Getting Residents in New Build to Mix
This is a Cohesion Counts overview of the project. Click here for the project leader’s report.
Background
Project Objectives
What the Project Did
Did it Work?
Recommendations
Summary project report
Background
The Housing Market Renewal programme is about developing new build mixed tenure schemes. We believe these developments are more likely to be sustainable in the long term if they are cohesive and different groups of people get on well together.
We know that people are more likely to have positive attitudes towards people from different backgrounds if they interact with one another. We recognise that mixed tenure new build in our areas are likely to attract a range of people so we wanted to understand whether providing opportunities to mix early on is likely to have a positive impact.
Project Objectives
To provide opportunities for new build occupiers to mix
What the Project Did
Selected three new build developments, all with very different characteristics, carried out consultation with residents and then responded with activities designed to provide opportunities for mixing.
Development 1 – residents were from the same ethnic group as each other and the wider community and consultation suggested that they thought themselves to be ‘100% cohesive’. We did not pursue activity here.
Development 2 – this scheme had been marketed as being very separate from the wider socially rented estate it was built on. People did not particularly want to be part of the wider area, which would not be a problem except that for some there were also signs that they did not see this as a long term home. In this case the socially rented estate had some high quality facilities and it was decided to try and draw the new build residents into using them and therefore mixing with the wider community.
Development 3 – this apartment scheme was planned to be mixed tenure, 50% intermediate market and 50% socially rented. The credit crunch pressures led to this being a 100% socially rented scheme but the local authority agreed to aim for an economic mix by being flexible with allocations.
The RSL marketed the scheme to the economically active to draw a wider range of people onto the nominations list. As this scheme was very delayed the RSL had time to organise a series of event to bring new residents together. This included: A meet and greet session with welcome packs, joint trips to free gym induction sessions, social event.
Did it Work?
Development 1 – whilst this group thought themselves to be very cohesive in a positive way we did think there are issues around groups who are very close knit and not necessarily welcoming to outsiders. We did not have the opportunity to pursue this in this programme of work.
Development 2 – the activities here were very simple but surprisingly effective at bringing people into the wider estate and encouraging them to mix in a low key way with one another and with others. There were signs that residents would continue to use the gym now they had found it and would be more likely to consider using other local facilities too.
Development 3 – Meet and greet events, Facebook, joint gym induction, social events. The activities here were successful at accelerating friendships in the apartment block. It is still too early to understand whether this will have a positive impact on sustainability of the block.
Recommendations
- Informal activities where people get together to do something are more effective than community or resident association meetings at getting people to know one another.
- A range of activities is more likely to engage a wider range of people.
- A series of activities which allow people to engage in their own time are more effective than one off events.
- It is useful to map out local facilities and – if it is possible, shared inductions and free sessions at facilities may be a good way of getting people to meet one another.
- Provide welcome packs at new build developments describing the wider area and listing useful information including existing groups and facilities.
- If the area has any community development resources, locally based officers are likely to have a network of people who could be effectively engaged.
