New Urbanism Hits The Mainstream In Britain

"The principles behind Upton are more than a decade old -- indeed, proponents argue they are hundreds of years old. Traditional architecture, densely packed houses, geometric street plans and the attempt to create communities rather than just tracts of houses are hallmarks of the American "new urbanist" movement that began in the 1980s. Poundbury, a traditionalist village in western England championed by Prince Charles, was started in 1993.

To begin with, such experiments were widely mocked. Poundbury is still seen by many British architects as a backward-looking fantasy; the Architectural Association teaches it alongside Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch. The Florida town of Seaside became the setting for "The Truman Show", a film about fakery.

Everybody scoffs, that is, apart from those who matter. Home buyers like Poundbury's houses: they sell for 5-10% more than similar-sized properties nearby in Dorchester, says Fiona Elder of Elder & Froy, a local estate agent. Planners like the emphasis on communal life. Most important, the government sees in the new suburban model a way of achieving some of its own objectives. As a result, ideas that remain interesting but marginal in America have become mainstream in Britain."