Combating the Social Exclusion of Housing Estates

Areas of social housing have been among the primary targets of urban regeneration policy since the late 1960s. But successive regeneration initiatives appear to have made little impact on the most difficult to let estates. Indeed a growing body of research suggests that many of the indicators of deprivation on these estates are getting worse. This paper suggests that the concept of social exclusion is not only highly relevant in describing the situation in which many of the most disadvantaged estates find themselves, but can also offer a foundation for new, more comprehensive strategies to address the problems they face. However, this will require fundamental changes to professional, political and economic cultures. Drawing on a recent programme of research funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the paper outlines the challenges that emerging policies such as the New Deal for Communities will need to address, if the cycle of exclusion is to be reversed.