The Garden City Opportunity – A Guide for Councils

This resource is part of a collection called Other guidance for delivering new Garden Cities.

Across the UK there is a chronic shortage of affordable housing, and this housing crisis is damaging people’s life chances. At the same time, much of the new housing being delivered is badly designed and in places which lack the basic social infrastructure needed to make healthy and vibrant communities.

How can we meet the shared ambition to build the number of homes we need in places we can be proud of – places that will enhance people’s health and wellbeing?

As communities and councils, we have a clear choice. Do we want people to live in soulless housing estates and – as has resulted from recent changes to permitted development rules – converted flats with no windows? Or do we want our legacy to be one of quality and inclusion in communities we can all be proud of?

The TCPA believes that the answer lies in the Garden City development model – a proven way of funding, creating and maintaining successful high-quality places. A true Garden City is a place created following the Garden City Principles expounded in this guide.

The TCPA has produced a wealth of detailed guidance on how to build high-quality new places in its Practical Guide series, dealing in depth with relevant issues ranging from location and consent, and finance and delivery, to long-term stewardship, and planning for health and the arts.

This guide provides a general overview of the case for the use of the Garden City development model by councils and communities that are considering new large-scale development as part of a portfolio of solutions to meet housing and growth needs. Much of the context of this guide is also applicable to the renewal of existing places.

This guide is kindly supported by Countryside PropertiesLDA Design and the Lady Margaret Paterson Osborn Trust.