Our new publication is a prompt to help communities express what they want to see from future new towns
Where would you like to live? What kind of environment do you want to grow old in? And what kind of lives do you want your children and grandchildren to have?
These questions should be the starting point for discussions about what a new generation of new towns look and feel like in the 21st Century. And so, our new publication 21st Century New Towns, seeks to help you answer that very question. From access to nature and a vibrant social and cultural scene, to affordable, healthy homes in neighbourhoods that are safe, welcoming and inclusive, this document – which will be launched on Monday – explores how to secure all the things needed for shaping thriving communities.
It sets out, in broad terms, what we feel is needed from a new town. We are not trying to impose our vision on you, but to help people consider and express their own vision. We hope that it will spark curiosity and optimism and encourage communities to push for better.
We hope this vision will spark curiosity and optimism and encourage communities to push for better.
We are preparing to launch our vision (register here) as rumours swirl about the New Towns Taskforce’s recommended locations. But, this document is not about locations. We are clear that locations should only be proposed after a national conversation about why we need new places, and what these places should deliver. This vision is a contribution to that conversation.
A new generation of new towns offer an exciting opportunity, not only to help solve England’s housing crisis, but also to provide communities with all of the ingredients to live healthy and thriving lives, while protecting and enhancing the planet.
As a country, we have the expertise and know-how to create high-quality and thriving places and communities, but we need the political commitment to turn this vision into reality. To achieve this, we must all be bold, ambitious, aspirational, and willing to demand better than the status quo.
The next generation of new towns need to work for the people living and working in and around them.
However, this publication is just a starting point, a prompt to help start a national conversation about what the future new towns should be. For this conversation to be meaningful, it must engage with and listen to the voices of local communities across the country. The next generation of new towns need to work for the people living and working in and around them.
We are lucky to be joined in this conversation by Pam Warhurst CBE, the founder of Incredible Edible, the now global movement which aims to use food growing as a catalyst for social transformation. Pam is ideally placed to think optimistically about community action in the planning and delivery of places, and her role in enabling community-led change led to her receiving the Ebenezer Howard Memorial Medal in 2023. You can read more about Pam’s work here.
We hope our vision for 21st Century New Towns can help you build your own vision for a new town in your area, and answer the central question: what do you need to thrive?
If you’re interested in finding out more and joining the conversation, please join us for the launch event of 21st Century New Towns on Monday, 23 June at 12:30 – 1.30pm. Register for your place here.
