Garden Cities – Why Not? S Parham and K R Boyfield
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Garden Cities – Why Not? S Parham and K R Boyfield GARDEN CITY PERSPECTIVES 1 The International Garden Cities – Why Not? Garden Cities S Parham and K R Boyfield Institute About the Perspectives Series Contents Acknowledgements 4 Introduction: a curious conundrum 5 This is the first in a series of Through our authors’ arguments Garden City Perspectives: in-depth we intend that the Perspectives Some context 5 research and policy papers being series helps to promote knowledge, published under the auspices of increase understanding, generate A renaissance in the idea of the Garden City 5 the International Garden Cities conversations – and at times What constitutes a Garden City? 6 Institute (IGCI). Through this perhaps challenge assumptions series our intention is to open up – about what Garden Cities are or Why not? 8 opportunities for diverse viewpoints might be. On that basis we ask our to be expressed about the history, authors not just to analyse what is Garden Cities: some key questions 8 contemporary practice and happening now from their different So how do we deliver new Garden Cities now? 12 possible futures for Garden Cities perspectives, but to recommend - and planned settlements more what they think we might do to Unshackling development capacity: overcoming the planning impasse 12 generally where relevant. It is a make planned settlements better chance to look at Garden Cities in in future. The views of authors The Northern Powerhouse initiative and Pink Planning 14 depth with reference to the latest in this series are solely their own The vexed issue of the Green Belt 14 academic and policy perspectives and do not represent the official across a range of themes – policy position of either the IGCI Smart cities and how they link to the Garden City vision 16 housing, place design, health, or its partner organisations. We economics, accessibility, social and hope you find this and subsequent Our conclusions 17 cultural aspects, governance and papers informative, stimulating and Endnotes 20 more. thought provoking. Author Biographies 23 Through our authors’ arguments we intend that the Perspectives series helps to promote knowledge, increase understanding, generate conversations – and at times perhaps challenge assumptions – about what Garden Cities are or might be. Introduction: a curious draw a large number of UK and plagued by myriad problems conundrum international visitors each year to while their green landscapes are study and explore what makes expensive to maintain and manage. Here is a conundrum. Garden these places work so well today. To make matters worse, many Cities are almost universally seen These are not towns ‘pickled in of their houses are no longer fit as a good idea, but we seem to aspic’; rather, they function as for purpose - in energy as well have difficulties creating any new thriving places where people as in other terms. Crucially, these ones. Why is this the case? continue to want to live and symptoms of decline are occurring work and enjoy a range of social all at the same time. That question forms the basis of and physical amenities. Both this paper. Letchworth and Welwyn show that it is possible to learn from, rather A renaissance in the idea of the We want to know what is than live in, the past. This success Garden City preventing us from doing so? Why is not just characterised by the is it that we have not managed to way they look – although many Recently there has been some build any real Garden Cities since people favour the Arts and Crafts challenge to what is a generally Letchworth and Welwyn Garden and neo-Georgian architecture negative assessment. For some Cities were established in the early with which these Garden Cities observers, the very economically 20th century? Although some new are associated. Indeed, they are a successful Milton Keynesi remains developments - badged as Garden feature of the houses and public a model for development, and as June 12th 2016 Cities and Garden Towns - are in buildings in both these towns. a recent article in The Economist the pipeline, do they deliver the Yet the key measure of their notes, due to its super block grid key elements that conform to and success is linked to how well they layout it has plenty of land that bolster the brand? Why is it that work - socially, economically and could still be developed.ii It works Acknowledgements we seem to be unable to fund environmentally. Especially in the well for those who like to live in a successfully, nor come to that, case of Letchworth, this is also very low-density, car-based town. The authors are grateful to the work of Anthony Downs, Gavin build and govern places that follow about how the town is governed in Perhaps unconsciously influenced Murray and Pablo Fernandez in the Wolfson Prize 2014 entry Garden City principles anymore? such a way as to capture economic by historical associations between How can we work out what is value which, in turn, is then used for technological progress and its (Parham, Downs, Murray and Fernandez, 2014) for a number of stopping us from achieving these the community’s benefit. modernist place shaping, national insights especially in relation to financing new settlements. goals? And how can we overcome government and others see these impediments so that we can On the other hand, it is fairly Milton Keynes as a good location start building proper Garden Cities widely accepted that the New for trying out ‘smart city’ ideas. again? Town inheritors of the Garden These are concepts meant to offer City mantle in the post war years technologically based solutions So, in this paper, we ask: Garden have failed to match the Garden to various urban problems, Cities – Why Not? City’s promise, hinging on quality thereby supporting a more vibrant of life. Furthermore, they have economy. demonstrated a markedly variable Some context economic performance. For many It is worth noting that since the years, the Mark One, Two and last phase of New Towns was To understand this conundrum Three New Towns were judged to completed there have been better we need to look back be more failures than successes in other, more recent attempts to briefly at the 20th century history social and design terms, although build successful new settlements of planned settlements. It is an not all concur with that view. Milton and meet housing shortages in evolving story that presents a Keynes, in particular, is seen as a sustainable way. Prominent mixed picture of success and something of a model for technical, examples include the eco-towns of failure. spatial and economic innovation the early 2000s. However, these of which more below. Yet today were judged not only a political On the one hand, Letchworth many New Towns face greater failure, but also a failure by the Garden City and Welwyn Garden challenges, as their housing and communities affected. Significantly, City are beacons of success infrastructure wears out. What hardly any of them have made in Garden City terms. They is more, their town centres are it beyond the ideas stage, with 4 5 the exception of Northstowe in attributes that people most makers and in the community at they term its pastiche traditional Aberdeen, which is currently being Garden City principles. Likewise in Cambridgeshire - rebranded as a value – such as quality design, large often demonstrate confusion design and architecture, ignoring its built, is also shaping up to be an Hertfordshire (which is, after all, the 10,000 home ‘Garden City’ pilot gardens, accessible green about what constitutes a Garden well-founded claims to be based excellent example of developing a crucible of Garden Cities) there is project. iii space near homes, access to City. What distinguishes them from on time-tested design principles. whole new place, with jobs, services political support for a new Garden employment, and local amenities other forms of planned settlement The public appears to adopt a and facilities, transport links City in North Herts – which has Against this rather mixed history – can be designed in from the including New Towns? It is evident wholly different viewix In practice, and good quality housing aimed so far avoided becoming stuck in the idea of Garden Cities has once outset.” v there is a good deal of muddle Poundburyx has proved effective across the economic spectrum. the treacle of arguments about the again gained traction politically, surrounding the public debate in spatial design, consultative Its design, again like Poundbury, use of Green Belt for housing by as well as across the media and The Prospectus was confused in the media, political and policy and financial termsxi Poundbury’s is largely traditional, with homes proposing its location outside the among the public. Unlike more on the question of scale. It noted discussion about what constitutes housing has not only been a expressing local vernacular; Green Belt area.xv The paradox is recent examples of planned towns, that the Coalition government a Garden City. Similarly, there is commercial success but the urban walkable, connected streets; and that such places provide successful Garden Cities have demonstrated did not want to define Garden a largely unremarked slippage extension boasts a very high level human-scaled neighbourhoods 21st century urbanism by invoking very few negative connotations and City scale – thus appearing to between the idea of building of affordable housing, at 35% of around mixed-use centres. Coed placemaking traditions sympathetic associations. High profile initiatives, duck the issue - but argued for settlements, and producing what its total stock, managed by the Darcy in South Wales and Newquay to Garden Cities: principles which such as the 2014 Wolfson this crucial factor to be defined are merely dormitory housing Guinness Partnershipxii.