Change management Approach to Urban Regeneration Presentation by Richard Appiah-Oppong.

Change management Approach to Urban Regeneration

Presentation by Richard Appiah-Oppong


Experience

• Chalkhill Estate• Kings Cross 10 Estates• Pembury Estate

Education

• BSc. Building Technology – UST 1989• BSc. Quantity Surveying – University Greenwich 2005• Master in Architecture (CEM) – UCL 1996•MBA Project Management – Henley Management College (2003)


'Today my biggest surprise is not the physical changes but how well Priory Green estate is cared for after so many years of neglect. It is unrecognisable from the rundown estate it once was, and it is safe. The play equipment is used by children, needles are no longer an issue and the community is not plagued with crime.'

'At the time Priory Green estate was infamous for issues of vice. Between 80 and 100 used needles were found most weeks, many left spike up in the grass to ward off residents. I remember my shock at seeing hundreds of needles removed from the lift pits, and communal areas openly used by drug dealers and prostitutes.'


•Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of himself and of his family, including …housing.”

“nearly 30% of urban dwellers in developing countries are currently living in appalling conditions, lacking adequate shelter and access to even basic services” (http://web.mit.edu/urbanupgrading/).


Poverty and poor living conditions create vicious circles in which the poor are more likely to live in poor environments and work in poor environmental and hazardous conditions that induce ill health.

Poor health in turn lowers productivity and income, which makes the ‘poor poorer’, more vulnerable to diseases and keeps them in such environments.


Awotona (1993) “slums across the world share the common characteristics of being the breeding ground for criminals with drugs, prostitution and mindless vandalism as common occurrences”.

Regeneration on the other hand has achieved some notable results. Kings Fund (2001) reports the following benefits following regeneration in Paddington:•Incidence of sickness days fell to one seventh following re-housing•Reported improvements in relation to

CrimeFear of CrimeChildren’s progress at school


The Environmental Planning and Management (EPM) Guidebook highlights the need for effective implementation of urban renewal strategies and warns that “implementation is almost universally a weak point: cities all over the world (but especially those in lower income and transitional countries) have chronic difficulties with implementing strategies and policies” (www.gdrc.org/uem/epm/epm4.htm, 2002).

http://www.gdrc.org/uem/epm/epm4.htm(2002)


It is this need for effective implementation in the urban renewal environment, and the success of Change Management

in reversing the implementation problems in the corporate sector, which has prompted this study. The study is

consequently based on the simple hypothesis that “effective neighbourhood renewal can be achieved if CM methods are

adopted”.


Change Management (CM) or Business Transformation has evolved to deal with the implementation problems in the corporate sector. It uniquely recognises the importance of people in implementation and delivers solutions aimed at transforming behaviours in addition to technical and structural changes. It also offers an integrated approach to strategy development and implementation, which reduces the risk of implementation failure.


The CM literature identifies the conditions necessary for effective change as:

AwarenessCapability Inclusion

Existing situation


BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION URBAN TRANSFORMATION

Awareness Stakeholder /residents Capability Resource AuditInclusion Stakeholder involvementExisting situation Reputation & Relationship


LEARNING/COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT CYCLEUnfreeze, Implement and Refreeze

Unconscious Incompetence, Conscious Incompetence, Conscious Competence to Unconscious Competence

9 10

20

33

0

30

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Very Satisfied Fairly Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied Fairly Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied

The survey revealed that 62% (63 out of 102) respondents were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their homes. A slightly higher number, 67% (68 out of 102) indicated they were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their living environment.


When asked if respondents would like to relocate to adjoining estates only 20% (18 out of 90 respondents) said yes and 80% responded no. When the offer for relocation was extended across Tema, the relocation uptake increased to 29% with 71% still saying no (Chart 6. 2)

The above reveals that dissatisfaction does not translate directly to a desire to relocate. This can probably be explained by the perception that “slum dwellers have developed systems of social support and economic integration within their living environment that is remarkably absent when these dwellers are relocated” (Cities Alliance, 2002).


Out of 94 respondents, 78 (83%) either completely or partly blamed TDC for Site 2’s problems. The common reason offered is neglect and lack of maintenance by TDC who are accused of only focussing on rent collection and doing nothing on maintenance or repairs.


The study shows a generally high level of awareness among Site 2 residents as to the need to transform their estate.

The awareness level is equally high at TDC although the preferred solutions differ. Most Site 2 residents prefer an upgrade while TDC wants demolition and re-build for commercial use.

Instead of using the high level of awareness among respondents as a launch pad for the immediate unfreezing of current attitudes and behaviours, the study cautions against the wholesale unfreeze of the status quo until change is underway.


The study concluded that while TDC was probably well placed to deliver the changes required in Site 2, it lacked key resources and capabilities. The most notable deficiencies were in finance, reputation, maintenance and repair, physical resources and technology. The capability audit and subsequent research revealed that the best way to bridge the resource gap was to draw on wider stakeholder groups.


The study also shows that full residents’ participation maximises the health benefits of estate renewal and consequently called for residents to be seen as part of the solution and not the problem. Although I consistently promoted the strategy of developing shared vision in a participatory environment, I also subscribed to the occasional use of coercion and sidelining of disruptive stakeholders as part of the management of Tichy’s (1983) political strand.

No to indiscriminate sidelining of stakeholders.


The existing relationship between TDC and Site 2 residents has been found to be fraught with dissatisfaction borne out of the lack of repair and maintenance. The fact that 94% of respondents indicated dissatisfaction with TDC is testimony to the extent of discord.

It was therefore concluded that TDC did not possess a good enough reputation to be able to implement the necessary transformation of Site 2 and consequently recommended the setting up of a CBO to implement the transformation with TDC as a facilitator.

Change management Approach to Urban Regeneration Presentation by Richard Appiah-Oppong.

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Transcript of Change management Approach to Urban Regeneration Presentation by Richard Appiah-Oppong.