tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54245319790011459412024-02-18T18:08:10.073-08:00New Garden City MovementNew Garden City MovementPhilip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-15173930685329211952016-10-21T02:36:00.001-07:002016-10-21T02:36:40.928-07:00Historian Dan Cruickshank discovers whether the governments proposed new Garden Cities programme - hailed as an idyllic alternative to generic commuter towns - is the answer to our housing crisis or a toxicblight on lifestyle and landscape.<br />
<br />
Excellent contributions from Katy Lock of the TCPA and John Davis from Burlington CLT and Philip Ross from the New Garden City Movement<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z4155">http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z4155</a><br />
<br />Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-58230292187434814082016-10-21T02:29:00.002-07:002016-10-21T02:34:03.821-07:00Future Jamboree in Wroclaw PolandWe have taken part in the #FutureJamboree in Poland. We have promoted the garden city model as one that can be sustainable in economic, social and ecological terms.<br />
<br />
Delegates from Poland, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa, South and North America.<br />
<br />
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Light; font-size: 18px;">
<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">A (non-)conference of activists and urban innovators from all over the world. 90 leading urban activists, representing all continents will gather in Wrocław to share their knowledge and experiences regarding the development of the city, and to inspire each other during a meeting, spanning two days. This interaction will support their efforts in thinking up a better city – inclusive, fair and even more respectful towards the quality of life of its residents.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Light; font-size: 18px;">
<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">THE FESTIVAL OF INNOVATIVE THOUGHT AND EXCHANGE OF GOOD PRACTICES REGARDING DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITIES</span><br />
<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">15-17 October 2016, Zajezdnia History Centre, Wrocław</em></span></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.wroclaw2016.pl/future-jamboree-a-conference-on-the-development-of-cities">http://www.wroclaw2016.pl/future-jamboree-a-conference-on-the-development-of-cities</a>Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-47842495173668782352016-10-21T02:28:00.004-07:002016-10-21T02:28:58.549-07:00Burlington and Vermont CLTInteresting article about the land trust movement in the USA and the links Bernie Sanders has to it.<br />
We have good links with Burlington, they drew inspiration from Letchworth and we have much to learn from them in return<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/business/metropolis/2016/01/bernie_sanders_made_burlington_s_land_trust_possible_it_s_still_an_innovative.html">http://www.slate.com/articles/business/metropolis/2016/01/bernie_sanders_made_burlington_s_land_trust_possible_it_s_still_an_innovative.html</a>Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-52124474335188841922015-03-10T10:12:00.001-07:002015-03-10T10:16:30.852-07:00Speech to the New Garden Cities Alliance at the House of Lords<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">HOUSE Of LORDS – NEW GARDEN CITIES
ALLIANCE ROUND TABLE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I want to thank Lord Glasman for
hosting us here today.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He and I
have been talking together about garden cities for the last few years and in
that time the idea of garden cities has moved from being a historical footnote
to again becoming part of our contemporary debate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All
political parties have talked about garden cities. Two new ones have been
announced and we have had the Wolfson prize competition on the subject. During
these processes people have been asking ‘what is a garden city?’ or worse still
we’d see the media making a rash attempt in trying to define it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As you can
probably appreciate, as the former Mayor of Letchworth I was always being asked
‘What is a garden city?’ so it was nice to see others suffering on this too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Once I shared a taxi
with a man from Hong Kong airport and he said where are you from? I am England?
