The confidence to interact

The evolution of 'hands-on' prioritising and decision-making techniques to enable local people to share with outside bodies in the process of neighbourhood regeneration are described in this article. It all began as action research in 200 Junior and Secondary classrooms in the UK, with materials which allowed youth to identify problems and opportunities for improving their surroundings, using 3D models and charts with movable cards with which they could show what could be done. Teachers supervising the trials reported their surprise at the effect this technique had on children they had previously under-rated as low achievers. The Department of the Environment saw the relevance of this to the problems/opportunities on deprived housing estates and supported adaptation of the materials for trial at the adult level, with similar results, surprising officials and politicians at the capacity it revealed for ordinary people to work things out for themselves. This Planning for Real process has, since then, been developed in the UK under the auspices of the Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation. The process has enabled local people to explore alternative courses of action and to undertake the necessary decision-making which could lead to action plans in which they, as well as outsiders, are directly involved.