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This research is placed within the context of recent legislative and democratic changes in Scotland that have been designed to tackle failures in the distribution of urban land, space and power downward towards communities. Also explored are current socio-political and economic ideas that could support communities to have greater autonomy over their urban environments.

The research focuses primarily people’s perceptions of their own agency and the effectiveness of the Community Empowerment Act (Scotland) 2015 in enbaling communities to make changes to the urban fabric of their neighbourhoods for their specific needs. Socio-economic ideas behind Community Wealth Building, the principle of Common Good assets in Scotland, and the role of Scottish Community Councils are also explored as supporting mechanisms to community empowerment.

The hypothesis proposes that the combination of existing legal and democratic structures in Scotland, specifically the Community Empowerment Act (Scotland) 2015 and the Scottish Community Council, and the prevailing economic and socio-political ideas surrounding urban land use as a driver for econmic growth, are failing to provide urban communities with the spaces they need and agency over their lives commensurate with these needs. Significant, radical change in democratic structures, law, regulation and economic incentive, are therefore necessary for urban communities in Scotland to thrive in the long term.