The different urban efforts to revitalize urban neighborhoods in the United States and the United Kingdom: comparative case study based on governmental responses focusing on urban neighborhood revitalization

Abstract

Many US inner cities that had once experienced enormous growth have suffered decline in physical, social, and economic respects. This experience has been limited not only to US urban areas but is also apparent in many UK cities. Because the forces of urban decline have been similar in both cases, so have efforts to address their consequences. Urban policies in each country were implemented to regenerate (UK) or revitalize (US) inner city areas and neighborhoods. This study focuses on one aspect of urban regeneration/revitalization. Change in housing characteristics is a key indicator of decline in inner cities, and captures many of the social, economic and physical aspects of decline. By examining changes in housing characteristics, as well as contextual variables such as poverty, income, and unemployment, this paper examines differences in policy approaches to reversing urban decline. A comparative case study of neighborhoods in representative urban areas in each country using secondary qualitative and quantitative data provides evidence of how each country's approach resulted in changes to the neighborhood's housing and social characteristics. Interpreting these changes leads to conclusions and implications for current and future policies in each country.