Why People are the Most Important Factor in Urban Regeneration

Abstract

Opinion article about the factors that trigger urban regeneration and the factors that make them a success or a failure. These questions are especially pertinent in Eastern Europe, where the need for a renewed economic boost in cities is even greater than in Central Europe. One of the most important factors of success is recognising the complexity of these developments. And much like a biological ecosystem, a city’s urban tissue is enormously complex, with many stakeholders, existing infrastructures, site contamination, public and private collaborations, planning procedures and financing formulas. The “human factor” being the most important one. When redeveloping widely used civic spaces, deeply embedded in the hearts and minds of people and communities, it is imperative that urban design professionals get this right. Identifying the most important factor is the easy bit. It’s making it work that’s the challenge.

Keywords

• Urban planning
• master planning
• urban regeneration
• transformation
• community
• people