Public/private partnership schemes in UK urban regeneration: The role of joint enabling agencies

A major feature of recent urban renewal policy in the UK has been the partnership of public and private sector bodies in a variety of development projects.In order to promote such activity,several enabling agencies have been established. Initially these tended to orginate independently in the public or private spheres, but in the late 1980s the emphasis has been on collaboration, producing a range of joint enabling agencies. Two types, enterprise partnerships and development partnerships, may be identified according to the extent of their involvement in the development process. Both types promise programmes of widespread economic and social regeneration in their localities, but certain issues remain to be resolved.