Matthew Jackson argues the Budget has delivered incentives for local economic development which will only serve to exacerbate gaps in our already imbalanced economy.
March 2011 - Page 2 of 5 - NewStart
We must confront the need for planning structures and incentives that reinforce sustainable and socially just outcomes rather than potentially undermining them, argues Kate Henderson.
As Urban Forum, and many others, have consistently said, the opportunities that Big Society can offer will be wholly undermined if those who lack power and resources are not supported to take advantage.
For cities to triumph, we have to at least consider what residual effect this has had on those left behind and not deny them the right to articulate that in whatever form, even if the resulting message isn’t as sexy as a packed out lecture theatre full of LSE urbanists.
The interesting data about wellbeing comes at the very local level – looking at how different groups, or people living in different places, experience their lives.
The next wave of development zones will benefit from expected measures such as simplified planning rules and lower levels of corporation tax. Councils are also likely to be able to keep high proportions of the business rates they raise in the zones. The key issue is how these measures impact upon the neighbouring areas.
Evidence from east Lancashire suggests assumptions we make about the needs of the unemployed are often wide of the mark. Adrian Nolan and Stuart MacDonald examine how to ensure we don’t end up with an oversimplified welfare to work programme.
These projects have helped secure measurable improvements. People enjoyed having more people to speak to, were able to meet new friends and as a result were less socially isolated – particularly older and young people.
How come he’s not blaming the banks for crippling the economy and refusing to lend to businesses, they asked. Why is he not blaming huge supermarkets for obliterating small traders, they wondered.
As poverty in Toronto’s residential tower blocks becomes increasingly more concentrated, campaigners are calling for a collaborative approach to the issue. Clare Goff reports.
