In brief
Nick Sinclair and David Robinson have been mulling over a new blog for a while. It has been almost five years since their pandemic reflection on “the art of the covenant” (2020). A lot has changed since then but the underpinning principles of their thinking have not. In fact, they are even more vital. In the last few weeks, ‘neighbourhoods’ have come back into the spotlight. It felt like a good time to speak again.
We have been reflecting on recent policy-driven changes that offer opportunities for achieving the vision of what we call a ‘Relational Neighbourhood’ – a place typified by positive relationships. It’s more than one that meets our basic needs for local shops or schools. It’s a place where everyone has a stake, a sense of togetherness and purpose, where we feel we belong, are noticed and supported, and have a part to play, a contribution to make, however small. These are the simple reciprocities, the give and take, of a relational neighbourhood.
Recent developments
There have been a lot of recent developments in neighbourhood policy. In the world of health, the Fuller Stocktake report inspired NHS guidance focusing on place-based, integrated neighbourhood-level health and care services – all of which is gathering steam and momentum as we speak.
A few weeks ago, the government launched a ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods’ which shares much with the earlier ‘Plan for Towns’, but with a notable shift in language which we thought was interesting. Where ‘towns’ implies business and infrastructure, ‘neighbourhoods’ conjures up the image of people and relationships and all the great stuff that we are so keen on nurturing in our respective work. We believe that a town’s economy will only thrive if people feel safe, confident, healthy, proud, and secure in the place where they live. If you want to regenerate a town, and it is an important aspiration, begin in neighbourhoods and start with relationships (check out the work of Local Social in Ware, Hertfordshire for a great example.)
The emphasis on community collaboration in the neighbourhood strategy encourages us to believe that the new title is more than a branding tweak. Each Regeneration Plan must be shaped by a Neighbourhood Board of local people, businesses, and community leaders etc. Unlike the Plan for Towns, which leaned more heavily on public institutions and businesses, this approach seems to place civil society and community groups at the heart of local change.
Made by the people that live on the patch
All of this points to what we see as a growing recognition of the neighbourhood as the “primary unit” of meaningful change (Cormac Russell). It also set us thinking – what is a neighbourhood?
Unlike towns, boroughs, or political wards with their fixed and often arbitrary boundaries, a neighbourhood feels like something more organic, understood by consent rather than imposed by officials. It’s a nexus of relationships rather than lines on a map, the place that we call home, and we define it for ourselves.
In our view, a ‘Relational Neighbourhood’ takes this definition of place to the next level. We see it as an area where connections matter as much as, if not more than, geography. A place not understood as a collection of streets, buildings, and postcodes, but one where we feel a sense of association and attachment. One that may be hard to see on the surface but that is understood, and made, by the people that live on the patch.
This isn’t to diminish the importance of physical amenities. They don’t define the neighbourhood, but they do help to make it work. We think that there is a basic set of amenities or assets that both contribute to, and typify, the Relational Neighbourhood:
- A primary school acting as a hub for families and future generations to build friendship and support.
- A GP surgery.
- A shop (a place of everyday encounters and ease).
- A “connecting institution” – a place where people naturally meet, maybe a place of worship, a library, a community centre, or a local café.
- At least seven neighbours who would pick up a prescription or a loaf of bread – one for every day of the week.
To be sure that these are truly in the neighbourhood we would apply the wheely basket test: Can we reach all of the above, on foot and with reasonable comfort, whilst also pulling a wheely basket or pushing a buggy?
And, for those of us who need to draw more on external help in order to live our good lives, relational ‘roles’ are of huge importance. Roles that bridge the gap between systems and communities. Roles that act as the glue. One model that exemplifies ‘relational neighbourhood working’ is Local Area Coordination. In this approach, council-employed Local Area Coordinators work long-term within communities to build trust with people who may be struggling to live a good life, help people connect with and contribute to shared resources, and strengthen local networks. The success of Local Area Coordination shows that relationships and working to relational principles at a genuine neighbourhood level makes a huge difference when it comes to promoting health equity and inclusion, and ultimately reducing service demand.
Of course, many neighbourhoods lack some or all of the above. They can be deserts, soulless and lonely, or exclusive and intimidating. That’s why we think it’s helpful to challenge ourselves and the policy makers with the prefix ‘relational’.
A Plan for Neighbourhoods is a great start. A Plan for Relational Neighbourhoods is where we want to get to.