Whereabout? You won't have heard of it I said, try me he said, Letchworth. The
garden city? I'm from Chengdu and we want to be a garden city! What do we have
to do?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Others have asked<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Is it just a marketing
term? A better name for a new town? A smoke screen to disguise thousands of new
houses? The name for a posh or gated committee? Is it about flowers in the
roundabouts? Does it mean a town built in a green field site?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Indeed that
debate was as fierce in Letchworth as it has been everywhere else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Apart from
the part about flowers, I have said no to all of these explanations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have
written my book which details 12 principles for a garden city not being a
planner or architect my focus has been on the invisible architecture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I see a
Garden City as being about being fusion of social and architectural principles,
the visible and invisible architecture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As for the Garden City suffix</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> originally it meant something to Howard
when he built Letchworth, though it was watered down on subsequent
developments. But interestingly mainly <b>only
the settlements associated directly</b> with Howard, Unwin and Parker took on
the suffix, as others lacked confidence to use it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But there was a dream that was Letchworth, and that was
rooted in its </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">invisible architecture which manifested itself in it plans and
building. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The focus was on land value capture. Howard’s goal for GC was
to capture the ‘unearned increment’ of the rise in land values. To capture that
value for the local community not the absent landlord.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Indeed what would Howard say of today’s buy-to-let market?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In LGC today the freehold for much of the commercial,
industrial and agricultural estate is held by a trust and has assets of some
£127m generating an income of about £7m a year, put back into the committee of
only 35,000. Not a bad model to follow and surely a fundamental principle for a
future garden city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Picking up
on this issue in September last year at a conference in Letchworth, we took up
this issue and published the Letchworth Declaration. Which many of you have
seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The aim of the Declaration was to
task us to create a movement</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> and organise a consensus on garden cities, to set up the
mechanisms so that an agreed definition of what a garden city is can take root
and to give new and existing settlements the confidence to call themselves
‘garden cities’, ‘villages’, suburbs or towns. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Declaration mooted an accreditation scheme and a body
called a New Garden Cities Alliance to operate it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Declaration
is a page long, but to summarise it in two sentences would be to say :<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The key principle
is and the question we are asking is <b>do
we want the term garden cities to mean something? And you do how can we make it
happen?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I do.</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I thank
those who has signed the declaration, which has given us a mandate to take
things forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To those who
haven’t signed and for organisations I know this can be harder than it is for individuals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We aren’t
asking for endorsements yet only support for this principle and for<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 61.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -25.5pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">participating,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 61.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -25.5pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">encouragement
and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 61.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -25.5pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Enthusiasm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I am encouraged and enthused because....<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is something happening</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> when significant numbers people and
organisations, planners; institutes are gathering around the banner; gathering
around the belief that garden cities need to be more than just a marketing
term; or be just places for the rich<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is something happening</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>when
</b>politicians of all parties coalesce around an idea;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is something happening when</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> planners, architects; community groups; ecologists and
environmentalists can see the hopes that they all hold in common.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">T<b>he garden city torch</b> as it is passed to
our generation That is what is happening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It can light
our way ahead as we approached the cross roads for 21st century garden cities,
and decide what path we want to take.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 63.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -25.5pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
could take the path to just talk about numbers – 200,000 homes a year or
however many.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 63.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -25.5pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As
Maurice has talked before about the danger of just building ‘Brezhnev style
homes’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 63.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -25.5pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Or
path of gated committees taking on the appellation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Or leads us
down the path of building<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">· Socially,
Economic and Ecologically sustainable settlements and communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Soon the
opportunity to define this clearly will pass as the market takes hold and with
a new government of what ever colour can press ahead with a building programme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If we choose
to act, then we need to choose to act NOW.
