policy, geography, gentrification, regeneration, urbanism(s), housing, planning
[Msc] Bringing wealthier people into low-income urban neighbourhoods has become a major goal in UK spatial policy and from 2005 became ubiquitous in regeneration of deprived neighbourhoods. Opponents argue that the ‘mixed communities’ agenda unjustifiably posits gentrification as a force for good and that its policies actually constitute a form of ‘state-led gentrification’ (eg. Lees 2008). This research empirically investigates practices and perceptions of social cohesion in a new-build development associated with the state-led gentrification of a council estate, contextualizing the dominant policy narrative in an everyday setting and appraising the ubiquity of ‘social mix’ in contemporary urban policy.