This Notion Of Sustainability And Holism Is More Than Just The Environment

This notion of sustainability and holism is more than just the environment but the factors that surround the question and possible action at hand. In the 21st Century in the UK, especially with the tightening of the EU's social and environmental laws sustainability is a key word. In order to achieve sustainability there needs to be a balancing of all influencing factors as suggested by Teubner. If one applies this to the question of urban regeneration then it points to the need to allow all sectors of society to become involved, rather than just the mainstream political and economic agendas. This would mean a method to enhance and promote average citizens becoming involved and suggesting how regeneration should proceed. Therefore a method of participation should be created; the role of UDCs could play a very important role in analyzing and formatting the data from such an open forum of participation from the social, environmental, economic and political sectors. This was the consequence of Liverpool Vision, the UK's first regeneration company; however this is not necessarily the outcome. Therefore the following section will explore the roles and consequences of using UDCs. Then the discussion will consider some case studies of successful participatory regeneration and the role of UDCs if any.
The Role of UDCs in Regeneration Programmes:
In England, Lord Rogers 1999 Urban Task Force report recommended an innovative new delivery model called Urban Regeneration Companies as 'dedicated arms-length bodies to co-ordinate the delivery of urban regeneration projects'. The Task Force was clear that although the organizational structures of URCs would differ according to local circumstances, the longer-term goal of all would be to use public sector investment in such a way as to maximize a 'positive market response'. In short, a vehicle through which the public and private sectors combine effectively to create growth and add value for both.
The role of UDCs have become substantially important in the context of urban regeneration as they provide a medium for all interested party to have their ideas and views put across and the company negotiates a balance. The problem with UDCs is that they are privately profit run organizations which will automatically create a bias to those views that have the funding, which are usually private companies whose goal is economic gain. This will create an inherent bias against badly funded social groups and environmental groups because of the lack of capital gain from these sectors of society. Therefore this illustrates the need for tight statutory control and independence of the UDC and ensuring accountability for the whole of the affected populace, rather than the chasing of the big money financiers.