BOOK LAUNCH
 
Wednesday, Feb 25th, 2009,
1:00 – 2.00pm
UNISON,
Galway House
165 York Street
Belfast
 
In 'Regeneration - public good or private profit', Dr. John Bissett takes the lid off a model of regeneration that wasted public resources, and failed the communities in need of those resources. It documents the trials and triumphs of the regeneration process at St Michael’s Estate, Inchicore, Dublin, Ireland from the community perspective.
 
Dr Bissett uncovers the mechanics of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) as a model, names the deliberate exclusion of a community, and tells the story behind decisions and actions.
 
This book exposes the appalling social consequences and loss of public monies which occurs when those responsible for public decision making ignore international standards for housing provision and the rights of local communities to be involved in shaping their future. It explains how rules for regeneration were written behind closed doors for the benefit of the developer and the banks and how this was then defined as the common good.  
 
This is a must read for civil servants, academics, developers, community workers, politicians, students and anyone with an interest in not only social justice, but for transparent and accountable expenditure of public monies.
 
At a time when large numbers of areas in Northern Ireland are being proposed for regeneration, it is essential that the lessons from regenerations such as these, and elsewhere, are transferred and learned from, especially in communities of high disadvantage and inequality.
 

Speakers: Dr John Bissett (author), Inez McCormack (Chairperson, PPR Project)
 
Regeneration public good or private profit - €15 in all good Irish book stores or to order send a cheque made out to TASC for €18 (inc postage) to Sinead Clancy, 118 St. Michael’s Estate, Inchicore, Dublin 8, Ireland.
 
Supported by the Equality Studies Centre, School of Social Justice, UCD and TASC/New Island