Estates on the Edge

Estates on the Edge recounts the decline and rescue of low-income government-sponsored housing estates across Northern Europe giving a vivid account of the intense physical, social and organisational problems facing social landlords in five countries. The ownership, management and letting patterns diverge sharply between the Continent, Britain and Ireland, between council landlords, non-profit, co-operative and independent landlords. But their community problems reveal similar trends towards poverty, polarisation and incipient breakdown. To avert the threat of incipient ghettos the stabilising pressures need to be stronger than the growing pressures towards chaos. Governments have become directly involved in estate rescue because of the vital social role estates are playing. The book traces the process of decline and renewal and shows how we can learn the lessons of policy failures and successes.

'Anne Power addresses one of the most pressing social-policy issues of our time - how do we respond to the growing polarisation of poverty in our cities? This issue is of great concern in both the USA and Europe. Instead of the usual social scientist's wail of despair Power focuses on how local, co-ordinated responses have worked, in five nations. All of the studies involved the people who live in these communities, and intensive, sustained, social action. This is a book for those who want to change the world.' - Howard Glennerster, Professor of Social Policy, London School of Economics

'All over Europe, government-sponsored, large-scale housing developments are facing intense social dislocation. This book not only asks why, but uncovers some successes in helping Europe's most marginal communities. It is essential reading for anyone concerned about the complex lives of millions of people living in them. I urge you to read this fascinating book - its conclusions affect our lives.' - Lord Rogers of Riverside, architect

'The creation of spectacular mass-housing estates became a goal of social policy. Some of the five-and-a-half million units quickly became a nightmare for their inhabitants. Why, where and how did the disasters occur? To answer these questions, Anne Power conducted a detailed enquiry into different estates in five countries. Her findings not only have rare precision, but also allow us to discover the successive phases of decline, and to grasp the real prospects for renewal. This book is a mine of information and analysis.' - Albert Martens, Professor of Urban Sociology, University of Leuven, Belgium

'It is hard to be objective when recounting the experience of estates like Broadwater Farm. Anne Power's book presents a balanced account of the difficulties and progress of a large London estate in the 1980s and 1990s. It puts the British experience in a broader context and explains why so much effort is required to rebuild confidence within communities under pressure.' - Gurbux Singh, Chief Executive, Haringey Council, London

'Estates on the Edge is a compelling historical analysis of how large social interventions, such as public housing programs, which were implemented to stem the ravages of urban poverty were ill-prepared to deal with the complexitites of concentrated unemployment, social dislocation, local and national politics, and shifts in the global economy. The failures are calamitous but the success stories are riveting and inspiring.' - William Julius Wilson, Harvard

'Estates on the Edge is the first comparison of how such costly housing aberrations could have occurred. Such estates are hard to run, hard to love, hard to integrate...and hard to forget!' - Housing Today

ANNE POWER