CARPE DIEM<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We know</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> we must learn from the past, learn
what happens when there is rush to build, a disregard for people and
communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We remember</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> that in the 60s and 70s we saw the
destruction our urban communities, our urban assets, the great town halls,
railway stations and communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We recognised</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> that today risks lay before us and
it the focus must be to preserve and not destroy our rural architecture, but to
build in harmony.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our proposal
is that before <b>the first brick is laid</b>,
we make it clearer what a garden city. We give people something they can trust
in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, if we
can start to build some consensus today, put together the first steps towards a
plan for New Garden Cities Alliance and an agenda for a defining and endorsing
what will make a garden city settlement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If it isn’t
done by us, who will do it? Where will it end?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Government
can’t do this, shouldn’t do this, <b>but
together and only together</b> can we all credibly do this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But we won’t
need to knock anything over..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our goal
isn’t to be troublesome or awkward. Our goal isn’t to prevent things from
happening but to make them happen and make them happen in the right way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The reason
for the Declaration is to try and <b>facilitate
co-operation and collaboration.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> We believe in garden
cities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Our goal is to a vision to bear</b>, build
clarity over confusion and offer hope and optimism in place of cynicism and despair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> I see the benefit not being just for the
people who might live in garden city settlements, but those existing and
affected communities, for planners; the architects and the housing developer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It can be done by</span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> harnessing the ingenuity of our
architects of buildings and of landscape; our planners and our house builders
and our community groups and their values. It can be done by combining together
the visible and invisible architecture as one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That creates the virtue of a garden city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Which brings
us back to the Declaration and to today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Should the term Garden Cities mean
something? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How can we make that happen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The aim of today is take that
forward.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This we
believe can be achieve by setting up an accreditation process which would focus
on an agreed set of social, planning and architectural criteria.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We can’t
solve it all today, but we can begin the conversation….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, three
things to do :-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 63.8pt; text-indent: -27.8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">1) Agree what a garden city should be like
by looking at values, principles and methods and practises<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2) Work out how a
place could be accredited<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">3) Work out how
this could be managed and organised<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Those are
our three aims. To discuss today and to give to working parties to take
forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We have some
speakers and discussions areas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">PRINCIPLES :<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">TCPA will
talk on their principles to get the conversation started. Nick Falk with talk
on how garden cities don’t need to be green field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We will then
discuss the principles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">ACCREDITATION <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We will talk
also about accreditation. <br />
Robin Murray on fair trade and Liz Wrigley on her experience from Building for
Life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">OPERATION<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And then on
how to run a New Garden Cities Alliance which we see as a new body to organise
this through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">GOALS for TODAY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The goal of
today will be to get a mandate – not necessarily an endorsement – to continue
working in this area through the establishment of working groups to look at
each of these areas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I hope you
enjoy today and it can be stepping stone for the future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We look forward
to your <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Participation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Encouragement and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Enthusiasm<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s see
what we can build today…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thank you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-60412888832885940932014-09-22T02:35:00.000-07:002014-09-22T02:35:00.524-07:00Message from Chengdu...<div align="left" class="yiv1541766011MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_63998" style="background-color: white; color: #3333ff; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64031" lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64030"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64029" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">1.</span><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64061"> </span></span></span><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_63997" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_63996" lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for the help and collaborations from the friends (<i>John Lewis,</i></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"> Philip Ross,</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"> David John Ames </span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;">,</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;">Michael John King,</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i><i id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64024"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64023" lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;">YVES CABANNES……</span></i><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64020" lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;">) and institutes (<i id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64019">Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation,</i></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"> New Garden city Movement, </span></i><i id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64034"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64033" lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;">Letchworth, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom,</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i><i id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64037"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64036" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;">Welwyn Garden City Heritage Trust. Parks Trust of Milton Keynes, University of Hertforshier, Building Research Establishment, Islington offices, Allies Morrison, Greater London Authority</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;">) in UK.</span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="yiv1541766011MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64039" style="background-color: white; color: #3333ff; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 7.8pt 0cm 7.8pt 18pt; padding: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">2.