Transcript Should we learn from Europe?

Regeneration:
what can we learn from Europe?
Max Nathan, Senior Researcher
Centre for Cities at ippr
Think 07, 2 May 2007
The Centre for Cities
•
What? An independent urban research unit based at ippr.
Core sponsor is Lord Sainsbury
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Why? Taking a fresh look at how UK cities function,
focusing on economic drivers
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When? Launched March 2005. Goes independent in 2008
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Where? London, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds,
Birmingham, Sunderland, Derby, Barnsley, Doncaster,
Thurrock, Milton Keynes, Dundee … so far
About this presentation
• Should we learn from Europe?
• How should we learn?
• An example: city centre living
• What else can we learn?
Should we learn from Europe?
• Yes. The best European cities tend to perform better
than American counterparts: higher growth vs
segregation, social exclusion, sprawl
• But UK urban policy borrows heavily from the US:
clusters, city growth strategies, welfare reform, mixed
communities
• And US policy gurus play an important role in the UK
Should we learn from Europe? (2)
• The British view of European cities: urban paradise
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loft living, trams, café culture, iconic buildings …
• UK government: inferiority complex?
• Cheerleading for British cities, or fretting about their
underperformance
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‘Core Cities have turned the corner’ (ODPM 2004)
‘Core Cities lag behind their European competitors’ (ODPM 2004)
How should we learn?
• Are British cities actually doing worse? It’s hard to tell
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GDP per capita: London is 23rd in Europe, other Core Cities are a
long way behind (Barclays Bank, 2001)
GVA per capita: almost all big British cities outperform the European
(and UK) average (ONS, 2001)
• Serious problems with the data: data holes, no standard
definition of a city, differences between data suppliers
How should we learn? (2)
• Borrowing policies should be more straightforward
• Policy concept: feasible, suitable, achievable
• Policy context: fit, history
• No single ‘European City’ model: differences driven by
national economic trends, policy systems, location
• Danger of ‘lofts and latté’
Key finding 4: Direct impacts
Key finding 4: Direct impacts
City centre living
• What’s going on? rapid population growth, investment in
economy, housing, infrastructure
• What’s the attraction? Proximity and buzz
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Liverpool: 54% want to be central, 35% like urban life (CSR, 2004)
• Who’s there: young, single people who don’t stay long.
Students, young professionals and low-income groups
• Problems: over-supply of small flats, lack of services,
‘conveyor belt effect’ as people move to popular suburbs
Barcelona vs. Britain
• City centre living is a partial success: we’ve imported
the buildings, but not the lifestyles
• Why is city centre living not more widespread? Lifestyle
differences between UK and e.g. Spain:
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Shopping – Britons do supermarkets, Spaniards use small shops
Build – Britons prefer old buildings, Spaniards prefer new-build
Perceptions of flats – Britons aspire to houses, but in Spain flatliving is the norm
Family life – Spaniards are happy to bring up children in flats
Second homes – in Spain owning second homes is the norm for
many middle class / wealthy households. In the UK, still rare
What else can we learn?
• Metropolitan governance works well in e.g. France, Italy.
But can take 10-15 years to bed in. Can the UK stick it out?
• City leadership – strong, visible, elected leadership pays
off in e.g. Paris, Berlin. What’s the best model for the UK?
• Connectivity – integrated, well-funded urban transport in
e.g. Berlin, Amsterdam. What can we learn from these
cities, and from e.g. TfL in London?
What else can we learn? (2)
• Public space – cities like Barcelona and Valencia build
high quality public spaces, let local people ‘co-create’ them.
How can we fine-tune public spaces in the UK?
• Urban innovation – cities like Helsinki, Stuttgart seem to
drive forward innovative activity. What are the key features,
and what transfers to the UK?
Questions?
www.ippr.org/centreforcities
[email protected]