In the past decade, urban regeneration policy makers and practitioners have faced a number of difficult challenges, such as sustainability, budgetary constraints, demands for community involvement and rapid urbanization in the Global South. Urban regeneration remains a high profile and important field of government-led intervention, and policy and practice continue to adapt to the fresh challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, as well as confronting long standing intractable urban problems and dilemmas.

This Companion provides cutting edge critical review and synthesis of recent conceptual, policy and practical developments within the field. With contributions from 70 international experts within the field, it explores the meaning of 'urban regeneration' in differing national contexts, asking questions and providing informed discussion and analyses to illuminate how an apparently disparate field of research, policy and practice can be rendered coherent, drawing out common themes and significant differences. The Companion is divided into six sections, exploring: globalization and neo-liberal perspectives on urban regeneration; emerging reconceptualizations of regeneration; public infrastructure and public space; housing and cosmopolitan communities; community centred regeneration; and culture-led regeneration. The concluding chapter considers the future of urban regeneration and proposes a nine-point research agenda.

This Companion assembles a diversity of approaches and insights in one comprehensive volume to provide a state of the art review of the field. It is a valuable resource for both advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students in Urban Planning, Built Environment, Urban Studies and Urban Regeneration, as well as academics, practitioners and politicians.

About the Author

Dr Michael E. Leary is a Senior Lecturer and Course Director for the MA Planning Policy and the MA Urban Regeneration at London South Bank University. Michael qualified as a Chartered Town Planner in the 1980s. Over the years he has worked in public sector planning and as a planning consultant.

Dr John McCarthy is a Reader in Urban Studies in the Institute for Building and Urban Design, School of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University. John worked as a planning practitioner in the public sector in London in the 1980s, and has worked in academia at the University of Dundee and Heriot-Watt University.

Reviews

"With international scholarship and case studies from every continent, this Companion is destined to be an essential reference for anyone interested in urban regeneration. Accessible essays cover every aspect of the problems cities face worldwide and report on the solutions that have been tried using the latest research." Yvonne Rydin, Professor of Planning, Environment and Public Policy, Director of UCL Environment Institute, UCL.

"The Companion is extraordinary in the scope of the cases covered. Focusing on Europe and Asia, it points to the similarities and differences among a vast number of projects in developing and developed countries. It shows the effects of neoliberalism on regeneration programs but also the ways in which resistance to megaprojects has been effective." Susan S. Fainstein, Visiting Professor, LKY School, National University of Singapore and Senior Research Fellow, Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

"Leary and McCarthy's impressive collection of papers is a timely reminder that urban regeneration is not confined to the glamour cities of North America or the command and control centers of the EU. Urban regeneration is global, complex, multi-faceted and not always right." Professor Robin Boyle, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Wayne State University, USA.

"This book packs in-depth analyses of urban regeneration processes from 70 international experts into six accessible sections examining topic areas from emerging reconceptualizations of regeneration and community centered regeneration to neo-liberal perspectives and culture-led regeneration. With ambitious goals, Leary and McCarthy deliver." Mehdi Comeau in CITIES

"This volume is successful overall because the international case studies and comparisons presented help bring into focus the challenges and complexities of urban regeneration initiatives around the world." - Fernando J Bosco 2015 (Journal of Regional ScienceVolume 55, Issue 2)

'The companion' is a remarkable collection of critical reviews and analyses; benefiting from case studies and empirical accounts from all corners of the world... the international diversity of contributions sets 'The companion' apart from other books in the field.. its breadth should ensure that it emerges at the pinnacle of the avid student's personal 'reading list'. - Lee Pugalis 2015, Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal, Vol. 8, 4, 413-416

Book Information
ISBN 9780367660130
Author Michael E. Leary
Format Paperback
Page Count 616
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g