Social housing, neighbourhood revitalization and community economic development

Winnipeg has implemented some innovative programs to address its pervasive problems of inner-city decline, many of which are generally characteristic of larger urban centres. Winnipeg is forced to address these problems with fewer financial and program resources than are available in larger cities. This report examines the processes of housing production as part of a larger neighbourhood revitalization initiative in several of Winnipeg's inner city areas. Specifically, the research focused on the application of community economic development principles in the building and rehabilitation of housing in these neighbourhoods. The goal of the research has been to develop an understanding of how the current programs compare to theoretical models of community economic development as they are presented in the literature. This report will present the current environment of Winnipeg's inner city neighbourhoods, models of community economic development, and an analysis of qualitative data derived from interviews with government officials and social housing developers. Consequences of current practices are identified and recommendations are made to strengthen CED and social housing.