New research from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) argues that the utopian ambition behind new towns doesn’t need to be abandoned, but rediscovered.
The report, which draws together a mix of on-the-ground and desk-based research looking into international case studies by planning academics from Liverpool, Glasgow, and Hertfordshire, shows how new towns can be planned as culturally rich, sustainable and genuinely desirable places to live, rather than simply vehicles for housing delivery.
Following recommendations from the New Towns Taskforce on the location of 12 new sites in the next generation of new towns, the Government is expected to make its final decision on locations in May, aiming to build at least three before the end of their Parliamentary term.
However, polling from the RTPI and YouGov in the summer found 73% of Brits weren’t confident the next generation of new towns will meet community needs in 50 years. And, when describing the first generation of new towns, respondents often used negative terms, such as ‘concrete’, ‘boring’, and ‘soulless’.
Despite this, the RTPI’s Futureproof New Towns report finds the bold, future-shaping ideals that defined 20th-century new towns remain alive and successful internationally – and could be replicated in the UK with the right leadership.
‘We need to move away from the cookie-cutter model of towns and housing that dominates development in the UK and start thinking creatively, from the ground up,’ said Dr Daniel Slade, head of Research and Practice at the RTPI. ‘These case studies show what becomes possible when we let go of pre-conceived ideas about place.’
The research examines examples from Almere in the Netherlands, Freiburg in Germany, the Paris region in France, Chandigarh in India, Daybreak in Utah (USA) and Curitiba in Brazil. Like most of the sites proposed by the New Towns Taskforce, these are urban extensions rather than entirely new settlements, offering practical and realistic lessons for England.
Freiburg, Germany, provides a powerful counter-narrative to the UK’s often adversarial planning debates. By delivering infrastructure first, removing garages from neighbourhoods and prioritising walkable streets, the city has fostered strong public support for development. Researchers attending a six-hour public engagement ‘festival’ found residents actively involved and enthusiastic about shaping future growth.
Lead author of the report, Professor Alex Lord, University of Liverpool, said: ‘In Freiburg, the research team found powerful early engagement through a public ‘festival’ sprouted genuine interest in development from local residents.
‘It’s one of the greatest lessons we can take from this research. When planners and local governments bring the communities along with them, they can create places where people truly want to live.’
Almere, in the Netherlands, represents a new town that integrated its food strategy into its planning, supporting an ‘edible’ placemaking approach, aiming to produce 10 percent of its future food from Oosterwold, an area on the outskirts of Almere, which parcels out land for residents to grow their own produce.
Simon Creer, Communications and External Affairs Director at the RTPI, said: ‘This is a chance for today’s generation of planners to build their legacy. How these towns are viewed in 50 years will be seen not just as a reflection of their work today, but of their vision of the future.’
