From Cause To Effect?

Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIPs) are the most recent urban regeneration initiative in Scotland. This measure builds on the experience of previous initiatives, in particular the Urban Partnerships in peripheral public sector housing estates an d the Priority Partnership Areas (PPA) initiative. However, SIPs would appear to present an advance on previous policy initiatives in that they aim to focus on the causes of urban decline rather than simply the symptoms of social, economic an d physical distress. Nevertheless, it is questionable whether this is sufficient to address the complex processes associated with urban concentrations of social exclusion.