Neighbourhood Centres – Organisation, Management and Finance

Jacob Norvig Larsen

Research output: Contribution to conference without publisher/journalPaper without publisher/journalResearchpeer-review

Abstract

From the late 1990s neighbourhood centres were brought to the fore of public urban regen-eration policy, because they were seen as a means to accelerate the formation of social capital in deprived urban neighbourhoods. A number of such local community centres were established with substantial public subsidy. Some of the centres have high number of users on a daily basis, whereas others are only rarely used. It is explored how organisation, management and financial set-up differs among the centres. Quantitative data on financial issues and annual accounts of fifteen centres were analysed to identify different financial models and analyse economic sustainability. As regards organisational and management models data were collected through documentary sources and by means of personal interviews and field visits to ten centres. Even within the analysed limited population of centres economic and institutional sustainability varies significantly. In organisational terms centres range from fully-integrated in the municipal administration to independent voluntary managed centres. In terms of financial, or economic, models variation is less pronounced as all centres to some degree are dependent on current public subsidy. Strategically well localised centres together with autonomously managed centres are better at independent income generation. Some element of public funding is inevitable and simply necessary to ensure a basic level activity in a neighbourhood centre and thereby its existence in the long run. The more integration in the municipal administration the more various functions move from a voluntary to a professional domain. Paradoxically, professionalisation may bring about further decline in voluntary activity and, simultaneously, growth in activity levels.
Original languageEnglish
Publication date16 Mar 2011
Number of pages14
Publication statusPublished - 16 Mar 2011
EventUrban Affairs Association 41st Conference: Reclaiming the City: Building a Just and Sustainable Future - New Orleans, LA, United States
Duration: 16 Mar 201119 Mar 2011
Conference number: 41

Conference

ConferenceUrban Affairs Association 41st Conference
Number41
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityNew Orleans, LA
Period16/03/201119/03/2011

Bibliographical note

Conference paper

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