urban renewal
The attempt to reinvigorate a run-down urban area, such as the inner city. Slum clearance is redevelopment after wholesale clearance of the site, but this has the effect of destroying communities and has become unacceptable; in Oxford, for example, the community of St Ebbe's was relocated at the edge of the city, in Blackbird Leys, leaving the population with a long journey to work and fewer amenities. By the 1970s, the emphasis had, therefore, shifted to refurbishment, and local authorities commonly gave improvement grants to upgrade existing housing. In many cases, this strategy lead to gentrification, and a revival in the fortunes of a decaying area.
By the 1980s, and partly as a result of riots such as those in Toxteth, the British government was concerned to target regional aid, and set up enterprise zones and urban development corporations, while encouraging the growth of housing associations. For a review of urban regeneration in the UK in the last twenty years, see
Many US federal programmes have been directed towards urban revitalization, not all of them successful, but the containerization of Boston's docks, the redevelopment of the waterfront, and improvements in transport facilities have been accounted a success.
