From 'a society of fear' to a 'society of respect': the transformation of Hackney's Holly Street estate

In 1992 the London borough of Hackney embarked on a £300 million regeneration scheme on five system-built public housing estates. Known as the Comprehensive Estates Initiative (CEI), the initiative offered an early example of the ability to combine public and private funding sources; partnership working between statutory and voluntary sector organisations; and an ambitious community participation strategy with local residents. Heralded by politicians and presented in the media as a major success, the CEI offered a prototype for future local authority regeneration projects. Fifteen years from its inception, it is now possible to consider the impact of the CEI and assess its significance in terms of the wider politics of regeneration in London.