Renewing the City through Public Participation and Cultural Activities. The Case Study of Gillet Square, a Community-Led Urban Regeneration Project

Abstract

This article focuses its attention on inner cities and asks questions about their possible redevelopment. How can an urban regeneration project improve its social innovation effects? We argue that community-led enterprises with social values can drastically improve social innovation in urban regeneration. This article presents the main features of Gillet Square, a project promoted by Hackney Co-operative Developments, a Community Interest Company based in London East End. The nature of the research is qualitative, findings show how a community-led initiative can involve local stakeholders, develop new local assets for and promote social cohesion and inclusion.