Hyperlocal Digital Inclusion

ICON asked Sophia Knight to explore the connection between neighbourhoods and digital inclusion. The ideas set out here are the author's, and so should not be ascribed to the Commission as a whole, or to any individual Commissioners or their…

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Why place matters: neighbourhood effects on crime and anti-social behaviour

Crime and anti-social behaviour are top priorities for the residents of ‘mission critical’ neighbourhoods. That is clear from national statistics, public opinion research by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) with Public First, and from ICON’s visits programme, during which…

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Not just the Big Society: community politics and the labour movement

The Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods asked Phil Tinline to write an essay exploring the history of community politics, giving him a free hand to do so. On that basis, the ideas set out here are the author's, and so should…

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Mapping the Landscape of Place-Based Initiatives in England, 2019-2025

From the late 1990s to the late 2000s, neighbourhood regeneration in the UK has been carried out through a range of different policies and initiatives. These initiatives have often sought to holistically integrate economic, social, and environmental challenges. This paper…

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Progress and Pressure: Understanding economic and social change in England’s neighbourhoods

A new landmark study by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) analyses the changes in neighbourhoods from 2001 to 2021. We see that the 2000s were, broadly, a period of national and neighbourhood improvement. But this trend did not hold.…

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Public First – Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods: Opinion Research Summary

Public First were commissioned by ICON to conduct a nationally representative survey of adults in England, to understand attitudes across the country. Public First carried out both focus groups and polling, seeking to understand changing perceptions within neighbourhoods and how…

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Interim Report – Think Neighbourhoods

Think Neighbourhoods, the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods' interim report, argues that a neighbourhoods-approach is essential for delivering the change the country needs, including the government's missions, and to restoring a sense of renewal and purpose to the country. The Independent…

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