Garden cities have been making news lately thanks to a new book by architect Robert A.M. Stern, but a design competition and policy declarations in the United Kingdom have put some serious skin in the game.
Mike Sergeant shares news of five finalists in a design competition to design a new garden city in England. The Wolfson Economics Prize, as its called, will award £250,000 to the eventual winner. The five finalists include entries are from: design consultancy housing charity Shelter; Barton Willmore; Chris Blundell; David Rudlin; and planners Wei Yang & Partners.
The competition was created to search for answers to the United Kingdom's housing shortage: "The number of households in England is expected to grow by about 221,000 every year this decade….But the number of homes being built is lagging behind - with the construction of 112,630 completed between April 2013 and March this year."
According to an earlier report from the BBC, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg promised to build three garden cities, each with more than 15,000 homes. The garden cities will fended with "an existing £2.4bn pot will be made available for developments being built up to 2020."
FULL STORY: 'Garden cities' competition finalists announced
Survey: NIMBYism Declining as a Result of the U.K. Housing Crisis
A newly released report from a U.K. housing non-profit reports a "Staggering turn-around" in attitudes about housing—more specifically described as a sharp decline in NIMBYism.
Can UK Politicians Force Owners to Develop Fallow Properties?
Britain's opposition Labour Party is promising to tackle the country's housing crisis as a centerpiece of its next election campaign. A proposed “use it or lose it” law aimed at forcing developers to build on fallow land is causing controversy.
San Francisco Mayor Backtracks on Homelessness Goal
Mayor Dan Lurie ran on a promise to build 1,500 additional shelter beds in the city, complete with supportive services. Now, his office says they are “shifting strategy” to focus on prevention and mental health treatment.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.
Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie