Neighborhood Regeneration: The State of the Art

Abstract

In this article, I present a historical overview of neighborhood regeneration programs, concentrating on the United States and the United Kingdom while also presenting programs in other Western countries and in Israel. The overview is based on a series of evaluation studies as well as an extensive literature survey. Three generations of neighborhood remedies identified in all these countries are critically analyzed. The analysis includes a model case of the second generation and a new typology of the third. Based on theoretical understanding of urban processes and the lessons drawn from past experience, the article concludes with constructive proposals for a new generation of neighborhood renewal policies. While former policies benefited either people or areas, the proposals discussed here were developed to promote both and thus, where appropriately implemented, to halt the cycle of distress in neighborhoods.