Active Communities
Building Community Cohesion: A guide for residents and practitioners
This guide is for residents, community representatives and practitioners who are delivering regeneration programmes at the local level, in Area Based Initiatives (ABIs) and other regeneration areas.
Title: Building Community Cohesion in Area Based Initiatives: A guide for residents and practitioners
Author: Jude Cummins, Sophia Skyers, Riette Oosthuizen and Janet Poorman (Office of Public Management)
Date published: October 2004
Number of pages: 64
The guide is also intended to be useful to government departments, funders and other agencies involved in regeneration, as well as partnerships responsible for monitoring and delivering regeneration outcomes.
In 2001, following the disturbances in Bradford, Oldham, Burnley and other areas, it became clear that the people living and working in some towns and cities were living parallel lives.
The guide suggests concrete ways in which diverse groups of people for example of different classes, ages, faiths, races and ethnicity's can be encouraged to live and work together cohesively within ABIs, and looks at the factors that either contribute to or undermine this process. The guide focuses on good practice examples found during research into community cohesion initiatives.
Key issues in the guidance
In order to promote good relations between different groups in an area receiving regeneration funding we need to:
develop a good understanding of the local context (e.g. the range and quality of services and facilities, the history of the area and the needs of local residents).
define ABIs needs and set geographical boundaries carefully in order to avoid creating further divisions. Initiatives must be awarded equally to neighbouring areas so that no one area is perceived as receiving favorable treatment.
apply flexibility and work beyond the boundaries to ensure that those in similar need are included in the support offered by ABIs and that initiatives do not in themselves become a barrier to interaction between communities.
promote good relationships between communities - People need to work together for the benefit of the whole neighbourhood.
support new residents in segregated housing areas and prepare existing residents for change
carry out effective consultation and community capacity building with local residents. Progress will result when local residents feel confident and skilled enough to participate in regeneration projects and activities.
ensure good communication with residents both within and outside of the ABI. They need to be consulted, fully informed of the progress of schemes, and involved in the funding process.
ensure local leadership and accountability through key spokespeople, local champions and the development of leadership skills amongst those living and working in ABIs. This will give local people a sense of ownership and pride in their area.
monitor and evaluate everyone involved to assess whether the ABI is having a positive effect on community cohesion or actually increasing tensions and increasing divisions between groups.
mainstream community cohesion to help an ABI remain sustainable over a longer period of time. Influencing local policies or securing long-term investment in local areas can do this. This should be built in during the project-planning phase.
The full guide gives good practice tips and examples from successful regeneration programmes currently being undertaken for all of the key issues above.
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Last update: Tuesday, July 22, 2008