Pride in Parades I: The State of Neighbourhood Social Infrastructure
One of the most common concerns that residents of some of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods raise with us is the decline of their local high street. But often the concerns they raise with us are often not about their town or city centre but with the high street thatc is much closer to home - their local parade.
Compared to large town and city centres there has been little research trying to understand local parades. By being based within people's neighbourhoods they will naturally serve a different purpose than town and city centres will. But what is that purpose? What purpose do we want them to serve? And are they fulfilling that purpose?
This report seeks to fill that gap.
Vibrant local parades are essential to neighbourhoods, helping to realise the potential of their residents. They are essential in the development of social capital. Much of our social infrastructure
lives on the local parade – they are where many of our social institutions such as community centres, pubs, local businesses, and advice centres are. They are essential for enabling us to live healthy live – chemists, GPs, dentists, health clubs, sports clubs, and leisure centres, are disproportionately found in neighbourhoods.
But this is not often the case in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Their local parades have significantly fewer local services, places for people to meet, and healthy food options, and are becoming dominated by over-saturated retail such as off licenses, takeaways,
betting shops, and vape shops. The core social function we see being fulfilled on the local parades of more affluent areas is less recognisable in the most deprived areas.
This report - Part I of two being publshed by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods and Popular - we present first-of-its-kind analysis that defines and tells the story of our local parades, both in terms of how they are today and how they have changed over the last decade.
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