</span> </span><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64042" lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64041" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The central government of China has made positive progresses in eco-civilization town construction after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Garden city principles developed very well. It will play a positive role in the process of eco-civilization town construction in Sichuan province even in China.</span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="yiv1541766011MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64044" style="background-color: white; color: #3333ff; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 7.8pt 0cm 7.8pt 18pt; padding: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">3.</span> </span><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64047" lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64046" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Based on Garden city related studies from the this world , we hope more and more people is intended to join and push Garden city development.</span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="yiv1541766011MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64051" style="background-color: white; color: #3333ff; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; padding: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">4.</span> </span><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64050" lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64049" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Hope we have more chances to collaborated and share our interests in future.</span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="yiv1541766011MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64053" style="background-color: white; color: #3333ff; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; padding: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">5.</span> </span><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64064" lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64063" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Best wishes for the rewarding and successful workshop.</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv1541766011MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64055" style="background-color: white; color: #3333ff; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: large; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; padding: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="yiv1541766011MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64057" style="background-color: white; color: #3333ff; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: large; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64067" lang="EN-US" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12pt;"><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1410417189595_64066" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Baofeng Di from Sichuan University.</span></span></div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-34818716478216308592014-09-10T02:41:00.004-07:002014-09-10T02:41:57.608-07:00Place Making conference posits creation of a garden cities allianceThe <a href="https://storify.com/SharedAssets/building-a-vision-of-common-good-placemaking?utm_content=storify-pingback&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_source=t.co&awesm=sfy.co_er28&utm_campaign=">Place Making conference held at Letchworth Garden City</a> has posited the creation of a 'New Garden Cities Alliance' through the adoption of a 'Letchworth Declaration'.<br />
<br />
The Declaration was proposed to the conference by former Letchworth Mayor Philip Ross and was supported by the following speakers,<br />
<br />
The Declaration <a href="http://gardencities.info/the-letchworth-declaration/">can be read here </a>and signed there too, It is garnering support from an alliance of planning professionals, academics, architects and community activists.<br />
<br />
It proposes the creation of a New Garden Cities Alliance that will safeguard the garden city brand by bring clarity and certainty to the definition of what a garden city is.<br />
<br />
Philip Ross told the conference : '<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>"There is political agreement that garden cities should be
community-led and that is to be welcomed.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I believe too that the definition of the garden city needs
to be community led.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>No one trusts the government to do, they don’t the
developers to do. They need a promise, a
social contract – to put their faith and trust in.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>We need to come together forge that social contract, that
promise, through a shared definition of what a garden city is. In doing so we
can provide clarity and certainty to both the public and to developers and
government".</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-9994891777127794262014-09-04T05:54:00.004-07:002014-09-04T05:56:20.708-07:00A New Garden City Alliance?<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The visible and invisible architecture of garden cities : <br />
Built on an alliance of values and practice</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Garden Cities are again in the news in the UK with the
recent Wolfson Economics Prize and its submissions on building new garden
cities as well as the DCLG prospectus inviting expressions of interest in
building community led garden cities. As ever planners and architects and
politicians are all looking at the spatial aspects of a garden city, where one
can be built and what it will look like. There remains though a need to look at
the third and potential most important aspect, the invisible architecture that
will form that community. This is the social values and principles upon which
it will be built as well as its invisible architecture of finance, ownership
and control <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plans have also been announced to build a ‘garden city’ at
Ebbsfleet. But what do they mean by garden city? What definition of a garden
city is it planning to follow? It is an important question. Even back in the
days of the first garden city movement the only places to get the suffix
‘garden city’ or ‘garden suburb’ were those mainly that Ebenezer Howard and
Raymond Unwin were connected with – Letchworth and Welwyn Garden Cities and
notably Hampstead and Brentham Garden Suburbs. Other places, like many of the
post war new towns, simply suggested that they were being built along ‘garden
city lines’. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The legacy of that first garden city movement itself has its
own trinity. The birthplace and spiritual home of Garden Cities is Letchworth
Garden City, the home of the movement is within the Town and Country Planning
Association (which is the successor organisation to the original Garden Cities
Association). Ebenezer Howard wasn’t a traditional planner or architect but a
community architect interested in the social reform that garden cities could
deliver. It is fair to say that that legacy of the third part of that trinity
is also held today by the social and pioneering organisations in the
co-operative movement, rural groups, environmental groups, housing
associations, residents and tenants associations, the “transition town”
movement, faith groups of all denominations, cultural groups, families and
individuals of all ages. Howard’s original ideas chris-crossed the political
divide just Garden Cities do today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It follows that having a community-led garden cities starts
by having a community-led definition of what a garden cities is. It needs to be
one that belongs not to one organisation and is not one that is thought up in
Whitehall but is one that is reflective of community values. It needs to be
born of a partnership and a great alliance between social, design and
architectural values and principles. The ambition must be to deliver a
sustainable community, a community proving inter-generational equity that is
socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. We will know we are
successful because it will create a sense of place, purpose and a stake in
their community, in one word ‘citizenship’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Building and working from the legacy of the first garden
city movement we need to build a tripartite alliance of planners, architects
and community to deliver a definition of a 21<sup>st</sup> century garden city.
