Your editorial rightly argues that collective belonging is rooted not only in place but also in shared purpose, and the dignified structures of mutual support that have too often been dismantled (The Guardian view on strengthening social cohesion: we can learn from the working-class past, 17 July).
Our work at the University of the West of England engages directly with these concerns through research into how light industry – historically a binding force in working-class towns – might be reintegrated into the heart of our communities in a sustainable manner. The disappearance of production from everyday urban life has not simply meant the loss of jobs; it has also eroded identity, civic pride and interdependence.
