Vol 5 (2012)

The fifth volume of Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement is testament to the breadth and excellence of engaged research occurring today. A number of articles in this volume examine the potential – and challenges – for using the cultural industries and the creative economy generally as a stimulus for urban regeneration – spatially, economically, socially. Case studies look in detail at a number of ex-industrial hubs struggling to renew and reinvigorate themselves: Wollongong, Australia; Woodstock, Cape Town; south London, UK; and Salford, UK. The two UK practice-based articles make for an interesting contrast in scale: the former looks at 10 years of the Tate Modern 'project' of massive urban renewal in south London, the latter explores how the simple act of retrieving and documenting material remnants from decades of urban demolition in Salford, UK, can help reconnect local communities. Elsewhere, both methodology and theory are under scrutiny – in particular, a number of articles discuss just why we 'do' engagement: exploring issues of transformational change, social experience and the need for reflexivity.