Capitalise and empower: exploring alternatives to demolition by housing market renewal pathfindersud

摘要

This thesis examines the issue of housing demolition by Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders (HMRPs), and the potential of community-led alternatives. It begins with an extensive review of the literature relating to HMRPs, focusing on their demolition activity and objections to it. This leads to the development of three theoretical propositions; that such demolition schemes can detrimentally affect the capital wealth of existing residents; that they can fail to empower residents; and that addressing these two issues may lead to more effective interventions. The thesis explores the potential of Community Land Trusts (CLTs) to address issues of resident capitalisation and empowerment, particularly in HMRP settings. Using a case study strategy the theoretical propositions are tested, and attempts to create a CLT in one HMRP area are scrutinised. The thesis concludes that the propositions made are valid for the case, and likely to be valid for similar cases. It asserts that whilst there are a number of challenges in creating CLTs, the model has the potential to capitalise and empower and this should be acknowledged and tested further.