Collaborative practices for inclusive urban regeneration

Co-production is at the core of the work carried out by the URBACT project SURE

This article draws in particular on the work of the URBACT project SURE. The project involves nine medium-sized cities that came together to learn from each other about inclusive socio-economic regeneration strategies.

The authors take a close look at the practices implemented by one partner city of SURE in this area. Dun Laoghaire Rathdown (DLR) has indeed developed successful initiatives of inclusive regeneration by promoting co-production, co-management, and co-governance at local level. These three collaborative dimensions of urban regeneration are levers which generate positive outcomes in terms of inclusive socio-economic regeneration. The municipality initiated three projects; each of them illustrates one of these dimensions.

Co-producing a community garden: a successful way to develop a social network

Co-production refers to an arrangement where citizens produce in part the services they use themselves. After having consulted local residents on whether they would be interested in developing a community garden on a piece of waste ground adjoining their properties, the Shanganagh Community Garden was really created and maintained in a collaborative manner.

The municipality of DRL improved the ground and provided the basic infrastructure for an allotment, growers pay for all equipment and materials needed to cultivate their plot and grow their produce, and a social enterprise provides horticultural training. Moreover residents have the opportunity to connect with a rapidly growing social network composed of various people from the community who are interested in cultivating the Shanganagh Community Garden.

Strengthening community development by co-managing a community centre

Co-management refers to a situation where different organizations work alongside each other to co-ordinate the delivery of a service or project. In DRL the Shanganagh Park House is an example of this: This local community centre provides space for several projects and services. People come there to help with the running of crèches for small children, support women who suffer from abuse, or provide sport for young people. The municipality owns the building and contributes towards its running costs. The community groups pay a rent for the space they use which goes towards the payment of administrative staff and running costs of the building.

The management committee of Shanganagh Park House consists of representatives from the non-governmental organizations, which are using the building, local politicians as well as officers from the municipality. They share responsibility for the management of facility, in particular making sure that sufficient income is generated without curtailing the range of services local people want to see in this community centre.

Fostering co-governance within a cross-cutting regeneration strategy: the RAPID programme

Co-governance is about strategic planning of a service or a project. Actors from different organizations and sectors share policy priorities and may translate these into strategic plans. RAPID (Revitalising Areas through Planning, Investment and development) is a national programme in Ireland which operates in disadvantaged urban areas. RAPID addresses eight thematic areas: physical environment, health, education and training, employment and enterprise, community development, family support, community safety and young people. In DLR, the RAPID programme was established in 2001 to tackle socio-economic disadvantage and social exclusion in two neighbourhoods, which also form part of the SURE target area.

Local and national government engage with locally determined priorities through the governmental structure of the RAPID programme. The RAPID coordinator reports to the Steering Group, which is composed of residents, politicians, non-governmental organizations and public agency representatives. Each of the eight areas’ task groups has a similar mix of members.

What makes RAPID different from many regeneration partnerships is that the co-governance arrangement is not focused on a single funding stream or a single issue. The RAPID structure offers itself as a framework through which decisions on a range of funding opportunities and regeneration priorities can be made.


The authors explain in this article that co-production enables clearet analysis of the purpose of collaboration and on the relationships that are involved in the production, management and governance of a service or policy. In the context of urban areas these distinctions can provide a better set of tools for understanding the processes at work than the broader concept of partnership.

Read more:

• SURE - URBACT website
• Download Co-Production A New Perspective on Partnership Thematic Paper (261.62 KB) - PDF
• Download The Urbact Tribune 2011 (6.25 MB) - PDF
• Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council -  website