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Conceptualising Sustainability in UK urban Regeneration: a discursive formation

This case-study paper demonstrates that conceptualisations of sustainability in policy documents (which guide) and by urban design professionals (who implement) urban regeneration projects are fundamentally limited, yet these are the dominant influencers of the practical delivery of sustainability principles, an almost universally-stated ambition of city masterplanners and project clients. This paper critically analyses the aspirations reflected in checklists, policies and tools, and shows how they are compromised in practice. This research provided the first direct evidence that a Sustainability Advisor, embedded in cutting-edge research teams and urban decision-making bodies, is an essential catalyst for change: practitioners need sustainability ‘technology-translation’ interpretations.