Examine the Contention that Urban Policy Should Focus on Places Rather than People

Urban Policy looks at ways of regenerating urban areas and reducing poverty levels in certain areas. There have been two main arguments as to which the best method of doing this is, whether you should regenerate 'the people' i.e. training, education or the place, i.e. the local economy and buildings etc. In the UK, thirteen million of the fifty eight million population, are classified as poor. There is and always has been a great need for urban policy on regeneration in an attempt to lift this thirteen million people over the poverty level. There has been three of ways since the 1960's in which this has been attempted. In 1970 the Conservative party started a socially driven attempted to reduce poverty in urban areas, this was later taken over by labour in 1974 until the conservatives once again took power in 1979. This time under Margaret Thatcher, who took a new view on urban regeneration. She believed that rather than helping the people, you need to first help the economy and so, took an economic focus, and she concentrated on the place rather than the people. …