In an attempt to ward off the post-Christmas blues, I had a read of the Scottish Government’s regeneration strategy published in December 2011. It’s a comforting bedtime-story type of read because it reassures us that there are still people out there who believe in the notion that we should and can support those who are most marginalised, even in a time of financial constraint. Just because we’re in the middle of an economic crisis, doesn’t mean to say that regeneration is simply a luxury that we can do without. Regeneration is for life, not just for Christmas (sorry, I couldn’t resist!) The strategy defines regeneration as an ‘holistic process to reverse economic, physical and social decline of places where market forces alone won’t suffice’, thereby acknowledging the (pretty obvious) limitations of the traditional trickle-down model and highlighting the clear role that government can play in supporting communities. Its vision is … (To read the full article, subscribe below)

Sarah Longlands is research fellow at the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) and PhD student at the Department of Urban Studies, Glasgow University
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