CARLOS GARAICOA Find out more The Castleford Project

Urban Regeneration
The collapse of many of Britain's factories and coal mines has left places affected by
unemployment and poor housing. Urban regeneration is the attempt to reverse this problem
by improving both the physical appearance and the wealth of these areas. Improving
the physical appearance of an area helps to attract people to live there which encourages
business to set up as they know they will have customers as well as many people
who can work for them.
Cultural Regeneration
Cultural projects, such as creating places to have art exhibitions and events, have played
an increasingly important role in British urban regeneration since the mid-1980s, but
recent developments have focused less on large projects, such as the creation of new
buildings for culture, and more on the capacity of arts activities to support community-led
improvements. Many of those working to improve our cities have come to see the community
as its most important advantage. They accept that improving the wealth of an area
and the quality of life there ultimately depend on confident, imaginative citizens who feel
they can make a positive difference to their towns or cities. And the arts have been used
to encourage that individual and community development. Arts programmes have been
shown to contribute to improving community spirit and local image; reducing negative
behaviour and encouraging an interest in the local environment.