| dc.description.abstract | Urban regeneration schemes are adopted by councils and governments globally to address some of the social and economic problems in ‘under-achieving’ communities. However, despite the large-scale change that such initiatives bring to communities, there is little research to date that focuses on the health and well-being impacts of such strategies. This project was developed to investigate the inter- and intra-group dynamics of residential diversification to enable us to develop a better understanding of the psychological processes involved in large-scale community change in the urban regeneration context. Across the breadth of this project, I explore the impact of urban regeneration on well-being and resilience and develop an understanding of the possible drivers of engagement within a community context. Firstly, in Chapter 3, I develop our understanding of the different inter- and intra-group dynamics of residential diversification through the perspective of those residents who live in a regenerated area. Overall, this study suggests that a lack of community-based identity leads to feelings of loneliness and segregation and further serves to undermine well-being and resilience. Next, In Chapter 5, I found that group-based identification is positively linked to increased reports of psychological well-being, resilience and a willingness to engage with, and pay back to the community. Furthermore, these results were tested longitudinally and support the idea of a cyclical, positive relationship between identification and outcomes of well-being, resilience and pay back. Finally, in Chapter 6, I demonstrate that group-based identification can be increased through a targeted intervention that focuses on identity building techniques and translate into positive outcomes of well-being, resilience, a willingness to pay back to the community, community-based aspirations and reduced feelings of loneliness. The research overall highlights the importance of understanding inter- and intra-group processes when addressing large-scale community change (i.e., through urban regeneration schemes). Furthermore, it is suggested that regeneration strategies adopt a theoretically grounded approach to community change that puts the well-being and engagement of residing community members at its core and, importantly, incorporates identity-building techniques to help develop a cohesive, adaptable, and sustainable community post-regeneration. | en_GB |