Together they must deliver both a master plan for the visible architecture with
the social and invisible architecture. Together they will provide the basis for
establishing a sustainable society.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Just as the Wolfson Prize has engaged economists to come up
with a multitude of ideas of about how to raise finance for a garden city the
TCPA is making excellent progress drawing together the best planners and
architects and providing strong thought leadership. On the invisible
architecture a great deal of work has be done by co-operative movement with
both a large and small ‘C’. Elsewhere groups like <a href="http://www.respublica.org.uk/documents/omm_ResPublica%20Submission%20-%20The%20Lyons%20Housing%20Review%20(2014).pdf">Respublica</a>
have made a very positive contribution. The <a href="http://www.bshf.org/home.cfm">BSHF reports</a> on planning new
settlements and their ability to also build a strong coalition of interests
through their Windsor based consultations have made a huge contribution. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In November 2012 a conference in Letchworth saw a gathering
of the social movement and planners and architects including the TCPA. The
result was the subsequent <a href="http://www.uk.coop/sites/storage/public/downloads/commons_sense.pdf">Commons-Sense
report</a> which outlined a plethora of innovative ideas and documented
existing practise such as community land ownership programme and district and
co-operative heating and power solutions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The TCPA have also published <a href="http://www.tcpa.org.uk/pages/garden-cities.html">7 principles for garden
cities</a> which all centre of the principle capturing land value for the good
of community which are complementary to the 12 principles defined by Cabannes
and Ross[author] in their book <a href="http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/yves-cabannes-and-philip-ross/21st-century-garden-cities-of-to-morrow-a-manifesto/paperback/product-21652800.html">‘21<sup>st</sup>
Century Garden Cities of To-morrow’</a>. How this land value capture can be
done remains the subject of debate. The debate itself is an old one with the
original suggestion of a land value tax being made by Henry George which was
championed by Churchill in his early days. The issue centres around that as
land values rise who captures that unearned increment should it be the land
lord or the people living there? Garden Cities propose that it is the community
that lives there. A mechanism of collective land ownership and administration
exists through the use of a Community Land Trust to manage estates. But where
is the land to come from? The interesting thing about creative variants of land
value taxation or the <a href="http://communityrenewal.ca/co-op-landbanks">Co-operative
Land Bank model</a> (CLB) are that they could make the capture of the land
self-financing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Today’s agenda with new garden cities offer us chance to get
it right afresh. But to do so we need to combine the best of the visible and
invisible architecture together. It means getting the trinity of planning,
architecture and social values to work together. In doing so community-led
garden cities can have a community led definition, that can inspire planners,
architects and be the contract and covenant between them, the community
surrounding new settlement and for future citizens. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To achieve this there should be no doubt what makes a garden
city. We need to have a shared and agreed definition of garden cities that
comprises of the visible and invisible architecture that community groups and
leaders, economists, planners and architects can all work from. We believe that
at the heart of this will be the principles for land value capture for the community
and commitments to be socially, economically and ecologically sustainable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is the goal of the September conference in Letchworth
where we hope to issue and agree the ‘Letchworth Declaration’ of the goals and
put in motion the mechanism to put this into action.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our proposal is to create a New Garden Cities Alliance or Association
as a Community Interest Company (limited by guarantee) owned by this trinity of
users and groups. The goal of the company will be to agree a definition of
garden cities (perhaps with gold, silver and bronze standards). We will draw
inspiration from the Fair Trade movement, Transition Town movement and the <a href="http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/knowledge-resources/guide/building-life-12">Building
for Life</a> standard. We would expect all these accreditations to paint part
of the picture of a Garden City. The Alliance will license different
organisations to undertake audits and provide accreditations to allow towns and
neighbourhoods to get the garden city mark. In the long term even an ISO
standard could be developed for garden cities. The vision is here and details
will be worked out collaboratively. We don’t see the Alliance or Association as
employing staff or being bureaucratic. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The principles of garden city design, architecture and
social can be drawn from the TCPA, other planning groups, the RIBA and
community and activist groups to ensure that final definition will provide a
foundation to build upon that will be Socially, Economically and Ecologically
sustainable.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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It would provide reassurance and a social contract for
communities and guidance for architects and developers. In doing this we can
jointly build the platform upon which successful and community-led and garden
