Regeneration in

European cities:
making connections
Findings
Informing change
April 2008

European cities can Key points

provide valuable insights
• T
 here is no single ‘European model’ for successful urban regeneration,
into how to tackle deep- but a consistent approach runs through the case studies – a powerful
seated urban problems, local authority is in charge of the regeneration scheme, and is using it
such as the regeneration not just to revive a run-down area but also to change the whole image
of run-down industrial of the city and transform its strategic economic position.
areas. This research
• T
 he authorities realise their city-regions are competing with other places
is based primarily on and have developed coordinated long-term strategies for making their
case studies of major cities places where people choose to live, invest and do business. Their
urban regeneration strategies include practical actions to give vulnerable groups of people
schemes in Gothenburg access to new opportunities.

(Sweden), Rotterdam • S
 uccessful city development requires long-term commitment and
(The Netherlands) and genuine collaboration between many agencies and interests.
Roubaix (in Metropolitan
Lille in France) and draws • F
 or devolved government to work, control over resources, as well
as responsibilities, needs to be transferred from central to local
conclusions for UK policy government.
and practice.
• In France and the Netherlands, long-term contracts between central
and local government provide joined-up funding and motivate local
authorities to work together.

• In all the case studies, much of the local authority’s income comes from
local taxes that are directly linked to the success of the local economy,
providing a powerful incentive for successful city development.

The research
By a team from URBED (Urban
and Economic Development), with
researchers at Chalmers University
(Gothenburg), Erasmus University
(Rotterdam) and University College
London.

www.jrf.org.uk
Background
What makes the scheme special is the way that
Many towns and cities in Britain have the Council, the universities and leading companies
had to cope with the decline of their (including Ericsson and Volvo) have worked together
to create a cluster of knowledge-intensive firms, along
principal industries, as have their
with the facilities and environment to help them flourish.
counterparts in northern Europe. This This is a key part of a plan to establish Gothenburg
study examines how urban regeneration as a world leader in selected niche sectors, create a
schemes have been used to transform diversified local economy, and to attract and retain
the former industrial cities of Gothenburg the talented people that such businesses need. Other
notable features include:
(Sweden), Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
and Roubaix (France) and draws out • the strategic view taken by the City Council and
lessons for the UK. other stakeholders to use the regeneration scheme
to reposition the city’s economy;
• the Council’s decisive role in leading the
These schemes were chosen because they were regeneration process;
being carried out in countries which have similarities • the way in which all interests were prepared to work
to the UK, and in places facing similar problems to together for a common long-term goal;
those found in equivalent British cities. They have all • the strong incentive that the Council had to promote
been under way for many years and are widely seen the economic success of the city as most of its
as successful. The case studies were written with the revenue came from income tax – a local tax in
help of researchers based in the cities concerned. They Sweden – which is clearly related to local prosperity;
look at the approaches taken to urban regeneration and • the realisation that making the city attractive and
economic restructuring, and explore the connections user-friendly was an indispensable part of the
between the physical transformation of the run-down regeneration and economic development strategy;
areas and improvements to the prospects of local • the stress on quality in all aspects of the
people, especially those who were adversely affected by development;
the industrial decline (who are referred to as ‘vulnerable • the commitment to education (particularly technical
groups’ in this study). education) and job-related training, so that all the
city’s residents would have access to good jobs –
with new university campuses located on the site;
Case study: Norra Älvstranden, • having systems in place to cope with plant closures,
Gothenburg which meant that the decline of the yards did not
lead to mass unemployment.
Gothenburg (population 500,000) is an industrial centre
on Sweden’s west coast and the country’s second city.
Norra Älvstranden (‘Northern Riverside’) was the site of Case Study: Kop van Zuid, Rotterdam
Gothenburg’s shipyards, where about 15,000 people
worked until the 1970s, when foreign competition and Rotterdam (population 600,000) is Europe’s largest port.
the effects of the oil crisis led to their closure. In the past it suffered from a poor image and a declining
population. Kop van Zuid (‘Southern Headland’), across
The yards were nationalised and run down in an orderly the River Maas from the city centre, used to be an
way. Other employers rallied round to create new jobs, important dock area, but the port moved out to the
and redundancies were avoided through retraining, mouth of the river during the 1960s and 1970s. Initial
redeployment or early retirement. The redevelopment of plans to build social housing were replaced by a bolder
the derelict site took many years to get off the ground, vision for a new mixed-use quarter that would help to
but the public sector confirmed its faith in the area by change Rotterdam’s image and open up the south side
investing in a range of educational and research facilities of the city.
and by holding major events (such as pop concerts)
there to change its image. Eventually, when the City Central government provided funding for the iconic
Council gained control of the whole site, a proactive Erasmus Bridge, a new metro station, the extension
city-owned development agency began to create a of the tram system, and putting underground the
stylish mixed-use quarter. Although far from complete, railway lines that used to cut off Kop van Zuid from
Norra Älvstranden already provides more jobs, more the adjoining residential areas. However, under the
housing and a much better environment than it did in its Dutch Major Cities Policy, the City Council was
industrial heyday. clearly responsible for developing and delivering the
regeneration strategy. Furthermore, the early public whole. Projects included major transport investments
investment in infrastructure – and the accessibility it and the regeneration of all the main centres. The
created – convinced the private sector that it was safe vehicle for doing this was a city-regional authority, Lille
to invest. Kop van Zuid now has a new waterfront Métropole Communauté Urbaine (LMCU), overseen
with many striking commercial buildings, high-quality by an assembly representing all 85 elected municipal
housing, a first-class environment and a mixed- councils in the conurbation. LMCU entered into a series
use central area that complements the city centre. of long-term agreements with the central and regional
It is attracting creative people, and its success has governments that provided joined-up funding for the
prompted improvements in neighbouring areas. city’s physical, economic and social regeneration.

