Revitalising Deprived Urban Neighbourhoods

An Assisted Self-Help Approach

Governments in Western Europe and North America have placed job creation initiatives at the heart of their policy for revitalizing deprived neighbourhoods. However, relying on this alone is problematic and these governments are becoming increasingly interested in finding ways of enabling communities to help themselves. Drawing upon original, in-depth studies of self-help activities in both deprived and affluent neighbourhoods in UK cities, this book examines why the populations of deprived neighbourhoods are more likely to be excluded not only from the labour market but also from adopting self-help practices in response to their situation. It also identifies the barriers which discourage participation in self-help projects. A combination of policies are advocated, bringing together innovative bottom-up initiatives such as LETS, time currencies and Employee Mutuals, with top-down policies such as Active Citizens’ Credits. This book instead suggests a fresh and positive approach towards revitalizing deprived neighbourhoods based on seeking the full-engagement, rather than merely the full-employment, of deprived populations.