cities can be built and inspiring second garden movement that we can all be
proud of.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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<i>Philip Ross,
Letchworth Garden City. <br />
10<sup>th</sup> July 2014<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-6874330035762997682014-08-04T09:00:00.001-07:002014-08-04T09:00:46.357-07:00It’s time for a social contract for garden cities<a href="http://www.progressonline.org.uk/2014/08/04/its-time-for-a-social-contract-for-garden-cities/#.U9-uB6_pbls.blogger">It’s time for a social contract for garden cities</a><br /><br />
Article published by Progressonline.Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-31603684636093937662014-07-22T07:56:00.004-07:002014-07-22T07:56:55.850-07:00Garden City Principles need to be in the DNA of a new settlement<i>Philip Ross, addressed a seminar run by Shelter as a part of their submission for the Wolfson Prize. He talked about Garden Cities values and principles forming a part of the DNA of a new settlement, that they aren't something that can be added in afterwards</i><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
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My name is Philip Ross and I was Mayor of Letchworth Garden
City from 2007-2009. Since I have written a book entitled ‘21<sup>st</sup>
Century Garden Cities of To-morrow’, with Prof Yves Cabannes from UCL. Yves is
a former UN inspector and Harvard professor and housing specialist. He is done
a lot of work in South America promoting schemes for participatory budgeting
and empowering communities. Together we have travelled to China, Hong Kong and Europe
to promote Garden Cities and the social values and principles that should
underpin them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Our story and the story of the Garden City movement and
indeed almost every book on urban design begins with Letchworth. So lets begin
there and let me tell a little about my town and in particular the dream that
was Letchworth’ and why peoples from South America, North America, China, Asia,
Australia, Africa, Europe are so interested in it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Firstly let me qualify myself, I’m not a planner, I’m not an
architect or even a housing a specialist. I work in London for an IT
consultancy, I live in LGC where I am married and have raised three children.
So please bear with me as I can only speak to with the passion of activist
rather with the acronyms of a professional.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I moved to LGC in 2000, back then it was just ‘Letchworth’,
believe it or not the town had dropped the suffix of ‘garden city’ only to
bring it back in 2003 for its centenary. I thought a ‘garden city’ sounded a
bit posh and that we wouldn’t be able to afford it and we never even looked at
Welwyn GC a few miles down the road. But I discovered that when Letchworth had
been founded that it premise wasn’t the construction of chocolate box house,
there were no planned degrees on the height of hedges or picky local by-laws,
the plan wasn’t to have flowers on the round abouts either. The other strange I
discovered that you could call yourself
a ‘citizen of Letchworth’ and It stood, it was there as an echo from a
former time that just wouldn’t go away.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Though it may have looked similar to it wasn’t replication
of Port Sunlight or Bournville. These had been company towns founded on the
principles of charity and paternalism. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Letchworth had founded itself on a far more radical
principle. The founder of the Garden City movement Ebenezer Howard, aimed to
build a new settlement, not out of bricks and mortar but out of social
principle. To him, and to me, a garden city isn’t about a green space or brown
space.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He did want to bring the best of town and country together,
for instance the facilities of the town combined with the clean air and green
space of the countryside.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->He believed, as I do, in social justice. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->He recognised then, as is true now, that the
source of most wealth is land. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->He recognised land would rise in value as the
result of public money being spent near to it<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->He lamented that those who captured this value,
this ‘unearned increment’ were the land lord who were mostly absent or
companies.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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He resolved that the solution was for people to be their own
land lords. To truly hold the land in common. Mutual societies that built much
of our nation showed this not to be an outlandish principle. Around the same
John Speden Lewis turned his company into a partnership following similar
principles. That was the underlining goal of the Garden City. Not about meeting
a housing shortfall, but to build a new community.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The plan was to raise some philanthropic capital, build the
town and as land values rose and he know they would they’d sell of some pay off
the creditors and then hold the bulk of the land in trust for populations and
then use the rates and rents from that land to build the town out and provide
for the health and well being of the population. This would be done ‘perpetuity
for the good of the people. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Letchworth in 2014<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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As of 2014, it has gone through various changes over the
years and various trials and tribulations but the company still survives. If he