In addition, the City established a Mutual Benefit The main projects in Roubaix included revitalising the
programme to spread the benefits of the new town’s economy, bringing retailing back to the town
development to poorer areas nearby. Engaging with centre, improving the housing stock, creating a safe
local people also helped to secure breakthroughs in the and attractive public realm, and delivering a range of
way the environment is looked after and to overcome cultural projects. These were carried out in partnership
resistance to change. Other features of the scheme with LMCU by the Municipality of Roubaix, which
include: has worked hard to link employment and training
opportunities for local people (including ‘vulnerable
• the realisation of the strategic impact that the groups’) to all new investment in the town. Other
regeneration of Kop van Zuid could have on the significant aspects of the approach to regeneration
development of the city as a whole; include:
• the leading role taken by the City Council in
developing and carrying out the scheme; • the understanding that the regeneration of Roubaix
• the fact that the national government devolved depended both on the success of the wider city-
responsibility and resources for joined-up urban region and on the transformation of the town into a
regeneration to local authorities – first just to the place of opportunity not just need;
four largest cities, but eventually to 30 towns and • the leading role taken by the city-regional authority
cities; (LMCU) and the local mayors in planning and driving
• the use of the City’s Development Corporation forward regeneration;
to manage the scheme and get a whole range of • long-term persistence and collaborative working
public and private partners to work together; across sectors and across centres;
• recognition of the importance of early investment • the willingness of the municipalities to agree on
in high-quality transport and other infrastructure, priorities for regeneration throughout the city-region;
architecture and the public realm in changing the • the use of long-term funding contracts between
image and connectivity of the area and creating central and local government to secure
confidence among potential investors; collaboration at city-regional level and enable the
• the concerted effort to involve the surrounding implementation of a locally-driven development
communities in the plans for the scheme and to strategy;
spread the benefits of regeneration to poorer areas. • the value of an efficient, integrated public transport
system;
• recognition that culture is a central part of urban
Case Study: Roubaix, Metropolitan Lille regeneration even in the most deprived areas;
• the imaginative re-use of landmark buildings and
Roubaix (population 100,000), once a major textile the use of colour to brighten up the town centre.
producer, is one of the larger towns in the Lille
conurbation (population 1.1 million). After 30 years
of post-war boom, the French textile industry began Conclusions
to collapse in the 1970s. In Roubaix, unemployment
rose sharply in the 1980s, and the population fell. The Although there is no single ‘European model’ for
town became very run-down, but since then has been successful urban regeneration, there is a consistent
making a significant recovery. approach running through all the case studies. Most
notably a strong local authority was in charge of each
Roubaix’s revival has been part of a wider strategy to regeneration scheme, and was using it not only to
reposition Metropolitan Lille as a top-ranking city in the improve a run-down area but also to change the image
commercial heart of Europe. To achieve this, all the local of the whole city and transform its strategic economic
authorities in the conurbation agreed to work together position.
(and share revenues) in the interests of the city as a
