Challenging images: tackling stigma through estate regeneration

Neighbourhood regeneration initiatives in stigmatised estates have tended not to address the problem of stigma directly, but have largely assumed that an estate's reputation will improve as material conditions on the estate improve. This article demonstrates the tenacity of stigma even in estates where large-scale regeneration initiatives are underway. It then accounts for the persistence of stigma by providing evidence of how a problem image creates barriers to the spread of knowledge of change. The article concludes by exploring how area-based initiatives could build on this insight in order to develop effective approaches to challenging stigma, thus contributing to sustainable regeneration.