An (un)attainable map of sustainable urban regeneration

Reuben et al. (2010) suggests that 'before we can effectively change a system, we must first improve our understanding of the system'. In this spirit, the paper attempts to evaluate the knowledge obtained from interviews with key stakeholders engaged on an urban regeneration project in Swansea, UK known as 'Urban Village'. Urban regeneration is an activity that is largely characterised by complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity. The tacit knowledge acquired from the interviews with the stakeholders of the Urban Village project have been mapped out with IDEFØ language in order to record data and processes that have characterised the project. The intermediate goal of this effort is to recover the connections missed by a first fragmentary subdivision of the collected interviews. In order to achieve this goal, we have re-mapped out the previously collected responses, by so creating a decision-making process tool aimed to orient professionals. In the process we have managed to create a device for the guidance and assessment of the decision making process in urban regeneration. The ultimate goal will be hence reflected in the provision of a tool that provides more scope for auditing the decision process in urban regeneration rather that leaving it up to expert individuals. This paper fits into the sub-theme 'validation of design and environmental assessment tools and modelling with performance in use - through physical and/or social assessment', at SEB12 conference.