This article
In this issue
- Back to the future: understanding and responding to alcohol use in Liverpool
by Martin Whiteford and Paula Byrne - Fostering inter-cultural dialogue – visionary intentions and the realities of a dedicated public space
by Ronan Paddison, Marilyn Keenan and Sophie Bond - Trust and participation in urban regeneration
by Dominic Aitken - Everyday consumption practices as a site for activism? Exploring the motivations of grassroots reuse groups
by Mike Foden - Book Review: End This Depression Now!
by Steve Fothergill - Book Review: Climate Change and Society
by Will Eadson
Trust and participation in urban regeneration
Summary
Despite trust's perceived importance in participatory local governance, very few studies, theoretical and empirical, have devoted attention specifically to understanding their interaction. Focussing on resident participation in urban regeneration, this paper identifies shortcomings in the literature's theoretical grasp of trust. This has led to a trust-participation paradox: some academics have suggested that increasing resident trust in officers, institutions or their community will result in more participation, whilst others have argued that lower trust leads to greater participation. This paper suggests that the key to solving this theoretical quandary is to relinquish the perception of trust as a monolithic concept and recall its context-dependent nature. It proposes several forms of trust which could theoretically impact on residents' willingness to participate in urban regeneration: receptivity trust; ability trust; and representative trust. It concludes with recommendations for future theoretical and empirical research.
