THE DILEMMAS OF INNER CITY POLICY

To be successful inner city policy must resolve three dilemmas: what is the nature of the problem? how can it be tackled? why should it command political attention? Cognitively there are four schools of thought – expressed in the metaphors of the city as machine, as community, as market place and battleground. The economic perspective now dominates thinking. Operationally the need, in achieving the inescapable mixed strategies, is to strengthen the capacities of business, government and not-for-profit agencies and to bind them more effectively to joint action that serves their separate interests. Leverage and joint ventures are key concepts here. Politically inner city policy is shaped by concerns with welfare, development and public disorder. Its electoral bias is particularly problematic. Resolution of these dilemmas is most likely through the assertion of development objectives, the demonstration of effective joint action and the exploitation of the unique diversity of urban places and people.