"Community" continues to attract the attention of policy makers and scholars. Taking account of changes since the publication of the first edition, this new edition explores the challenges of empowering communities and assesses the lessons for policy and practice of community-based approaches to social disadvantage and exclusion."

This book shares the experience of a four-year programme that was set up to explore how neighbourhood activity could best be supported. It follows the progress of 20 very different neighbourhood organisations across three countries to explore the opportunities and challenges of neighbourhood renewal from a community perspective. As well as testing out 'light touch' ways of offering support to community organisations, the report explores how different policies are working out on the ground; what it is realistic to expect of local residents and what needs to happen at agency level in order to...