Towards an Urban Renaissance: The Urban Task Force

BOOK COVER......Page 1
TITLE......Page 2
COPYRIGHT......Page 3
PREFACE......Page 4
FOREWORD......Page 6
INTRODUCTION......Page 8
THE KEY PROPOSALS......Page 10
CONTENTS......Page 12
PART ONE  THE SUSTAINABLE CITY......Page 19
THE URBAN LEGACY......Page 20
The information age......Page 21
Changing lifestyles......Page 22
UNDERSTANDING THE ENGLISH CONTEXT......Page 23
The economic context......Page 25
The social context......Page 28
The environmental context......Page 29
Achieving design excellence......Page 30
Creating economic strength......Page 34
Taking environmental responsibility......Page 35
Investing in urban government......Page 36
Prioritising social well-being......Page 37
IN SUMMARY......Page 39
A process of fragmentation......Page 40
THE COMPACT AND WELL-CONNECTED CITY......Page 41
Achieving urban integration......Page 46
Towards a public realm strategy......Page 48
Density and design......Page 49
Creating pyramids of intensity......Page 51
Mixing uses......Page 54
Long-life, loose-fit, low energy buildings......Page 55
DEFINING SUCCESS: KEY PRINCIPLES OF URBAN DESIGN......Page 58
IMPROVING THE DESIGN PROCESS: THE SPATIAL MASTERPLAN......Page 61
PROCURING EXCELLENCE IN URBAN DESIGN......Page 62
Design competitions......Page 63
Promoting public involvement......Page 67
IN SUMMARY......Page 69
The planning system: setting the tone......Page 71
Getting the connections right......Page 73
Streets as places......Page 75
CREATING A NEW SET OF TRAVEL CHOICES......Page 77
Prioritising walking and cycling......Page 78
Cycling......Page 79
Creating a virtuous circle......Page 80
Better bus services......Page 81
People who cannot afford any of the options......Page 82
Reducing car use......Page 83
PARKING......Page 85
Planning residential parking provision......Page 86
Car parking charges......Page 87
IN SUMMARY......Page 88
PART TWO  MAKING TOWNS AND CITIES WORK......Page 90
THE STATE OF OUR URBAN ENVIRONMENT......Page 91
Management and maintenance services: a case of under-investment......Page 93
Securing strategic responsibility......Page 94
The need for clear and transparent management responsibility......Page 95
Town centres: a management priority......Page 96
Council estates and urban management......Page 98
Community-based neighbourhood management......Page 99
Developing upstream solutions......Page 100
Crime prevention and community safety......Page 102
The need to know whether management is making a difference......Page 103
IN SUMMARY......Page 104
LEARNING THE LESSONS OF THE PAST......Page 106
Integrating national and regional policy objectives......Page 108
The case for a targeted approach......Page 110
Concentrating limited resources......Page 111
The case for designating Urban Priority Areas......Page 112
How would the designations work?......Page 113
The special regeneration needs of council housing areas......Page 114
Prioritising aftercare......Page 115
Urban Regeneration Companies......Page 116
Housing Regeneration Companies......Page 119
IN SUMMARY......Page 120
Core skills and employment needs......Page 122
The changing needs of the development industry......Page 123
Building capacity to enable community participation......Page 124
Academic and professional qualifications......Page 125
Continuing professional development......Page 126
Regional Resource Centres for Urban Development......Page 127
IN SUMMARY......Page 129
PART THREE  MAKING THE MOST OF OUR URBAN ASSETS......Page 131
Refining the target......Page 132
Supply of land and buildings......Page 133
Delivering land for housing......Page 135
THE SUPPLY OF PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED LAND AND EMPTY BUILDINGS......Page 136
Derelict land......Page 137
Buildings......Page 138
Projected supply of land and buildings......Page 139
DELIVERING LAND AND BUILDINGS FOR NEW HOUSING......Page 140
Housebuilding patterns......Page 141
Urban greenfields......Page 142
Density of new residential development......Page 143
SUMMARISING THE RESULTS......Page 144
PLANNING FOR AN URBAN RENAISSANCE......Page 146
National planning guidance......Page 147
Regional planning guidance......Page 148
Moving to more strategic development plans......Page 149
Streamlining planning decisions......Page 150
Area implementation planning......Page 153
Tackling outdated zoning......Page 155
Facilitating mixed uses......Page 156
Making better use of planning obligations and planning gain......Page 157
Securing mixed income housing......Page 158
IN SUMMARY......Page 159
The work of the Regional Planning Bodies......Page 162
Plan, monitor and manage: what should it mean in practice?......Page 163
The sequential approach to housing development......Page 164
The sequential approach to retail development and other town centre uses......Page 166
The Green Belt and linking development......Page 167
Releasing under-used public land assets......Page 168
Greenfield tax......Page 169
Environmental impact fees......Page 170
LAND ASSEMBLY: STRENGTHENING THE OPTIONS......Page 171
Reflecting the costs of holding vacant land and buildings......Page 172
Easing negotiated public acquisitions......Page 174
Increasing financial resources......Page 175
Powers......Page 176
Skills......Page 177
IN SUMMARY......Page 178
A barrier to development......Page 181
Learning from abroad......Page 182
Establishing the priorities......Page 183
Managing development risk: the case for a new national framework......Page 184
Education......Page 186
IN SUMMARY......Page 187
Empty property strategies......Page 189
Historic buildings and neighbourhoods......Page 190
The upper rooms......Page 192
Local taxation......Page 195
IN SUMMARY......Page 196
PART FOUR  MAKING THE INVESTMENT......Page 199
Understanding existing patterns......Page 200
Prospects for change......Page 201
Criteria for intervention......Page 202
Joint public-private long term investment funds......Page 203
Private finance applications to deliver mixed development projects......Page 204
The private rented housing sector: introducing the REIT-petite......Page 205
FISCAL MEASURES......Page 207
Developers......Page 208
Small investor landlords......Page 209
Business occupiers......Page 210
IN SUMMARY......Page 211
MAKING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE AND ASSETS WORK HARDER......Page 212
Revenue expenditure......Page 214
Capital funding......Page 216
The big numbers......Page 217
Towards an integrated approach......Page 218
Getting the phasing right......Page 219
Increasing efficiency......Page 220
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)......Page 221
State aid......Page 222
The impact of the National Lottery......Page 223
Stock renewal......Page 224
Private sector renewal......Page 226
Overcoming social segregation......Page 227
IN SUMMARY......Page 228
PART FIVE  SUSTAINING THE RENAISSANCE......Page 230
RECYCLED LAND: THE URBAN OPPORTUNITY......Page 231
The Urban White Paper......Page 233
New roles and responsibilities......Page 234
COMMUNICATING SUCCESS......Page 235
LOOKING FORWARD......Page 236
POSTSCRIPT......Page 239
WORKING GROUP MEMBERS......Page 240
SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOR ONGOING SUPPORT......Page 241
CONSULTANTS......Page 242
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING ORGANISATIONS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT......Page 243
INDEX......Page 244