Crime, neighbourhood renewal and persistent exclusion: Social philosophy for community development
Criminal entrepreneurship is a response to lack of meaningful mainstream opportunities. In many neighbourhoods, people find themselves having to make frequent choices between extreme economic hardship and underground enterprise that puts food on the table. In environments of persistent exclusion and deprivation, strong social networks often form on the basis of these choices. The structure of these networks then has hidden consequences for the viability of neighbourhood renewal. Many neighbourhood renewal attempts in high crime environments fail due to a lack of understanding of these dynamics and how to work respectfully with them instead of against them. This talk develops a social philosophy of community development and outlines key lessons that should inform how community development is approached by funders, developers, institutions and governments.