Local regeneration and community wealth building–place making: co-operatives as agents of change
Journal of Place Management and Development
ISSN: 1753-8335
Article publication date: 1 February 2021
Issue publication date: 15 October 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an introduction to how worker co-operatives and other organisations based on principles of the participatory economy have been adopted in a range of international contexts as a vehicle for transforming places with a strong aspiration to address location-specific social challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a presentation of four narrative cases, the paper exemplifies international experiences of co-operative approaches to place-making. It critically reflects on the philosophical and strategic underpinnings of the projects implemented in Rochdale, Preston, Bologna, Rome and Cincinnati.
Findings
The practical experiences of a number of local projects of place-making involving co-operatives are conceptualised. The research has identified the importance of institutional, organisational and legal constraints for transformative cooperative-based place-making initiatives. It shows a strong relevance of the place’s historic legacy and communal governance for the choice of place-making approaches.
Research limitations/implications
Further investigation is needed to establish whether co-operatives have the same driving force potential in terms of local regeneration and community wealth building place-making in non-Western contexts and less developed locations.
Practical implications
The paper highlights cases that incorporate place-making practices involving the co-operative organisation and municipal participation and considers their transferability potential.
Originality/value
The paper advances an important conversation relevant to researchers, educators, co-operators, politicians and local officials on diverse contemporary approaches in towns and cities that seek to reshape and regenerate local socio-economic fabric by engaging tradition, principles and organisation models developed within the co-operative movement.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to: JONATHAN HINDLE (Partnership Director of the Rochdale Town Hall Project, Rochdale Development Agency) and NICK BARTON (Principal Project Manager, Planning Service, Rochdale Borough Council) for materials on the Rochdale regeneration initiatives. Dr ELENA DE NICTOLIS (LabGov – the LABoratory for the GOVernance of the City as a Commons, Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome) for sharing insights from the Co-Cities Project. Dr JULIAN MANLEY (Chair of the Preston Co-operative Development Network, UCLan Social Innovation Manager) for introducing us to the Preston Model. MICHAEL ALDEN PECK (Co-founder and Executive Director of the “1worker1vote” movement, a US non-profit organisation dedicated to co-launching hybrid worker owned enterprises) for sharing his views on the experience of the Cincinnati Union Cooperative Initiative. Prof ANDREI KUZNETSOV (UCLan) for the editing suggestions. The JMPD Editors and reviewers for valuable advice on shaping this paper.
Citation
Webster, A., Kuznetsova, O., Ross, C., Berranger, C., Booth, M., Eseonu, T. and Golan, Y. (2021), "Local regeneration and community wealth building–place making: co-operatives as agents of change", Journal of Place Management and Development, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 446-461. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-01-2020-0009
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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