Researching change

Policy and statistics

Fred Robinson and Alan Townsend (Durham University) produced an account of the development, implementation and impact of community-based regeneration policies and programmes in each area. They used records of central and local government, community organisations, the media and interviews with key actors, past and present.

They also produced time-ordered narratives describing demographic, economic and social changes in the sub-localities since 1971. This was around the peak of the UK’s industrial status owing to the large scale of employment of women in light industries, an important factor in all the study areas.

The key source for data was the decennial censuses. Considerable use was made of 1961 and 1971 data in the original CDP studies.

We used the 2011 census results. Therefore, we have time-ordered quantitative narratives of social and economic change over a 40 year period. During this 40 year period, the UK and the study areas in particular were transformed from industrial to post-industrial in character.

Archives and interviews

Research took place in the North East (Benwell in West Newcastle and North Shields) and Coventry looking at local attitudes, actions, projects, plans, hopes and disappointments from archive material, reports, qualitative interviews and focus groups.

This was led by Andrea Armstrong (Durham University) and Ben Kyneswood (Warwick University).

Interviews have been undertaken with

• former Community Development Project (CDP) workers
• policy makers involved in regeneration and/or community development and engagement
• community activists
• residents

The interviews focussed on the main themes of the Imagine project. These included changing perceptions of community; how important is history in imagining a future; the changing nature of community involvement and hopes and fears for the future.

Co-inquiry action research groups

These were groups of academic and community researchers, one in the North East and one in Coventry. 

Members of these groups were involved in

• steering and discussing the research as it develops
• overseeing provision of training in oral history interviewing
• DVD making
• sharing of ongoing activities and findings
• planning of the launch
• exhibitions and exchange visits between areas
• collective analysis
• dissemination planning