Breaking Down Barriers
Identifying barriers to cohesion and integration and how to break them down
We did not set out to research the barriers to integration and cohesion in our communities, however, we realised a few themes were repeated through the different projects. This section looks at what we learned about breaking down these barriers.
Places with ‘Exclusive’ Cohesion
Housing Market Perceptions
Myths, Stereotypes, Prejudice and Fear of Change
Developer Attitudes
Time, Expectations and Effort
Design
Places with ‘Exclusive’ Cohesion
We found communities who described themselves as fully cohesive. These were often places where little diversity existed. In some areas, this may not be a problem, but where resources are limited it can mean there are barriers preventing equal access for all. Two examples of this are:
- White socially rented estates where BME residents are not welcome, yet high levels of housing need exist in the adjacent BME communities.
- Areas with high South Asian populations where the community is based on family networks and cohesion is strong Eastern European migrant workers have not been welcome in the private rented sector.
What We Learned
- It is not our aim to promote social engineering but we recognise that the UK is a changing place and this particularly applies in our Boroughs. For communities to be more integrated and for access to high quality housing to be fairer, there needs to be more residential mixing. For us, this means building housing which is not built for, or perceived to be built for, any one group. This would usually mean a mix of tenures, types and sizes in each development.
- As this blend of housing would lead to a mix of residents from different backgrounds, we recognise the need to support cohesion. Interaction does affect attitudes between people from different backgrounds so for us supporting cohesion means providing opportunities for people to mix and interact.
- Both Oldham and Rochdale have run schemes to support people to move to socially rented areas where little diversity exists. The effectiveness of these schemes and recommendations for people thinking of running one are described in Supporting People to move to areas with little diversity.
Housing Market Perceptions
Previous research tells us that housing markets in Oldham and Rochdale are perceived in ethnic terms, and people base their housing aspirations on these perceptions. However, whilst some people might want to live in areas which are not ethnically mixed, many people do, especially younger Asian people.
We found people of different ethnic groups who expressed regret that new developments had, in their view, been marketed to one community above others with the outcome being that only one ethnic group had moved in. In fact these houses had been offered to other ethnic groups through Council nominations which were not taken up, but years on the perception of ‘unfairness’ lived on in people’s minds.
We also detected a view in some places that new development should be for the benefit of the existing community and not to encourage new people into an area at the expense of current residents. This could have been due to the way the original consultation was framed, and led us to see how important first impressions can be. This perspective could lead to a lack of welcoming behaviour towards new people.
What We Learned
- Communications are very important and need to be carefully planned throughout regeneration projects.
- It is not just what you say which creates perceptions, it is also what you do. For example any development of exclusively large houses, in the inner parts of our boroughs, is perceived as being for Asian households. We would suggest a mix of dwelling types where ever possible.
- If you want to create mixed communities you also need to look carefully at marketing materials and ensure they give an inclusive message.
- It is also important that these views are made clear throughout your organisation. If your employees believe homes to be for one group, this is the message that will be given out.
Myths, Stereotypes, Prejudice and Fear of Change
We identified people within communities who had stereotyped views of different groups, whether this was age, ethnicity or some other factor. This had had a range of effects. In one place, older people wanted to live apart from young people because they believed their life styles to be incompatible. In some places stereotyping and prejudice had translated into hostile activity towards incomers.
Some of the people we spoke to throughout the projects lived in neighbourhoods which had gradually changed in terms of their ethnic composition. For many of the White British people who remained in these changed neighbourhoods there was day to day interaction and an acceptance of their neighbours, and for some people a recognition that neighbouring Asian families appeared to have the sense of community they felt they had lost in recent years.
The evidence seems to suggest that myths, stereotypes and prejudice exist where people know little about one another and when people interact, either through living next door to one another or through taking part in activities together, these barriers start to break down.
Stereotypes exist between generations and not just across ethnic groups, one of the projects got young and old to spend time together with very positive changed perceptions as a result.
What We Learned
- Myths and stereotypes about people who are different are best dispelled by interacting. However, it may be a long term process, people will need a certain level of confidence to be able to express their thoughts even in a ‘safe’ environment.
- We found the Philosophy project to be effective in allowing people to talk about differences in an unthreatening but purposeful environment.
- Even when projects were not focused on looking for commonalities, the project participants tended to do this naturally.
- If you are running a project to introduce a new group to an area, it is important to work with the existing community first to prepare them for change.
Developer Attitudes
We looked at newly built schemes which were located in regeneration areas, and one scheme in particular had been developed on the edge of a large socially rented estate with separate access routes which meant it was possible to live there without ever passing through the adjacent housing. The purchasers did not consider themselves to be part of the wider area. (See also Getting residents in New Build to mix)
Developers tend to promote this idea of ‘exclusive development’ in order to sell their property but we would argue that this does not help the long term sustainability of the development as residents are less likely to stay than if they are living in a place they feel they belong.
What We Learned
- It’s important to work with developers around how schemes are marketed in regeneration areas. There will be aspects to the area which can be promoted positively.
- Consultation with the existing community can have an impact on cohesion in new build schemes. We found that where communities had been engaged in interactive consultation activity they had more positive perspectives on new developments and this sometimes extended to the people who live in the homes.
- We also found that new residents could be drawn into the wider area through the promotion of local facilities and in this way interact with neighbours and other residents. Many expressed surprise that there were affordable high quality facilities close by which they were not previously aware of.
Time, Expectations and Effort
Cohesion is a long term activity and it cannot be achieved over night. Short term projects cannot have a long term impact.
It takes time and effort to get to know neighbours and the lack of time to do this recurred throughout the projects. We found that people who had taken part in community activity had valued it and wanted more opportunities to interact with neighbours. However, those who had never done this did not see why it would add anything to their lives. For some of these people their home was somewhere they drove to at night after work and left again the next morning and they did not have any expectations. (Also see the impact of consulting and shared space in new build report.)
It was also an issue when running projects that some people would have liked to take part but were already committed to too many other things outside their home to fit this one in.
What We Learned
- In new developments, if you intend creating opportunities to mix, do it early on in the lifetime of the development before people establish patterns.
- It can take a lot of persuasion to get people to come along to activities.
Design
We are aware through previous experience that internal design of houses can affect the market for them and therefore create barriers to integration. It seems to make good business sense in culturally mixed areas to design housing that is inclusive. For example, living space could be divided by a stud partition wall which could be removed by households who preferred open plan areas or retained by those who wanted two living rooms.
What We Learned
- A range of property types and sizes should be included in all developments to allow a diversity of purchasers.
- Don’t design for a particular community.
- Our work looked at the design of shared space – it was apparent that the shared space which worked best in terms of how it was used, was designed in consultation with residents and had a sense of purpose about it.
