Many challenges face local authorities and communities as they engage in the Government's Market Towns Initiative, launched in 2001. This article first considers vertical relationships and the conflicts which emerged when national and regional agencies attempted to roll out a top-down programme...

After the election of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition in 2010, the UK Government instituted a radical reorganisation of governance structures for subnational economic development in England. This involved the abolition of Regional Development Agencies and the introduction of Local...

This paper seeks to evaluate critically the extent to which there is community involvement in the construction and delivery of urban policy under New Labour, through a case study of the Greater Pollok Social Inclusion Partnership. The paper concentrates on the Scottish experience, but its...

This paper looks at what kinds of spaces are emerging for cultures in Leeds, a city dubbed 'boomtown', due to an strong external appearance of a prosperous city on the move. What we suggest is that, while there is commitment to broad definitions of 'culture' as a way of life, on the ground,...

This article analyses the political, economic and social contexts of Liverpool's successful bid to become European Capital of Culture, 2008. It highlights the juxtaposition in the Liverpool 2008 process of discourses of urban entrepreneurialism and a strong emphasis on community involvement....