Brownfield redevelopment is at the heart of the new Government's urban land policy. The Deputy Prime Minister has set a target of building 60% of new English homes on brownfield sites within ten years and the Urban Task Force is now hard at work identifying how barriers to this target can be best overcome and quality urban development achieved. As the Task Force approaches its brief, it will no doubt reflect on the extensive literature produced on urban land vacancy and urban redevelopment over the last 20 years.
What has emerged from such literature is the importance of the process approach to understanding urban redevelopment . Drawing on earlier work of Bruton and Gore (1981), for example, many writers have sought to identify and classify development constraints arising especially from planning and physical factors (Cameron et al, 1988). However, as Couch and Fowler (1992) remind us, urban vacancy arises not simply from such frictional constraints but also as a result of structural change or demand deficiency. A structure and agency approach to the development process is thus helpful to explain how the strategies, actions and interest of key actors in urban redevelopment interact with broader structural forces (Healey and Barratt, 1990).
Earlier research indicates that, among important actors, the behaviour and characteristics of landowners significantly influence the redevelopment prospects of vacant land and buildings (Adams et al., 1994). Owners reluctant either to sell or to undertake development themselves may frustrate regeneration initiatives. If such passive ownership creates or perpetuates urban decay and vacancy, it detracts from the quality of urban life. In contrast, active owners, who welcome or even initiate development contribute to urban regeneration and economic growth.
Although local authorities may initiate compulsory purchase in such circumstances, many are reluctant to do so for administrative, political or financial reasons. As the Department of the Environment (1991, p. ix) previously reported: "Policy instruments are ineffective in bringing into beneficial use sites which remain vacant for institutional or ownership reasons."
This paper presents the first results of detailed empirical work into the behaviour and characteristics of those who own 80 potential redevelopment sites in four British cities (Aberdeen, Dundee, Nottingham and Stoke). By examining their relationships with planners, developers and other significant actors in the development process, the paper seeks to evaluate the extent to which particular categories of landowner encourage or discourage actual redevelopment. This site-specific analysis is then connected with the broader social, economic and political context within which owners pursue their individual land management and development strategies.
