Challenges facing urban planners in trying to redevelop Belfast

Belfast is the Capital of Northern Ireland with a population of about 280,000 inhabitants. The City is prioritising sustainable urban planning in terms of population growth and population ageing. Major areas of deprivation present on the Northern and western parts of the city and these areas contain 17 of the 20 most deprived areas in Northern Ireland. Plans for a 360 million development in Belfast city centre - including new shops, apartments, a hotel, cafes and bars given the red light. The scheme, first announced in 2006, aims to regenerate run-down and semi-derelict parts of the city centre; it is estimated to be bringing about 3000 much needed jobs - 1,000 for the construction phase and 2,000 jobs in retail and leisure once completed. The problems with the scheme however are linked with the poverty and social deprivation common with inner-city suburbs: Teenage pregnancy epidemic; Poverty; 18.7% of households with children live in poverty in Belfast Relatively high crime rates; taken from the police website of Northern Ireland: Trends over the past five years show an overall decline in crime. The crime rate per 1,000 people in the population has fallen, as has violence, property and offences against vehicles (see table). In 2006-2007, for every 1,000 people there were 70 offences reported; in the year ending March 2011 it was down to 58.In the 2006-2011 period, key trends include: a significant drop in violent crimes with injury from 18,094 to 15,156, but a slight increase in the number of violent crimes without injury (+3 per cent); an increase in sexual crimes (12 per cent), with offences in the most serious category rising from 1,376 to 1,605; a considerable decline in the total number of property crimes (e.g. burglary, offences against vehicles, criminal damage), down 18 per cent, but within this an increase in the number of burglaries; less fraud and forgery offences: down to 3,023 from 4,163; An increase in drug crime (+44 per cent), both in trafficking (+60 per cent) and nontrafficking offences (+41 per cent). Lack of green spaces Alcohol, drugs and substance abuse; Up to a quarter of the adult population have used cannabis in their lives The number of registered drug addicts has increased by 12% since 2007 Treatment increased by 10% between 2005 and 2007 The number of children in addiction treatment in Northern Ireland has trebled in recent years Nearly 6,000 individuals are in addiction treatment in Northern Ireland High drop-out rate amongst youngsters resulting in high unemployment rate amongst resident NEETS Roughly one in 20 households have no members working in Belfast South and Belfast East respectively compared to one in 10 in Belfast North and one in five in Belfast West.