England Faces What America Faces

Grassroots opposition confronts government attempts to build more homes to reduce commuting.

1 minute read

May 10, 2004, 11:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Change a few of the phrases and you would think that what people are saying in England about saving smaller rural communities from being paved over by sprawl was what is being heard throughout the United States. English government faces the same tough set of issues, including the need for more affordable housing. "What has caused all the apocalyptic prose on both sides of the argument is Mr Prescott's proposal to build 140,000 extra houses a year, and, in particular, to produce an estimated 200,000 new homes in four specified areas of the south-east. The row touches on the social, economic, political and cultural life of the whole of Britain, and indeed much of Europe, wherever the aspirations of new homeowners and the quality of life of existing homeowners collide messily in overcrowded industrialised countries."

Thanks to Joel S. Hirschhorn

Saturday, May 8, 2004 in The Guardian Unlimited

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