A New Model For The Eco-Town

"The focus in the UK is to turn homes into self-sufficient islands by plastering them with expensive renewable technologies and incorporating water recycling at a very localised level. The Swedes take the opposite approach: building comparatively conventional homes and providing heat and power through carefully planned infrastructure at a district level. This is paid for upfront by the city council and the utilities companies."

"Combustible waste is cleverly sucked through a system of tubes, rather than being taken away by polluting lorries, and burned in a combined heat and power plant to provide electricity and heat via the district heating system."

"But the UK, with its cash-strapped councils and inefficient privatised utilities, is very different from Sweden, where there is only one water and one electricity provider. So could the Hammarby model be replicated over here or are the pilgrims wasting their time?"

"Hammarby consists almost entirely of low-rise blocks of flats built in a variety of styles and materials. It takes its name from the lake at its centre, which gives most of the development a waterside feel. There is plenty of greenery to complement the water – small parks and open spaces between the blocks. There is also access to the adjacent forested area, which has a small ski slope. Trams purr silently through the development and most of the streets are culs-de-sac, which means there is virtually no through traffic."