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The Localism Act 2011 has provided the right for community organizations to nominate local buildings to be listed as an Asset of Community Value. In England a number of inner urban neighbourhoods host elite Premier League football stadia, their physical presence often visible from afar. Two in particular stand out, both recently listed as an Asset of Community Value, the globally renown football clubs of Liverpool FC and their Anfield stadium and Manchester United and Old Trafford. Three aspects of this are noteworthy. First, the capability of a community group to organize and agitate in such a way as to ensure a local asset is listed. Second, the extent to which the legislation is providing substantive rights for community activists thereby challenging those who would suggest localism is more rhetoric than real. Third, by reviewing a single case of Anfield, we can see how the role of elite professional football club in a low-income neighbourhood can be challenged for the benefit of local residents as plans for social and economic development are shaped. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The idea that information and communication technologies (ICT) can provide a means to regenerate deprived urban areas is still a relatively new concept in the United Kingdom. There is in fact little empirical evidence to demonstrate what actually happens when ICT projects are designed with regeneration in mind. A case study of ICT regeneration is examined here, one funded through the Single Regeneration Budget and operational in an urban area in the North East of England. What became apparent during this study is how the changing policy environment meant other types of ICT initiative came on-stream before the project could firmly establish a position within its community. The authors challenge the logic of this form of activity and demonstrate that even when there seems to be a need to support ICT-led development the sustainability of such projects is highly problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the regeneration of neighborhoods in Great Britain. Need to consider in more detail the way regeneration is conceptualized and put into practice; Three key aims in the creation of Policy Action Teams designed to 'fast track' policy initiatives in the most deprived neighborhoods; Resurrection of managerialism in revitalizing deprived neighborhoods.

The financial aspect of Premiership football is currently attracting huge attention. Hardly a week goes by without some new story breaking about the game, whether it is a record transfer, a wage or television deal, or the building of a new stadium. Yet there has been little, if any, investigation into just how the newfound wealth from Premiership football impacts on the locality. In this article, the authors present an initial indication of how the two Premiership clubs situated in Merseyside are linked into the local economy. It is based on a survey of club suppliers and local businesses located around the two grounds of Everton and Liverpool Football Clubs. It shows Premiership football to be more than a dependent consumer service activity in the local economy with a potential for exploitation in terms of supplier networks, tourism and image boosting. The authors argue that this is a subject area that requires further research and understanding, and more serious attention as a feature of local economic policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many local economic strategies today include reference to a communications infrastructure that involves electronic networks alongside that of roads and railways. Information and communication technologies (ICTs), often referred to as the “information superhighway” or informatics, are considered useful to stimulate local economic activity. This paper, based on a North East case study, suggests that the importance of ICTs to local economic strategy lies in the rationale of key local strategy makers, while the use of ICTs for local economic development means that the local governance of ICTs will become a salient feature in future economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]