Different but the same? Post-war slum clearance and contemporary regeneration in Birmingham, UK

In many ways the process of realizing urban developments in the UK today, with the emphasis on partnership working, community involvement and sustainability, is significantly different from the process as it operated during the post‐war building boom. In other respects, however, there are some striking similarities. This paper looks at the same redevelopment area examined by Porter and Barber’s (2006) article in City, but places it within its historical context. Through telling a story of redevelopment in Birmingham from the post‐war reconstruction to the present, the significant shifts in governance arrangements—particularly refiguring the role of the local state—are highlighted. At the same time, however, significant continuities are found, in particular the desire to assemble large sites for ‘comprehensive’ redevelopment.