New Buildings in Old Places: Introduction

In the haste to rebuild England after the Second World War, many untested new design theories were put into practice, with the best of intentions but with terrible results.

The housing estates that emerged in that period – the system built, deck-access variety and the tower block, often very tall and lonely buildings – quickly became ‘sink estates’ for the most needy all across the country and indeed all around the world.

These estates were effectively ‘slums in the sky’ – unloved, relentless and unattractive – with endless acres of wasted public space and a shortage of private space.

Yet, even today, in spite of this post-war legacy, and in fact in the days just before the credit crunch, London was deluged by proposals for tall buildings – not just in Canary wharf and in the city, but in neighbourhoods like Ealing, Walthamstow and in the shadow of world heritage sites like Westminster Palace and the Tower of London; and in city centres town centres all around the country.

Many people believe that the only way to achieve environmental efficiencies is by building very tall buildings. But is that really the case? We’re not against tall buildings – in the right place – and density is critical, but it’s making great urban places that is most important, and adding density in the right places, in the right way, can help reduce carbon emissions, add monetary and fiscal value and produce beautiful, livable communities that will last hundreds of years.

Our research demonstrates unequivocally that hyper density  – new towers in the sky – isn’t the best response, environmentally, economically or socially.

We have found that the key components to creating sustainable communities are:

LOCATION — putting density in the right place

DESIGN — creating buildings that respect their context and heritage

LIVEABILITY — creating beautiful neighbourhoods and streets where people want to live

These principles will help us build at greater densities in a way that is harmonious with our town and cityscapes, with a respect for existing heritage and local identity and taking into account and asking about the needs and desires of local residents.

Good planning principles add value to communities by including a mix of the following:

• Well designed public spaces
• A mix of shops and services within walking distance
• What we call the five-minute pint test – you should be able to get a pint of milk or beer within five minutes of your house
• A hierarchy of interconnected streets with buildings that are legible – that means you can tell where you are by walking around – and in proportion to one another; and
• An integration of high-quality private; and social and affordable housing, so that whatever your age or income, there are housing choices for you.

By incorporating these qualities we are applying lessons based on traditional neighbourhood design that improve the lives of those who live in new or redesigned developments and that increase – rather than decrease – in value over time.

Just as we see the most valuable neighbourhoods are the ones that are built to last, in Edinburgh, London, Bath and Manchester, so today the new neighbourhoods can help us learn from the past and take the best ideas forward as we build what will become tomorrow’s heritage – today.

Links

The right mix of density, uses, transport, tenure and building type is essential to creating sustainable communities.
Click here to explore location efficiency statistics for the Greater London area and use our interactive Location Efficiency Calculator to evaluate the sustainability of new projects for your postcode.

Click here to use our Building Typology tool to estimate the impact of different building types on your site.

Click here to explore case studies of selected London neighbourhoods and find out what makes them liveable.

How green is your neighbourhood? Click here to enter your postcode.