Identifying skills needs for improving the engagement of the communities in the housing market renewal process: a case study of neighbourhood facilities in Northwest England
In the late 1990s, several areas in Northwest of England were identified as suffering from social and economic deprivations with low housing demand, abandoned neighbourhoods, where local people and services have moved out. To address these problems, the HMR initiative was introduced by the Dep...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2007
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/7436/1/24p%20ROZILAH%20KASIM.pdf http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/7436/ |
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| Summary: | In the late 1990s, several areas in Northwest of England were identified as
suffering from social and economic deprivations with low housing demand,
abandoned neighbourhoods, where local people and services have moved out. To
address these problems, the HMR initiative was introduced by the Department of
Communities and Local Government in 2003. Nine Pathfinders supported by the
HMR Funds were established aimed at rebuilding communities through creating
places where people want to live and work for the present and for future
generations. This puts local communities at a centre of the programme and they
should act themselves as agents for HMR. The Government has recognised that
community engagement is vital to the success of the HMR process. What little
written guidance is available from the Government for community engagement in
the HMR process is inaccessible or unused in HMR. However, the local protests
on the way that the HMR is being delivered suggest that local communities are
not fully engaged, and highlights that the Pathfinders need the necessary skills for
improving the engagement with local communities in the HMR process. The
Egan report (which is further supported by the professionals in built environment)
has recognised the need for considering new skills and ways of working in
delivering sustainable communities. However, the report does not specifically
address how these skills need to be allocated among different stakeholders. It also
fails to describe the skills necessary to improve engagement with the communities.
This study aims to critically appraise Government policies for community
engagement practice in the HMR process, and investigate the skills needed for
attaining the full level of community engagement in the HMR process. It explores
the roles of key stakeholders and their levels of involvement in the community
engagement process; barriers for attaining the full level of community
engagement; and the stakeholders' expectations from the engagement process that
leads to the skills needs for improving the engagement of communities. The study
applies qualitative research within a nested research methodology with two
phases of case study design (an exploratory study at Elevate East Lancashire
Pathfinder, Blackburn Borough Council and Bank Top; and a detailed case study
in Bank Top, Blackburn). Rigorous data collection and analysis using Nvivo is
employed. Research findings from the exploratory study confinn that local
communities were poorly engaged in the HMR process. This stimulated a
definition of the research questions. A framework for identifying the skills needed
for attaining the full level of community engagement was further developed and
applied for a new play area in Bank Top. Findings from the case study identify
the skills needed for attaining the full level of community engagement in the
HMR process aimed at consulting young people and show some engagement, but
this did not really empower the community. This study generates new knowledge
about the skills needs for attaining the full level of community engagement in the
HMR process. This study also offers a methodological contribution that could be
applied to a similar study for different community groups and different Pathfinder
areas. |
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