Editing Peterborough (section)

=== Regeneration ===
Figures plotting growth from 1995 to 2004, revealed that Peterborough had become the most successful economy among unitary authorities in the East of England. They also revealed that the city's economy had grown faster than the regional average and any other economy in the region.<ref>Hastings, David and Swadkin, Claire [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/elmr/02_07/downloads/ELMR02_07REI.pdf Regional economic indicators with a focus on the differences in regional economic performance] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070616131749/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/elmr/02_07/downloads/ELMR02_07REI.pdf |date=16 June 2007 }} Economic and Labour Market Review, vol.1 no.2 (pp.52–64) February 2007.</ref> It has a strong economy in the environmental goods and services sector and has the largest cluster of environmental businesses in the UK.<ref>[http://www.encluster.org/ Peterborough Environment Cluster] The UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (Retrieved 20 December 2007). {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118202125/http://www.encluster.org/ |date=18 November 2007 }}</ref>

In 1994, Peterborough designated itself one of four environment cities in the UK and began working to become the country's acknowledged environment capital.<ref>[http://www.gpp-peterborough.org.uk/new_07/environcapital.html Peterborough – the UK's Environment Capital] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216235959/http://www.gpp-peterborough.org.uk/new_07/environcapital.html |date=16 December 2007 }} Greater Peterborough Partnership (Retrieved 20 December 2007). {{cite web |url=http://www.gpp-peterborough.org.uk/new_07/environcapital.html |title=Greater Peterborough Partnership |access-date=20 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080412234708/http://www.gpp-peterborough.org.uk/new_07/environcapital.html |archive-date=12 April 2008}}</ref> Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT), an independent charity, was set up at the same time to work towards this goal, delivering projects promoting healthier and sustainable living in the city.<ref>[http://www.pect.org.uk/about-us About Us] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125100034/http://pect.org.uk/about-us |date=25 January 2010 }} Peterborough Environment City Trust (Retrieved 30 May 2010).</ref> Until 2017, PECT organised a yearly 'Green Festival' centered around Cathedral Square, Peterborough, which also benefited local artists and arts organisations through attracting Arts Council funding grants aided by arts facilitator organisation Metal.<ref name=":0" /> During the summer of 2018 the last Green Festival was held at Nene Park, in 2019 Peterborough's community environmental projects attracted ministerial attention from the environment secretary [[Michael Gove]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lamy |first=Joel |date=4 February 2019 |title=Environment Secretary Michael Gove praises Peterborough's eco-credentials on visit to community project |work=Peterborough Telegraph |url=https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/politics/environment-secretary-michael-gove-praises-peterboroughs-eco-credentials-visit-community-project-128543 |access-date=18 October 2021 |archive-date=20 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020033852/https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/politics/environment-secretary-michael-gove-praises-peterboroughs-eco-credentials-visit-community-project-128543 |url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] of 2020–21 Peterborough's culture and leisure umbrella charity, ''Vivacity'' ceased operating.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 June 2020 |title=Peterborough leisure and libraries charity Vivacity shut by lockdown |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-53098697 |url-status=live |access-date=18 October 2021 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019191658/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-53098697}}</ref>

The council and [[regional development agency]] have taken advice on regeneration issues from a number of internationally recognised experts, including [[Benjamin Barber]] (formerly an adviser to President [[Bill Clinton]]), Jan Gustav Strandenaes ([[United Nations]] adviser on environmental issues) and Patama Roorakwit (a Thai "community architect").<ref>Salman, Saba [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/oct/08/regeneration.peterborough "The civic engineer"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131163925/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/oct/08/regeneration.peterborough |date=31 January 2017}}, ''The Guardian'', London and Manchester, 8 October 2008. <!---access-date= 2008-10-13-----></ref>