Community Renewal’ is the name given to a social housing urban renewal initiative developed and led by HNZC in New Zealand. The Community Renewal programme is a partnership between HNZC, local and central government agencies, and the people living in renewal areas to promote safe, healthy and confident communities.
Health by design Ltd was contracted to Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) to undertake an international literature review and comparative analysis of social housing urban renewal initiatives, as one component of an overall evaluation of the HNZC Community Renewal programme.
This report is in five sections.
Section One is an introduction.
Section Two describes the objectives and method of the study.
Section Three outlines the key features of New Zealand’s Community Renewal programme – a social housing urban renewal initiative. It describes both the overall programme framework and the specific projects being implemented.
Section Four considers the New Zealand Community Renewal programme in the context of social housing urban renewal initiatives internationally through comparison between New Zealand’s initiatives with those of Australia and England.
Section Five summarises the lessons learnt from evaluations of social housing urban renewal initiatives internationally.
Appendices I and II describe international community renewal programmes in Australia and the United Kingdom respectively. Key features of Australia’s social housing urban renewal initiatives are described, with a particular focus on three states; Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. Both overall programme frameworks in these states and case studies of a couple of initiatives within each state are included. Key features of social housing urban renewal initiatives in the United Kingdom are described, with a focus on England.
Appendix III briefly describes the literature on community renewal in Canada and Ireland.
Appendix IV provides summaries of what published literature reveals on the lessons that have been learnt from social housing urban renewal initiatives internationally, both in terms of what works and constraints to success.
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Purpose
The purpose of this comparative analysis reviewing international literature was:
• To indicate how ‘Community Renewal’ is similar and different from social housing urban renewal initiatives in other countries;
• To indicate how and why urban renewal initiatives are successful; and
• To identify and discuss any constraints that might prohibit success.