housing as a Transitional Tenure? Reflections on the Netherlands' New Housing Memorandum 2000-2010

This contribution gives some reflections on the Netherlands' New Housing Memorandum 2000-2010, which was published on 15 May 2000. This Housing Memorandum urges the housing corporations (the social housing organisations which own 37 per cent of the housing stock) to sell 500 000 dwellings in 10 years. This seems to confirm Harloe's assertion that social housing in Europe is only a transitional tenure. Even in the Netherlands-champion of social rented housing within the European Union-the owner occupied sector would seem destined to marginalise the social rented sector in the long run. This paper argues that the housing corporations, being private, independent social entrepreneurs, will be only partially inclined to take the political message of the Housing Memorandum to heart. It is expected that the Dutch social rented sector will remain a differentiated sector and continue to blossom alongside home ownership. Harloe's theory will, in short, not be confirmed by the housing developments in the Netherlands.     

Housing Choice in Retirement: Community versus Separation

This study explored influences on the housing choices of retirees. Sixteen convergent interviewing processes were conducted in inner urban, suburban, coastal and rural locations in South Australia and New South Wales, Australia. In each location, separate interview processes were conducted with retirement village residents and retirees living in the surrounding community. Eighty-one village residents and 73 community residents were interviewed. Convergence (agreement) emerged within and between interview processes about two key themes: community, reflecting social connection and support, and separation, reflecting privacy and independence. A desire for community was pervasive, but was achieved differently in different locations and by retirement village and community residents. Community residents were more concerned about independence and had more negative perceptions of the impact of retirement village living on separation than village residents. Implications for retirement housing are discussed.     

Maintaining an Arm's Length? Housing,Community Governance and the Management of ‘Problematic’ Populations

This paper examines how contemporary social problems of community care, anti-social behaviour, ethnic and racial tensions and the housing of sex offenders are conceptualised in UK housing and urban policy. It explores how and why the populations of social housing areas disproportionately bear the risks arising from these social problems, and how the responses of these populations are subsequently problematised. The redefining of social landlords' roles in managing ‘problematic’ populations is explored, and similarities in the responses to social problems in both private and social housing developments are identified, based around parochial ‘community’ forms of governance. The paper concludes that the increasing secession of local housing governance from a ‘public’ model of provision increases the ‘subsidiarity of responsibility’ upon deprived populations for managing social problems, reflecting a wider imbalance in the societal distribution of risks.     

Housing Pathways of Camping Ground Residents in New Zealand

A housing pathways approach captures the dynamics of housing: people's experiences of movement between dwellings and location, their decision making and preferences over time and space (Clapham, 2002). This paper presents the narratives of camping ground residents and community key informants, through discussing the experiences of residents in, through and out of camping grounds in New Zealand. The movement in and out of camping grounds is not a discrete event, but can be seen as affecting and affected by previous and future moves. This paper has a particular focus on the forced nature of many residents' pathways. The narratives highlight social, economic and political factors affecting residents' access to housing, and show the social exclusion experienced by many residents. The experiences of camping ground residents are placed within the context of the broad housing sector, which draws attention to the complexity of housing pathways.     

居住区改造作为一个文化问题:从西方的角度看北京的旧城改造

一、西方经验回顾1中心问题在旧居住区改造的各种冲击中，文化冲击尤其让人们问如下的问题：快速变化中的城市，我们究竟应该保护什么才能保持城市的个性？除了一些在保护清单上的历史和文化里程碑外，早城中还有哪些环境品质或结构值得保护或维护？除了物质环境外，是不见也应     

'A Risk' or 'At Risk'? Reconceptualising Housing Debt in a Risk Welfare Society

In England, the economic circumstances of housing, employment and social change have served to create problems of housing affordability and sustainability which leave some within the clefts of social divisions. At the same time, the individualisation trend within housing and other areas of social policy is increasingly driven by notions of self-responsibility and risk which can contribute to such divisions. This paper suggests that social policy could be well served by reconceptualising the constitution of risk to recognise its multiple and situated identity and to question, rather than utilise, its associations with mechanisms of individual culpability. It is also suggested that, for housing policy, this requires a re-examination of the legal basis of housing contracts.     

Delivering Social Housing: Examining the Nexus between Social Housing and Democratic Planning

The construction of social housing in gentrifying neighbourhoods can ignite contestation, revealing tensions between economic imperatives, social policy and neighbourhood change. With a view to understanding how the convergence of these agendas preserve unpopular, but socially critical housing infrastructure, the aim of this paper is to explore how the challenges social housing implementation encounters across these agendas intersect with a broader agenda for local democratic planning. Using social housing as our empirical focus and directing attention to the gentrifying local government area of Port Phillip in Victoria, Australia, this paper reveals how a council’s main asset to support implementation – its policy frameworks – creates an urban narrative of social inclusivity and diversity. Through this case, we illustrate how elected officials and some residents draw from these policies to interject into episodes of community contestation, which we argue presents opportunities to expose and renew commitments to social housing over space and time.     

Re-Imagining Psychiatric Asylum Spaces through Residential Redevelopment: Strategic Forgetting and Selective Remembrance

The closure of psychiatric asylums across the western world has brought significant amounts of ‘brown field’ land onto the market over the past few decades. Situated on the edge (or former edge) of many cities, these sites have proven attractive for residential redevelopment. Drawing on two case studies from the UK and New Zealand, we consider the implications of such recycling in the built environment for the memory of the former use, asking how redevelopment addresses the stigmatised past of the asylum. We discuss issues associated with the ‘re-imagining’ of heritage buildings and landscapes and examine the extent to which the past is strategically forgotten or selectively remembered in the repackaging of the asylum as housing. We conclude that while stigma continues to cast a shadow over reuse of former asylum spaces, in both case studies impacts seem to dissipate over time. In the UK, this dissipation appears to be enhanced by the presence of policies that cast redevelopment for housing as a source of funding for heritage conservation.