NEW RESEARCH ON ESTATES

Progress on twenty 'unpopular' estates, 1980-2005

This study by Rebecca Tunstall and Alice Coulter of the London School of Economics is based on research carried out on 20 council estates in England over 25 years. The estates were tracked through visits and interviews in 1982, 1988, 1994 and 2005. In 1980, the estates were all unpopular, had serious management problems and many also had physical problems. The research has tracked their progress and this latest project comments on the whole period, with a focus on the last ten years.

Full report and summaries are available from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website.

http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/housing/1958.asp

FRESH EXPRESSIONS IN THE URBAN CONTEXT by Eleanor Williams

This book explores the signs of hope for a church often seen in decline. Click here for more details.

“Housing Estates in the news…”

In a recent article in the Guardian, Christian socialist Bob Holman, who lived and worked for many years on deprived housing estates, explains why he has taken up the cause of asylum seekers:

“In more than 25 years living on deprived housing estates in Bath and then Glasgow, Bob Holman never once met an asylum seeker. Yet this week, the Christian socialist and long-time Labour party member is one of the authors of a report on asylum seekers for former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith's thinktank, the Centre for Social Justice. Holman may be 72 and retired from the frontline of neighbourhood work. He may have moved from Easterhouse to a more sedate estate in another part of Glasgow to spend more time with his wife, Annette, and their grandchildren. But he was never going to break the habit of a lifetime by backing away from injustice when he sees it. This is a man, after all, who famously gave up a comfortable life as a university professor to follow his religious convictions to live and work among the poor……….” To read the full article click here.

The 6th UK Urban Mission Congress Jesus in the City will be held in Belfast from 12th - 14th March 2010. It is an opportunity to spend time with other Christians in urban ministry, sharing experiences, bible studies, passions and challenges and being inspired and encouraged in your ministry. For more information, click here.