The mixed successes of Britain's post-war 'new town' and 'expanded town' developments offer some valuable lessons for those seeking to solve the country's acute housing shortage.
"The legacy of Britain’s new towns overall is mixed," says The Economist. "There are 22 of them across the country, as well as several 'expanded towns'. Together, they are home to around 2m people. Built between the 1940s and 1960s, they were the product of the post-war centralised state, which aimed to demolish Britain’s bombed-out Victorian slums and build new rationally planned, semi-rural settlements."
"Even now, success is unevenly spread between them. More northern ones such as Redditch and Corby, still rely heavily on manufacturing for employment. Those near London lean more on commuting and the capital’s outgrowths."
"Yet the lesson of the new towns is that being linked into a bigger city fosters growth. Their success owes much to the other part of 1940s planning—the tight green belts which still surround big cities and squeeze investment farther out. The notion that they would be self-contained economies has largely failed."
FULL STORY: Paradise lost
Why California Should Not, Cannot Solve Its Housing Crisis By Building New Cities
A recent essay advocates for the development of a new city in California to alleviate the state's housing crisis. The argument needs a few tweaks.
The Potential of New Towns
Richard Peiser and Ann Forsyth discuss their latest book, New Towns for the Twenty-First Century: A Guide to Planned Communities Worldwide, with the Penn Institute for Urban Research.
Inside Mussolini's Fascist New Town
Founded in 1928, the fascist new town of Arborea (formerly known as Mussolinia) still shows hints of the divergence between the traditional towns of Sardinia and the modernist leanings of its founders.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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