THE PROJECT BEGAN WITH VISITS… NEW HOMES, NEW COMMUNITIES…VIBRANT PLACES, HEALTHY, LOW CARBON, LOCAL, GREEN, SELF- CONTAINED, WALKABLE AND ACCESSIBLE….. Let’s go and FINE WORDS … BUT WHAT ARE have a look. WE BUILDING IN REAL LIFE?
WE VISITED MOSTLY GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENTS BUT ALSO SOME URBAN REGENERATION PROJECTS AND WE WENT TO THE NETHERLANDS TO VISIT NEW HOMES THERE.
WHAT DID WE FIND?
OVERALL 40% TA RM AC N OT UNCOMMON. IMPRESSIONS GA RDE N S? VE RY VISITING NEW SM A LL. URB A N GREENFIELD T RE E S: FE W. DEVELOPMENT : GRA SSY VE RGE S: LIM IT E D. PUBLIC REALM OFTEN MINIMALIST AND DESIGNED AROUND THE CAR AND ROAD ACCESS.
• GA RDE N S? OFT E N VE RY SM A LL OR N ON - E XIST E N T • URB A N T RE E S: FE W. GRA SSY VE RGE S: LIM IT E D • M A N Y DE ST IN AT ION S (RE TA IL, B USIN E SS PA RKS, E VE N LE ISURE ) A LSO CA R - B A SE D OUT - OF - TOW N • M IN I -A M ERICA B E IN G B UILT – SOM E E STAT E S DON ’T E VE N HAVE PROP E R PAVE M E N T S!!
WALKING AND CYCLING LIMITED BY: • FEW PLACES TO WALK OR CYCLE TO • CAR-BASED DESTINATIONS • HAVING TO CROSS MAJOR JUNCTIONS • DEPRESSING PUBLIC REALM • LACK OF WALKING CONNECTIONS ALONG STREETS TO EXISTING TOWN • LACK OF CYCLE ROUTES TO POPULAR DESTINATIONS.
FEW EXAMPLES OF MODERN AND FREQUENT INTEGRATED PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORK SERVING GREENFIELD HOUSING SITES.
T HE RE WA S ON E GRE E NFIE LD DE VE LOPME NT W HICH WA S A SURPRISE . T HIS WA S PO UNDBURY . N O SE PA RAT E E M PLOY M E N T A N D RE TA IL PA RKS HE RE . A M IXE D COM M UN IT Y OF HOME S, SCHOOLS, SHOPS, COM M UN IT Y FACILIT IE S, A N D 2000 JOB S, IN CLUDING 2 FACTORIE S A N D SE VE RA L OFFICE S. E VE N T HE GA RDE N CE N T RE IS IN TOW N , A N D T HE RE A RE A N UM B E R OF CA FE S A N D PUB S , AND IN DE PE NDENT B USIN E SSE S.
BETTER NEWS FO R REGENERATIO N PROJEC TS A N D OT HE R DE VE LOPM E NT S W IT HIN E XIST IN G URB A N FA B RIC. M ORE OPPORT UN IT IE S TO WA LK, CYCLE A N D USE PUB LIC T RA N SPORT SIM PLY B E CA USE E VE RY T HIN G IS CLOSE TO HA N D. HIGHE R HOUSIN G DE N SIT IES M E A N T CA FE S A N D SHOPS DOIN G B E T T E R. PUB LIC T RA N SPORT B E COM E S VIA B LE . PE OPLE HAVE PLACE S TO WA LK TO A N D A COM M UN IT Y IS CRE AT E D.
