What words come to mind when thinking of new towns? “Concrete”, “boring”, “roundabouts”
A new survey conducted by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and YouGov asked respondents what words came to mind when thinking of new towns like Stevenage, Crawley and Milton Keynes. The responses included words such as “concrete”, “boring”, “soulless” and “roundabouts”.
Whilst post war towns like Crawley changed lives for millions, the survey also revealed that the UK public has serious doubts about whether the next generation of new towns will meet future needs, for example the overuse of concrete.
The RTPI also conducted a Futureproof New Towns interim report, which draws on lessons from international towns which demonstrate how policymakers and planners create successful towns.
It also explains what not to do when planning these towns.
The report found that successful towns are dependent on community leadership and engagement with strong infrastructure connections.
Over the summer, the research team, which is led by the University of Hertfordshire, will visit international case studies to create a UK-focused report with policy recommendations to be published in the autumn.