IN-PERSON Manchester Livable Cities

Abstract

There is a plethora of literature exploring the potential role of community organisations in local regeneration, often recognising the constraints community-based efforts can face due to structural inequalities. These constraints have arguably been further exacerbated in the context of a decade of austerity, increasing inequality and the impacts of multiple recent crises in the UK, including ‘Brexit,’ the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Yet, there has also been much discussion of the contribution of community organisations in ‘building back better’ from these crises. This paper focusses specifically on community enterprises (CEs) and contributes to a growing literature regarding the impact of recent policy/political developments on these organisations, their community assets and their roles in urban regeneration and gentrification. It is based on doctoral research (2016-2020) which involved scoping interviews with policy/practice experts and in-depth qualitative case study research two CEs, and follow-on research (2022) involving a wider survey of CEs owning/managing different types of community assets and workshops with policy/practice experts. The paper presents findings regarding the impact of recent political/ policy changes on the role of CEs and their assets in neighbourhood change. It considers the relationship between policy narratives which often uncritically promote the benefits of CEs and community assets, particularly in the context of multiple crises, and the realities on the ground. The paper therefore contributes to academic, policy and practice debate regarding how more socially just community-led regeneration might be better achieved, while gentrification and its negative impacts are limited, considering what is required for a sustainable, socially just recovery that enables community-based efforts to flourish.