SO WHAT ABOUT OUR NEW ‘GARDEN’ SETTLEMENTS? - Aylesbury Garden Town, Buckinghamshire - Bailrigg, near Lancaster - Basingstoke Garden Town, Hampshire WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT VISIONS, - Biscester Garden Town MASTERPLANS AND PLANNING - Culm, Devon DOCUMENTATION. - Didcot Garden Town, Oxfordshire - Dunton, near Basildon and Brentwood, Essex - Easton Park (Uttlesford) between Chelmsford and Cambridge - Grazeley Garden Settlement, south of Reading - Halsnead, between Liverpool and Warrington - Harlow- Gilston Essex/Hertfordshire border - Hemel Garden Communities, Hertfordshire - Infinity, South Derbyshire - Otterpool Park - Spitalgate Heath, Southern fringe of Grantham, Lincolnshire - Taunton Garden Town, Somerset - Tewkesbury and Ashchurch Garden Community, south of Gloucester - Tresham, near Corby - Welbourne, Hampshire - West Carglaze, Cornwall - West Oxfordshire Eynsham
IT’S ON -GOING RESEARCH, BUT ALREADY WE SEE THAT: • MANY GARDEN SETTLEMENTS HINGE ON MOTORWAY JUNCTION IMPROVEMENTS • BYPASSES AND NEW LINK ROADS OFTEN SEEN AS ‘CRITICAL’ INFRASTRUCTURE TO REFLECT ANTICIPATED HIGH CAR USE IN GARDEN COMMUNITIES • MANY LOCATIONS CHOSEN TO BUILD ARE DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE FROM THE START FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT • FEW ASPIRATIONS TOWARDS GENUINE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTS POUNDBURY-STYLE
T H I S C A R E M P H A S I S C H I M E S W I T H T H E D E PA R T M E N T F O R T R A N S P O R T ’ S V I S I O N F O R T H E F U T U R E W I T H M A S S I V E T R A F F I C G R O W T H I N T H E N E X T D E C A D E S , D E S P I T E T H E C L I M AT E E M E R G E N C Y.
W H AT C A N W E D O ? • M O V E AWAY F R O M T H E C A R A N D I N S T E A D P I N D E V E LO P M E N T A LO N G M E T R O S , R A P I D T R A N S I T, T R A M S A N D WA L K I N G A N D C YC L I N G R O U T E S . • T H E LO C AT I O N O F D E V E LO P M E N T I S K E Y I F P E O P L E C A N WA L K A N D C YC L E I N TO TO W N .
B U T T H I S I S N ’ T E A S Y. • N AT I O N A L P L A N N I N G P O L I C Y I S I N C R E A S I N G LY P U S H I N G N E W H O M E S TO T H E W R O N G P L A C E S F O R S U S TA I N A B L E T R A N S P O R T. • T R A N S P O R T M O D E L L I N G A N D ‘ VA L U E F O R M O N E Y ’ C A LC U L AT I O N S FAV O U R N E W R O A D S A N D P U T T H E E M P H A S I S O N T H E C A R F O R G A R D E N C O M M U N I T I E S A N D S P R AW L I N G ‘ U R B A N E X T E N S I O N S’ W E N E E D A F U N D A M E N TA L C H A N G E I N • T H E R E I S A PA U C I T Y O F F U N D I N G F O R T H E P L A N N I N G S Y S T E M AT T H E V E R Y M O D E R N I N T E G R AT E D T R A N S P O R T, TO P. T H I S W O U L D I N C L U D E A R E - W R I T E W H I L S T TO O M U C H I S S P E N T O N O F T H E N AT I O N A L P L A N N I N G P O L I C Y E N L A R G I N G T H E R O A D N E T W O R K F R A M E W O R K TO M A K E S U S TA I N A B L E A G A I N … A N D A G A I N . T R A N S P O R T A K E Y PA R T O F P L A N N I N G I N T H I S C O U N T R Y. I T C A N N OT C O N T I N U E A S A N O P T I O N A L A D D - O N .
• OUR PLA N N IN G, T RA N SPORT A N D HE A LT H E XPE RT S A RE GE N E RA LLY AGRE E D ON OUTCOM E S. • LOW E RIN G CA RB ON E M ISSION S IS N OW CRIT ICA L A N D TRA NSPORT NE E DS TO PLAY ITS ROLE IN CA RB ON RE DUCTION. • M ORE A N D M ORE PLACE S A ROUN D T HE CA R M A KE S N O SE N SE FOR T HE FUT URE . PLE A SE JOIN US TO GE T T HE CHA N GE S W E N E E D TO T HE PLA N N IN G SY ST E M , IN CRE A SE T HE FUN DIN G OF PUB LIC T RA N SPORT, WA LKIN G A N D CYCLIN G, A N D B E T T E R PLACE S FOR PE OPLE TO LIVE . T HA N K YOU!
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