January 22, 2026

Rethink... regeneration

27 minutes

The government has launched the Pride in Place scheme but is it possible to regenerate urban areas without leaving local people out?

Most buildings have a certain shelf life before they need renovating. Social norms change and the ways people interact develop as society transforms with time. And local economies can change dramatically with once prosperous industrial areas falling silent, or tourist hot spots left behind by low-cost air travel.

But is it possible to do this without being accused of gentrification? Swanky new buildings are introduced attracting people with money, house prices go up, expensive shops and cafes open up and before you know it, local people are priced out of the area.

So are there ways to improve urban areas without leaving local residents behind? How much should any regeneration project acknowledge and honour local history? Isn’t attracting new people, with new ideas and new businesses a vital part of any regeneration project?

Presenter: Ben Ansell

Producer: Tom Gillett

Editor: Lisa Baxter

Contributors:

Dr Eilis Lawlor, Director of the research institute Just Economics.

Patrick Murray, Executive Director of Policy and Public Affairs, the Northern Housing Consortium.

Wayne Hemingway, designer.

Martha Grekos, Barrister who specialises in planning and environmental law.

Paul Chatterton, Professor of Urban Futures in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds.

Rethink is a BBC co-production with the Open University.

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