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URBAN REGENERATION
The Prince of Wales asks: "Should we revive urban
areas rather than build on green fields?"
"Should we try harder to
revive the fortunes of our towns and cities, and of the empty land and
buildings that many of them contain, rather than see so many poorly
designed developments on green fields? And if we do need to build on
green fields, how can the quality of town planning and building design be
improved so as to foster community spirit and more sustainable use of
resources?
"Our towns and cities can be both the best, and the very worst of
places. At best, they are vigorous, exciting, elegant and deeply
interesting places to live, to work and to visit. At worst, they are
polluted, soulless and devoid of opportunities.
We are told that changes in lifestyle are causing more people to need a
home than ever before. In the coming twenty years, nearly four million
new households are likely to be formed not least as a result of longer
life expectancy and a tendency for people to remain single for longer. To
put this into perspective, this means that we may need to find land for
more homes than currently exist in the whole of Greater London.
It seems to me that this poses one of the greatest challenges of our
generation. Can we find the means to build these new homes, or at least
most of them, in ways which enhance the quality of people's lives and of
the wider communities around them? Can we take the opportunity to breathe
fresh life and wealth into some of the most run down and needy areas of
urban Britain? And can we reclaim the thousands of wonderful historic
buildings, many of which lie derelict, for new uses?
These questions have concerned me for many years, and I have sponsored
attempts to find answers to at least some of them through the work of
various organisations which I have initiated.
At Poundbury, on the outskirts of Dorchester, on land owned by the Duchy
of Cornwall, a new community is being built with homes for sale and for
rent, alongside new factories, shops and a farmers market. Here, we have
attempted to draw from the rich architectural and building traditions of
Dorset to build a series of urban quarters which properly belong to the
neighbouring town and the surrounding landscape, rather than a soulless
housing estate, used by its residents, but loved by nobody. Poundbury is
a place where people can meet casually in traditionally laid out streets,
squares and courtyards, but where the homes are built to the very highest
standards of modern design and construction. Poundbury attracts many
visitors, from all parts of the United Kingdom and abroad and, for most,
seeing becomes believing. I sense it is beginning to help change
attitudes towards housing design, mixed communities and estate
layouts.
We are told that there is a pressing need for new homes in this country,
and where it is simply not possible to find previously used brownfield
land, then surely the approach at Poundbury has more to commend it than
does the rather depressing spectacle of standardised new housing designs
which tell one nothing about the local setting and which lack either the
stimulation of a varied neighbourhood or the harmony of careful design
and architecture?
Yet within many of our towns and cities there is a considerable amount of
spare or under-used land, much of it left over from abandoned industrial
uses. Here, I believe, there are great opportunities for rejuvenating our
urban environment.
But, again, there must be a better approach to site layout, mixed tenures
and architectural manners than is so often the case. An organisation
which I helped to establish nearly ten years ago brings together many in
the building, architecture, planning and housing sectors in order to
promote the construction of just such projects. This organisation, known
as The Urban Villages Forum, works closely with project partners around
the country, and its small projects team has become a widely respected
adviser on urban regeneration plans in many cities. It is currently
working on more than twenty such schemes, making the case for community
led planning and design which, as I have frequently witnessed, can so
often lead to remarkably interesting and successful outcomes.
I have recently established my Prince's Foundation, a new charitable
umbrella organisation which will bring The Urban Villages Forum together
with my other initiatives in the field of architecture and the built
environment. My Foundation will be based in Shoreditch, East London, and
it will work from a converted former warehouse, refurbished specifically
for the purpose of educating, training and disseminating the advantages
of a more people-focused approach to matters of planning, design and
construction.
The Prince's Foundation will include the efforts being made by two
organisations which were created to help the conversion of derelict
buildings of historic value; The Phoenix Trust and Regeneration Through
Heritage. There are literally thousands of remarkable heritage buildings,
ranging from empty mills to former lunatic asylums.
Many are outstanding examples of the architectural self confidence of the
times in which they were built and, in many cases, they continue to
articulate a sense of history, status and character to the communities in
which they stand. I am convinced that far more can be done to find new
uses for these buildings, and I am pleased that in just three short years
both The Phoenix Trust and Regeneration Through Heritage have been able
to assist in saving around a dozen endangered buildings, with the promise
of many more to follow.
This is not an exercise in sterile conservation, but a practical case of
commercially viable conversions. At Stanley Mill in Perthshire, Scotland,
The Phoenix Trust is converting a huge 18th Century Arkwright mill into
new homes at affordable prices, along with a visitor centre.
Regeneration Through Heritage is helping with similar projects in
Wakefield, Stockport, Sowerby Bridge and other places, bringing new
housing, art galleries, workspaces and community amenities into fine
heritage buildings.
There is no doubt that our lives are deeply affected by the physical
environment around us, and that ugly buildings and bland public spaces
depress the spirits. Yet, of course, the opposite is also true; that our
enjoyment of life is hugely enhanced by marvellous places.
It is for this reason that I continue to sponsor training and educational
opportunities for those concerned with architecture and the wider design
and management of our urban environments. I am convinced that more
holistic and practical training, which celebrates the timeless arts of
observation, drawing and making, might help to improve the quality of
what is built today. Again, these activities will be a very important
part of the new Prince's Foundation, in what will, I hope, be a
thoroughly lively and inter-disciplinary centre for discussion and for
learning.
I am interested to know how others feel about these issues. We live on a
crowded island, with a deep and rich history of towns, cities and
buildings. We are rightly concerned at the loss of greenery and open
countryside. Isn't it time that we recovered some sense of respect for
both town and country, by building places which people can feel properly
proud to belong to?"
The Prince of Wales,
St James's Palace,
September 1999
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