Memorandum by the Urban Task Force (UWP
103)
TRANSLATING THE URBAN TASK FORCE REPORT INTO
AN URBAN WHITE PAPER
Since the industrial revolution English towns and
cities have been spoilt by poor design, economic dispersal and
social polarisation. As a result of prolonged under-investment
in our urban fabric, our key institutions—economic, social,
educational, political and cultural—have struggled to function
effectively on behalf of urban populations. As a result, many
people have moved out.
We now have the best opportunity for over 200
years to produce an urban renaissance in England. Three main drivers—the
technological revolution, the global ecological threat and a social
transformation that flows from increased life expectancy and new
lifestyle choices—are creating a climate for urban renewal.
The Urban White Paper is an essential early
step in this process. It must provide a framework for urban policy
development across Whitehall over the next five to ten years.
Drawing from the Task Force's report we consider that the Urban
White Paper must incorporate the following principles alongside
its broader economic and social objectives:
THE COMPACT
CITY
We must regenerate our towns and cities from
the centre out, increasing densities to accommodate populations
of sufficient size to support a range of diverse uses and amenities.
Key recommendations include:
— For significant regeneration projects,
making planning permission and public funding conditional upon
preparation of spatial master plan.
— Planing presumptions against low
density developments.
— Town Improvement Zones managed by
public-private partnerships to generate additional investment
in the quality of our urban commercial centres.
BROWNFIELDS FIRST
We should recycle previously developed land
and buildings in preference to further erosion of the English
countryside. Key recommendations include:
— A strict sequential approach to releasing
land for residential development.
— Ambitious regional targets for the
proportion of new housing developed on brownfield land.
— Reviewing allocations of Greenfield
land for housing development.
— Simplified assembly of brownfield
sites in creating new development opportunities.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
New urban developments must be designed to higher
standards if people are to choose to live within our towns and
cities. Key recommendations include:
— Creating a national urban design
framework, overseen by the Commission for Architecture and the
Built Environment, to disseminate key design principles.
— Greater use of design competitions
and higher quality development and design briefs in demanding
more from developers by way of design quality.
— Increasing the proportion of public
expenditure invested in sustainable modes of transport.
— Introducing "Home Zones"
to control traffic movement through urban neighbourhoods.
— A more integrated approach to the
management of urban green space, backed up by stronger statutory
protection for the most valuable public spaces.
SOCIAL INCLUSION
We need to adopt planning and regeneration policies
that give greater support to developing mixed income communities,
and economic policies that make a better connection between the
need for decent homes and the need for accessible employment.
Key recommendations include:
— Using the planning and funding systems
to enable more mixed income housing schemes to proceed.
— Making it easier for local authorities
to transfer their social housing stock to arms-length management
organisations.
— Ensuring deprived urban estates and
neighbourhoods are properly connected with urban centres through
affordable public transport.
MANAGEMENT
We have to empower local authorities to ensure
that the whole of the urban environment is well managed. This
also means a substantial increase in public and private investment
in maintaining and improving the urban environment. Key recommendations
include:
— Successive above-inflation increases
in resources allocated to urban local authorities for managing
and maintaining the urban environment.
— Strengthened enforcement for local
authorities to use against individuals or organisations who damage
the quality of urban life through their actions or neglect.
SKILLS
We must recognise the large skills deficit in
urban design, planning and management, and invest heavily in training
a new generation of urban development professionals. The key recommendations
are:
— Cross-the-board review of quality
of educational provision from secondary schools through to professional
development.
— Establishing Regional Resource Centres
to promote regional innovation and good practice in urban development,
and to co-ordinate urban development training.
— Strengthening the national network
of local architecture and design centres to promote public interest
and involvement in the process of improving their own urban environment.
INVESTMENT
We require a new set of financial instruments
to attract large-scale private investment into towns and cities.
At the same time, local regeneration partners must be given greater
freedom to invest a greater level of public resources in the regeneration
process for longer periods. Key recommendations include:
— Introducing Urban Priority Areas
to allow local partners to develop customised packages of policies,
instruments, powers and resources that can be channelled into
a sustained regeneration effort.
— Availability of fiscal incentives
to help persuade private sector interests to take on urban development
and management risk.
— Ensuring the "urban renaissance"
is a clear priority within the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending
Review.
— Creating a "Renaissance Fund"
to give local people direct access to resources to improve their
own street or neighbourhood.
LEADERSHIP
Local authorities must be given a clear mandate
to lead the urban renaissance in partnership with local people,
and other regional and local institutions. This means greater
devolution of power and resources to ensure that our urban institutions
are equipped for the task ahead. The key recommendation is:
— Deliver longer term funding commitments
to local authorities and their partners, and increase the freedoms
available to local institutions in raising, combining and allocating
available resources.
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