The Thames Gateway: an analysis of the emergence of a sub-regional regeneration initiative

This paper examines the recent evolution of a sub-regional planning initiative in the Thames Gateway which is part of London and the South East region of England. In the late 1980s this area had become a focus for the regeneration strategies of national, regional and local government agencies which were justified on the basis of generalizations of the area's socio-economic structure, largely based on its unfavourable image as the 'back-yard' of London. This paper presents some empirical analyses of recent economic and social change affecting the characteristics of sub-areas of the Thames Gateway and considers the aims of redevelopment strategies.