Community culture and development challenges in left behind places: the impact of historical legacies in the South Wales Valleys

Abstract

So-called ‘left behind places’ often face significant development challenges due to entrenched path dependencies. A key policy issue is that interventions may fail to account for the influence of community culture, which remains shaped by historical legacies. This paper examines how historical continuity and adaptive change interact to form contemporary community culture in the Rhondda and Cynon Valleys of South Wales, UK. It finds that in these former coal mining areas local cultural contexts are central to understanding the persistence of ‘left behindness’, with inherited cultural traits both enabling and constraining development. In particular, strong traditions of community collective action continue to engender resilience but often manifest in a ‘survivalist’ rather than forward-looking orientation. However, the study also identifies instances where ‘left behindness’ has catalysed both individual and collective agency, leading to positive local development. Effective leadership emerges as a key factor in overcoming cultural inertia and unlocking new opportunities. The findings highlight the need for policies that engage with community culture as a dynamic developmental force, leveraging its strengths while addressing its constraints to promote more sustainable development pathways.