Geographical theory/concepts of the investigation

• Urban Regeneration: The collapse of Britain's industrial and manufacturing economy has left many inner city areas struggling with unemployment and socially excluded from more prosperous districts. Urban regeneration is the attempt to reverse this decline by both improving the physical structure, and, more importantly, the economy of those areas.
• In all regeneration programmes, public money is used as an attempt to encourage private investment into an area. Because regeneration schemes often take years to complete, by the time they have finished, the government programme that initially funded them has usually been replaced.
• This is the case for Gloucester Docks as the initial funding in 2003 was initially from Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company and outside investors such as the Peel Group and British Waterways. Since 2013 Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company has been dissolved and most investment in the area has continued from the Peel Group and other investors to ensure that the regeneration continues. Gloucester City Council's Regeneration and Economic Development Strategy 2016-2021 helped to attract further investors in current times.
• One important trend has emerged over the years: the earlier projects tended to focus on physical regeneration, usually housing, whereas later programmes have attempted to stimulate social and economic regeneration. An integrated approach has been considered to be more successful than housing alone. This is what we are therefore studying at Gloucester Docks – has it been successful when they have tried to stimulate both social and economic regeneration?
• * Some background theory/understanding of the key concepts (ideas) is necessary to give context to the investigation and to understand how/why you have come up with your investigation question