Social exclusion in European cities. Processes, experiences and responses

Further information:

This book is part of the Regional Policy and Development Series, which aims to provide authoritative analyses of the processes, problems and policies of regional and local economic development in today's changing world.

It reports on the first stage of a European Targeted Social and Economic Research project, providing a definition of social exclusion and looking at both the processes which cause it and the dimension of the problem throughout Europe. The experiences of people living in areas or neighbourhoods with low rates of social integration are considered, illuminating the human aspect of exclusion where it is most visible. In particular, the contributions in this book analyse social exclusion in specific urban neighbourhoods in eight European countries: Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Sweden.

The book has four specific aims. Firstly, it aims to understand how social fragmentation affects urban neighbourhoods throughout Europe and how the most acute forms of social exclusion find a spatial manifestation in cities. Secondly, it aims to link more general theoretical perspectives on social exclusion in cities with specific empirical studies of particular neighbourhoods. Thirdly, it seeks to explore how new patterns of socio-spatial fragmentation within cities can be related to the emerging European space. Finally, these three agendas lead to a fourth, which is to provide studies which will contribute to forming an agenda for further research aimed at testing the assumptions which underlie the work reported in this book and contributing to policy discussion and implementation at European, national and local levels.

Summary:

Increasingly, concern has been growing across Europe over the disintegration of social relations. This, the first major study in this area, defines what is meant by 'social exclusion' in terms of its causes, how it is experienced, and the way in which policy and community initiatives are confronting the problem.

It is argued that developments in the structure of the global economy, resulting in investment in certain areas, have intensified social polarization and exclusion. The symptoms of 'social exclusion' include long-term unemployment; informalization of work; a widening gap in levels of income, education and health; and changing family structure. This is heightened by planning and housing policies, which often create whole neighborhoods of disadvantaged people.

Comparative studies of communities responding to social exclusion lead to proposals for urban regeneration schemes linking housing with employment as part of a Europe-wide initiative to combat the problem.