Learning from the Past? A Review of Approaches to Spatial Targeting in Urban Policy

When parts of cities are seen to be "failing" in some way, a common response by governments is to intervene spatially, with policies targeted at particular areas for fixed time periods. These area-based interventions would seem to offer advantages in relation to efficiency and effectiveness, but they have often fallen short of meeting their objectives. After more than forty years of urban policy in practice, then, the question of whether we have learned from experience is a pertinent one. This review paper contemplates the continued focus on "areas" in urban policy, forwards a spatio-conceptual framework for understanding "urban problems", and then identifies some additional theoretical and conceptual issues. The questions of whether we have learned from past experience and what a "good" urban policy might look like are posed in the penultimate section. The answers are not necessarily encouraging.