Decline, destruction and divides: Active citizenship and regeneration in seaside towns

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The proposed research will contribute to knowledge on the regeneration of seaside towns, an under-researched area in comparison to cities. It will assess the impacts of the Coastal Community Fund (2012-2021) and consider outcomes of communityled initiatives. A key contribution of the research will be to integrate economic, social, environmental, political and cultural outcomes, and, therefore, provide much needed balance to discourses about regeneration that tend to prioritise economic outcomes. Active citizenship, defined broadly for the purpose of this research as action by residents to improve place and wellbeing, will be explored as an alternative focus for regeneration policy. Harvey's concepts of creative destruction and the neo-liberal mask will be applied to the northern seaside towns of Whitley Bay and Scarborough, determining the extent of uneven development and hidden outcomes associated with regeneration at the local level, within the context of regional postindustrial decline. The methodology draws upon the Marxian mode of analysing society at two levels: firstly what appears to be happening in seaside town regeneration will be identified through secondary data analysis and observation; and secondly, deeper narratives of what is happening beneath the surface, will be identified by adopting participatory methods with stakeholders involved in regeneration. Combining academic and stakeholder knowledge and practice, the research will explore how regeneration policy can evolve to encompass holistic outcomes. Moving beyond the current approach of evaluating the funded phases of policy implementation, the research will develop guidance and resources to enable organisations to evaluate long-term impacts of regeneration.