Regenerating Bristol's Harbourside: Andrew Tallon examines the regeneration of Bristol's docklands and the wider lessons it offers for planners, policy-makers and academics about contemporary processes of urban change.

THE LANDSCAPE of Bristol's Harbourside is a rich source of evidence on the transformation of a key part of a major city centre, providing an interesting microcosm of the processes taking place in many city centres. It exemplifies an area which has made the transition from a booming industrial docklands,

The 1980s in particular witnessed the introduction of a different type of regeneration in the form of physical, property-led approaches--usually directed at regenerating, upgrading and transforming largely derelict land, with little if any resident population, for a variety of uses. This approach stood in contrast to community- or socially-focused regeneration policies typically targeted at relatively poor inner-city neighbourhoods. The Bristol example illustrates a case of local authority initiated and managed regeneration, rather than central government-dictated regeneration through a national urban policy initiative, although it has been set in the context of broad government support for such philosophies and approaches.

This article details the story of the development and decline of Bristol's docklands, looks at its subsequent rejuvenation, and examines the wider lessons of this regeneration experience. The redevelopment of this piece of the city is an interesting case of diverse and long-term regeneration, and has plenty to tell planners, policy-makers and academics about wider contemporary processes of urban change.

The story of Bristol's docks

The city of Bristol has a long and varied history which can be traced back to Saxon and Norman times when the site on the River Avon was recognised as being of strategic importance. Bristol developed its reputation as a trading centre during the Middle Ages, and in the 15th century trade links further expanded and voyages of discovery set sail from the city.

The industrial heyday of the central Bristol docks was during the 17th and 18th centuries, as the city was well placed to exploit trade with Africa and the Americas. It was also during the 18th century that Bristol was at the centre of the slave trade in Britain. (1) At that time, Bristol's 262 acres (106 hectares) of dockland and 26 acres (11 hectares) of water were a critical part of the city's commercial activity. The docks were second in importance only to London's Docklands, and this contributed to Bristol's place as Britain's second city in the mid-18th century. (2)