A Study on Urban Regeneration through the Agglomeration of Social Enterprises

A Case Study of the Digbeth District of Birmingham, UK

Abstract

In the process of urban shrinkage, what new urban functions will be required in the future? A case study was conducted in the Digbeth area of Birmingham, England, which is recognised as The Social Enterprise Place. The significance of urban regeneration through the concentration of social enterprises is as follows: 1) Reclamation of vacant urban resources, 2) Improvement of declining of urban environments, 3) Creation of gathering and connecting spaces in the city, 4) Realisation of a socially inclusive environment, 5) Formation of diverse, multi-layered communities, 6) Sharing of social issues, 7) Formation of social innovation clusters, 8) Social economic circulation through the expansion of social businesses, and 9) Synergistic effects on the formation of a new regional industrial base. The new city image here can be presented in each of these aspects as "a city that embeds new functions while revitalising vacant resources," "a city where people support each other and realise diverse ways of life," and "a city where new values are created and shared.