Research

The Brief

The exploration of how inner city urban regeneration in the USA addresses the social inclusion of black and minority ethnic youth populations.

Methodology

The research project will seek to investigate both the physical form of inner city neighbourhoods as well as the social side in terms of the community that inhabits it. The relationship between a number of different factors will need to be considered in each area:

1. The social glue – individual and group relationships
2. Civic infrastructure – formal organisations and networks functioning in the area
3. Physical infrastructure – physical character of housing and estate layout, provision of community facilities and focal points for the community
4. Social and spatial relations – of the area with the rest of the urban region within which it is located.

This will involve looking at the history of each area and its young BME inhabitants, its current conditions and it future ambitions. As such I will be aiming to meet with Universities and similar institutes which have researched into this area, public and private sector companies that provide funding and the physical infrastructure as well as community groups who look at enhancing conditions within the area.

Objectives

1. Establish what research has been conducted in this area and the effect this has had on urban regeneration.
2. Find examples of successful schemes that encourage the social inclusion of young BME groups into the wider community.
3. Determine the benefits of the above not only for the BME groups but also in terms of the wider impact on the economy.

Aim

Identify best practice in urban regeneration with regards to addressing the social inclusion of ethnic minority youth groups that could potentially inform future policy and programme development in Nottingham.

Justification for research

There are three main reasons behind my choice of research topic.

1. Demographics

Out of those living in Nottingham city centre 20% are under 20 and 19% are from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups. Inner city areas like St Ann’s, the meadows and Hyson Green are heavily inhabited by BME groups and are also riddled with poverty. Research has shown large disparities when comparing inner city areas with more suburban areas including higher crimes rates, higher unemployment and lower qualification attainment. Nottingham itself suffers specifically from high rates of teenage pregnancy, crime and school absenteeism. It is therefore important that time and money is invested in these areas so that people that live there have the same opportunities as people living in more affluent areas. This will also help to counter existing stereotypes that currently surround ethnic minority groups. This research will consider ways in which this can be achived.

2. Current research/projects

The need to address social inclusion in these areas is something that has been indentified for a long time however current research still indicates major problems within inner city areas. There are a number of brilliant projects going on in Nottinham to try and counter these problems however we still have failed to create cohesive communities that see equal opporunities for all. It therefore seems important that new approaches are considered.

3. Future

There are now new groups migrating into the city (e.g. Eastern Europeans) however our failure to learn from the minority groups that have been living in the city for decades mean we cannot hope to adequately support the inclusion of new ones without further research.

Why America?

Current Climate

The current climate in America would suggest that this would be a very interesting time to conduct such a piece of research. Barack Obama made history on 4^th November 2008 when he became the first black President of the United States and with that came the hailing of a new era in race relations. Urban policy has been highlighted on the White House agenda including addressing housing, education and law enforcement in a bid to create conditions for neighbourhoods where, as President Obama states, ‘the odds aren’t stacked against them’. Civil rights has also highlighted on the Whitehouse agenda. It will therefore be interesting to see how social inclusion of these groupsis being addressed in light of the above points.

Demographics

The population of the USA is over 300 million and a quarter are under 18. 81% live in urban areas and 26% describe themselves as something other than white. In fact projections suggest that by 2042 non hispanic whites will no longer be the majority. The demographics of the population differ from state to state to city to city which means there is potential to learn a lot of different things in differing circumstances rather than taking a one size fits all approach.

Current Influence

There have already been a number of schemes aimed at addressing social inclusion that have been bought over from America and successfully implemented in the UK for example the Family Nurse Partnership and Champions within the Community. This demonstrates that schemes can be successful on both sides of the Atlantic. Therefore there is no reason why we cannot learn from examples in America.

My research scholarship will begin when I fly out to New York on 1^st September for 11 weeks. During this time I am intending to visit the following places across the USA:

• New York
• Boston
• Dartmouth
• Columbus
• Chicago
• Seattle
• San Francisco
• Houston
• New Orleans
• Philadelphia