Linking interventions to outcomes in area regeneration: The New Deal for Communities Programme in England

In line with experience in other countries, the UK has attempted to address social and economic urban problems through the designation of Area-Based Initiatives (ABIs). The New Deal for Communities (NDC) Programme is an ambitious English ABI designed to transform some 39 deprived neighbourhoods over 10 years in relation to 6 outcomes: crime, education, health, worklessness, housing and the environment, and the community. A key mechanism for identifying change is a household survey carried out in all 39 areas in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. For the 2004 survey all NDC respondents were asked to comment on the degree to which they had benefited from specific NDC projects. Beneficiaries of such projects consistently enjoyed better relevant outcomes than did non-beneficiaries. This finding provides some justification for continuing to designate ABIs.