The research highlights ten key messages for current 8. Spread the benefits of regeneration and
British urban and regional policy debates: economic development throughout the community
– people in all parts of the metropolitan area need to
1. Recognise that cities are in competition – feel that they benefit from the development of the city
especially in attracting sustainable, wealth-generating and are proud to belong to it.
companies and enterprising individuals. Setting and 9. Build permanent delivery organisations and
managing a strategy to make a city attractive, user- skills – because city-regional development is likely to
friendly and distinctive is crucially important. be a permanent activity.
2. Focus on the wider metropolitan area (or city- 10. Value the role of culture in regeneration –
region) – a city’s economy, residential catchment area cultural projects can help change the image of an
and local transport systems almost always spread out area, give local people (particularly young people and
beyond its municipal boundaries. other vulnerable groups) access to a wider range of
3. Work together across boundaries, sectors and opportunities, generate local pride and build social
professions – successful economic development, and cohesion.
linking disadvantaged people to the new opportunities
it creates, need long-term commitment and genuine
collaboration between many agencies and interests. About the study
4. Devolve real power and resources to city
authorities – since city-regions compete, it is at this The research was carried out by Christopher Cadell,
level that strategic control needs to be exercised. The Nicholas Falk and Francesca King, assisted by
case studies show that the local authorities (working Vassiliki Kravva, with Professor Lisbeth Birgersson of
with neighbours as appropriate) clearly accept Chalmers University (Gothenburg), Dr Marco Van Hoek
responsibility for both urban regeneration and the future of Erasmus University (Rotterdam) and Claire Colomb
development of their metropolitan areas. They also have of the Bartlett School, University College London (and
access to resources to match their responsibilities. formerly with the INTERREG IIIB Programme based in
5. Provide incentives for sustainable success – Lille). It involved an extensive literature review; selection
linking a sizeable part of the city authorities’ income to of appropriate case studies, local researchers and UK
the prosperity of the local economy (e.g. through local partners; preparation of the case studies; two-day
taxation) encourages collaboration and commitment to workshops in each city; and a round-table symposium
making the strategy succeed. to discuss the research findings with policy-makers and
6. Create attractive and balanced residential experts.
neighbourhoods – transforming the prospects of a
place depends on creating environments which people
would choose to live in and which provide benefits for
existing residents.
7. Invest in high-quality infrastructure and public
realm – to change the image of the city and attract
private investment and new residents.

For further information

The full report, Regeneration in European cities: making connections, by Christopher Cadell and Nicholas
Falk, is published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It is available as a free download from www.jrf.org.uk.

Further information is also available from: URBED, 26 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8HP, or [email protected]
Published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, The Homestead, Read more Findings at www.jrf.org.uk
40 Water End, York YO30 6WP. This project is part of the JRF’s research
and development programme. These findings, however, are those of the Other formats available.
authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation. ISSN 0958-3084
Tel: 01904 615905 email: info @jrf.org.uk

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