This walking tour provides an opportunity to see the city centre and the Hillfields area. It starts at the multi-award winning £50 million Phoenix Initiative millennium project, and includes all aspects of community engagement and the new facilities created between the Cathedral and the Transport Museum. It moves on to the new Swanswell Initiative, a 60 hectare regeneration area just to the north of the city centre, which includes the innovative new learning quarter under construction. In Hillfields there is an opportunity to see community regeneration at work, and visit WATCH (Working Actively to Change Hillfields), a key and highly regarded community based regeneration organisation delivering a range of services to the local community.

Canley: community masterplanning on a peripheral housing estate

Masterplanning for the future of Canley is currently underway with the aim of innovatively using land values to deliver the physical regeneration of the area. There is a strong emphasis on community engagement to inform and develop the masterplan. The regeneration of Canley will develop both the social and economic health of the area, and ensure that the physical regeneration works hand in hand with the social regeneration. The tour will look at issues that will be addressed by the masterplan including finding a heart for the local community, and enabling local people to have better access to improved facilities, together with the work that is in hand to engage the community across all these issues

Pride in Camp Hill: regeneration in an ex-mining community

Pride in Camp Hill (PinCH) is a community regeneration initiative partnership which aims to deliver transformational change for Camp Hill, Nuneaton, into a thriving, sustainable community through a series of physical and social/economic and service delivery improvements, all developed with maximum community involvement. PinCH relies on a creative approach encompassing strong partnerships and innovative solutions to local problems. There will be an opportunity see new community facilities and also new housing within the early phases of the programme.

Wood End estate: New Deal for Communities and mixed communities

The NDC at Wood End, Deedmore, Henley Green and Manor Farm, in the north east of the city is already at its mid point. Recently rated as having 'good' performance, it is already delivering well on targets relating to jobs, learning, crime and health, and is narrowing the gap on many indicators. It is looking to build on this and deliver sustainability beyond its lifetime. A major dialogue with the community over the last two years has resulted in a masterplan, designed to bring in private sector investment of some £350m to redevelop the area, creating amongst other things approximately 3,500 new homes . The plan is now a demonstration project for the government's Mixed Communities Initiative.

Ricoh Arena and Arena Park: new stadium and facilities developed with the community

Only three years ago, this 75 acre site was a contaminated waste land which had been derelict for over 30 years. Coventry City Council assisted by their partners Alan Edward Higgs Charity, Advantage West Midlands and Government Office for the West Midlands has driven the development of the 'Ricoh Arena' – a major conference and leisure venue and stadium, and 'Arena Park' - a major district centre. This has delivered over 2,400 new jobs to date, the great majority being taken by people who are local and live in priority neighbourhoods – there will be an opportunity to see the work of the innovative Arena Jobs project which helped to achieve this. The development has created new highways and improved public transport facilities, produced a new library, education centre and community facilities, and provided access to new health and leisure facilities. Nearly £300m investment has been attracted to the area with further new opportunities expected.

Stoke Aldermoor Renewal Project: neighbourhood management

In the south east of the city, this is an opportunity to see how local services are being improved and delivered through a new community based one stop – shop, which has opened in the last year as an innovative way of providing a single point of contact for local residents to access a range of public services. It is managed by the Stoke Aldermoor Renewal Project which brings together the local community and service providers to help tackle local neighbourhood issues and ensure the One Stop Shop continues to meet local needs. At the same time, the proposed renewal of the heart of the area, with a proposed new school and reworked local centre with primary care centre, library and shops, has seen an extensive dialogue with the local community over the last year, and agreement on a plan to take this forward.

Electric Wharf and Phoenix Project: housing and creative quarter

Electric Wharf is a nationally recognised example of sustainable urban regeneration. A mixed refurbishment and new build scheme, converting a derelict Victorian power station (Coventry's first) into 77 live/work units, 2,000 sq.m. of commercial offices and 24 new 'Eco' units fronting Coventry Canal. The scheme provides business space designed for and targeted at SME's in new technology and cultural industries. Using innovation and design, Electric Wharf is becoming a fashionable location, that generates a community of small businesses and major environmental benefits. A short visit may also be included, to the developers city centre scheme which forms part of the Phoenix Initiative.