An investigation into the nature of social exclusion in deprived neighbourhoods and the use of people-based 'soft' regeneration strategies to revitalise them. Between 1998 and 2004, 'hard to live on' council estates from three different districts took part in a Joseph Rowntree Foundation-funded programme of research and social renewal – the Partnership Initiative for Communities (PICs). This study:
- presents the findings of research that was carried out on the estates in Wakefield, York and Lewisham;
- looks at the ‘soft’ regeneration projects that were trialled on the estates and evaluates their effectiveness;
- analyses the local impact of national policies to help poor people and poor places.