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Regional spatial planning in Northern Ireland is directly linked to the transition from conflict to peace, as identified in the Belfast Agreement of 1998. Political consensus, a rare commodity, was secured in the Northern Ireland Assembly for a regional development strategy (RDS), the first spatial planning document of its kind in the UK. This paper explores the deployment of collaborative planning in creating the RDS. Given Northern Ireland's divided socio-political context, the paper seeks to ascertain the influence on meaningful policy debate and strategy-making arising from the collaborative planning approach. The paper investigates the application of collaborative planning measures in Northern Ireland through an analysis of spatial policy relating to economic development. Evidence presented in this paper suggests that socio-political cohesion was given primacy above potentially contentious physical growth patterns necessary for regional economic development, the result of an inability by institutions to grapple with troublesome issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multisector partnerships have become the central tenet of contemporary urban regeneration policy facilitating a new form of local participative governance. Consequently, neighbourhood renewal and the importance of ‘people’ and ‘places’ have encouraged the emergence of a new form of ‘community leader’ who is more in touch with the problems of local disadvantaged groups. This paper explores the issue of leadership within multisectoral urban regeneration partnerships, focusing on the formation of social capital, power relations and partnership synergy. Conclusions point to the synergistic and social capital benefits of partnerships and the role played by urban leadership in generating a collaborative network capable of achieving more than performance targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the sustainability of current urban regeneration practice, through the application of weighted indicators and a points scoring framework. The analysis applies the hierarchical model discussed in the preceding paper of this journal issue to case studies of waterfront areas and cultural quarters in three European cities: Belfast, Dublin and Barcelona. The evaluation permits performance comparisons to be made between the case studies regarding the sustainability of regeneration areas and projects, variations on an indicator set basis and the sensitivity of scores. Conclusions are drawn concerning regeneration practice, the extent to which sustainability principles are adhered to, potential policy benefits and the applicability of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the use of indicators as a means of measuring the performance of regeneration against sustainability criteria. The merits of sustainability indicators are explored with a discussion of the indicator selection process and the derivation of a points scoring framework. The extent to which the sustainability performance of regeneration projects can be evaluated and subsequently benchmarked is examined. Conclusions are drawn on the robustness of the indicators selected, the versatility of the points scoring framework in capturing the sustainability performance of regeneration projects and the potential to identify 'best' practice. The application of the model and associated indicators is the subject of the subsequent paper in this journal issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attracting investment and finance into inner-city and other renewal areas poses particular difficulties and is frequently reliant on strong public-sector commitment through special incentives or other mechanisms to provide the conditions to lever private-sector activity. This paper initially links the concept of market failure and the rationale for regeneration and examines policy responses from UK, European and US perspectives, followed by a consideration of public- and private-sector financing approaches. International perspectives draw particularly upon the use of tax-based mechanisms in regeneration--notably, those used in the US. In the European context, the paper highlights implications for regeneration stemming from the in terpretation of State Aid rules and competition policy. Conclusions reflect upon the complexity of regeneration and the importance of the different stakeholders within the regeneration process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing interest in the potential use of fiscal incentives as a mechanism for stimulating urban renewal has been highlighted by a number of influential policy sources. This paper assesses the application and outcomes of tax-based incentives in urban regeneration, with particular focus upon the differing models represented by Dublin (Ireland) and Chicago (USA). Issues considered include utilisation of tax incentives, drawing-down of benefits, role of actor groups, ability to lever private-sector finance, impact on property market performance and wider economic influences. Conclusions advance the case for tax-based mechanisms as an instrument in the delivery of urban regeneration but stress the need for complementary structures to exploit fully the fiscal incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the urban development process in post-socialist cities of Budapest, Prague and Warsaw in the context of economic globalisation and societal transformation. Several factors have helped to shape the post-socialist cities of central Europe since the end of the 1980s. These include political transformation, economic change, restitution, privatisation, price liberalisation and decentralisation of local government. It is argued that local government administrative and planning structures have been ill prepared in meeting the requirements of international investment capital in a co-ordinated and effective manner. Institutional constraints has promoted an organic form of urban development primarily determined through the international demand for, and supply of, commercial and retail space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The financing of urban regeneration and levering of private-sector investment remains a major policy issue. This article, utilising the results of a behavioural survey, analyses the motivations of investors and their participation across a range of regeneration initiatives. The pattern of investment activity over the market cycle, reasons for holding an urban regeneration portfolio, evaluative factors and perspectives concerning the attraction of private finance into urban regeneration are considered. The findings indicate that regeneration initiatives provide a significant cushioning effect but that, in terms of holding projects in a property portfolio or evaluating schemes, market-based factors relating to return and risk are core influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]