Author Archives: dorothylaing

Garden cities – back to the future?

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Ebenezer Howard

Image by Monty Trent on Flickr via a Creative Commons License

By Dorothy Laing

Today’s announcement that Bicester is to be the second new garden city with 13,000 new homes, is a reminder that the UK’s housing shortage requires large-scale solutions. According to the Town and Country Planning Association’s estimates, between 240,000 and 245,000 new homes are needed each year up to 2031 to meet the needs of our growing population. This demand can only be met by building new settlements including schools, transport links, infrastructure and community facilities. Continue reading →

Planning healthy cities … integration is key

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Image from Flickr user Sebastian Niedlich, licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons License

Image from Flickr user Sebastian Niedlich, licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons License

By Dorothy Laing

“The environment in which we live, work and spend leisure time – both the physical nature of places and the social environment of communities – has an enormous impact on our health and wellbeing. Health problems such as obesity, chronic heart disease, stress and mental health issues are intricately linked to the environments in which people live and work”. (RTPI, 2014)

Earlier this month the RTPI published Promoting healthy cities: Why planning is critical to a healthy urban future, the third in a series of Planning Horizons papers launched to mark the RTPI’s centenary. The report looks at how planning can help to create healthy cities – one of its main arguments being that health and wellbeing need to be at the core of city design and development.

With a growing number of people living in urban areas, and health problems such obesity and diabetes on the rise, planning for healthy cities is vital. And interest in the links between planning and urban health is nothing new.

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Troubled families approach expands … but is the evidence there?

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paper family on handBy Dorothy Laing

Nobody likes the idea of experiencing antisocial behaviour on their doorsteps so further government action to help ‘troubled families’ will almost certainly be welcomed by neighbours and local communities alike.

On 19th August, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles announced an extension of the Troubled Families Programme, as findings from independent research carried out for the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) – National Evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme interim report family monitoring data: a report by Ecorys UK and Understanding Troubled Families – revealed the current state of progress. Continue reading →

Marine planning – all at sea?

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by Dorothy Laing

Waves

While the Wildlife Trusts celebrated National Marine Week and British holidaymakers head for the coast to enjoy a traditional seaside holiday, they will almost certainly not be aware that the first of 11 marine plans for England has recently been adopted, even though these new plans are likely to have an impact on coastal areas.

Planning in the marine environment is a contentious issue with the increase in activities around the coastline and competing demands for resources. Offshore wind farms, ports and marina developments, coastal flooding and erosion, tidal energy, and aggregate extraction, as well as pressures from tourism and leisure, and the need to protect the environment and ensure sustainable development, all contribute to the growing pressure.

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Town centres first?

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boarded up shop

© Copyright michael ely and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

by Dorothy Laing

Has the town centre first policy failed in its attempt to restore vitality to Britain’s failing high streets?

Town centres and high streets across Britain have been suffering from the combined effects of the increase in online shopping, car parking issues, increasing business rates, and the impact of the recession, as well as the challenges of out-of town centres.

The benefits of vibrant town centres have been well documented by Portas, Grimsey and Fraser who have all Continue reading →

After the floods

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Floating house in Taggs Island

by Dorothy Laing

With flood levels finally subsiding, householders and businesses are faced with a mammoth clean-up operation, but with flooding likely to be a regular occurrence due to climate change  is it time to think seriously about designing and building flood resilient or amphibious housing?

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