was here today he’d found it as a CLT as suggested by Shelter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The result is that today, in Letchworth Garden City, a small
town in Hertfordshire, with a population of just 35,000 the Trust owns assets
of £127m with the ability to spend an additional £7.5m each year in the local
economy. This is on top of council spending. Now this isn’t money that has
suddenly been specially created, it is there in every town, the difference with
Letchworth is that it is held locally, it is not leaking away. The mistake with
the new towns was that they weren’t endowed with their own assets they were
flogged in a fire sale to private landlords. Such that 60 years later they are
coming back and asking government for regeneration money.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is the same model in place In Milton Keynes for its
parks and green spaces, the same model has built communities in the USA at
Burlington. It has held the assets through these 110 years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What is a Garden
City?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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As you can imagine I get asked all the time by people ‘what
is a garden city?’. Across the world where people are building new towns and
cities they lament to us that they can build houses, offices, shops and
factories but what is the missing ingredient that can turn these into a
sustainable and vibrant community?</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Is it Garden Cities? If so what is a garden city?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The model is though more than just money about just money
and ownership, it is creating the key building block for a successful community
a sense of place, a sense of belonging and pride. When I heard the ‘citizen of
Letchworth’ I understood where it had come from. People had at the start been
given a stake in their community, believed that it belonged to them, they
weren’t subjects but citizens. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There right at the creation of the new place, right in its
DNA is where you create the garden city and sow the seed of community and
citizenship, it doesn’t matter if you are building arts and crafts homes or
cities of steel and glass. You can’t tack these principles on at the end.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That is the dream that was and is Letchworth – to build a
garden city that is economically, ecologically and social sustainable. Not a
mirror image of Letchworth but one that builds on it strengths and learns from
its shortcoming. One that builds a city for all, that is built for all to
share, enjoy and prosper, and I believe that the Shelter proposal will do that
so I commend it to you.<o:p></o:p></div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-89044627972221008802014-07-18T04:36:00.003-07:002014-07-18T04:36:33.511-07:00Garden Cities - A ideal to embrace<div class="MsoNormal">
Garden Cities are making for a fascinating debate as
suggested by Peter Dijkhuis from the building developer CBRE in an article for <a href="http://www.cityam.com/1405613428/forget-garden-cities-utopian-ideal-will-never-give-us-houses-we-need">City AM\The Forum</a>. However
I would disagree with his analysis of garden cities. Firstly I recognise that
developers are focused on how many houses they can build and that their concern
is that this approach won’t allow them to build enough. Our starting point is
how can we build communities, and more importantly how can we make them
socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. What we don’t want is
200,000 Brezhnev homes to be thrown up all over the country every year for the
next ten years without a thought and just a focus on numbers.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I am the former
Mayor of Letchworth Garden City. I would say we do want more Letchworth’s and
more Welwyn’s and Milton Keynes. We want cities and towns that work that create
a sense of community. We are not proposing carbon copies of these towns but to
build upon their success which is as much about their invisible architecture - the
social building blocks not just on bricks and mortar.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The driving force behind the founder of the Garden City
movement, Ebenezer Howard, wasn’t a desire to new homes out of charity and
paternalism for grateful subjects. The developers did that in the 1960’s when
they levelled communities and gave them in exchange tower blocks and Formica
kitchens and expected them to be grateful. Garden Cities are about participation,
empowerment and citizenship. They are about creating a harmonious community at
ease with itself and at its core happiness of the people that live there. Ebenezer
Howard believed that to achieve this there needs to be a focus on the invisible
architecture as much as it does on the physical. A key part of this is land
value capture, such that rising land values can be captured for the people who
live in the settlement, whether tenants or owners. As infrastructure is built
into any community land values rise but the usual winners are the often absent land
lords. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Consider the extension to the Jubilee line in the 1990's.
The tax payer invested £3.5 billion, but following its completion property
values within 1,000 yards of each of the eleven new stations jumped in value
3.7 times to £13 billion. Who benefited from this windfall?, not the tenants in
Southwark for sure, the rise in land values and following spikes in rents went
to the land lords most of them absentee corporate owners. This wealth was
sucked out of the community right into the pockets of the wealthiest. The
proposition for a garden city is to capture that wealth for the good of the
people who live there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As such in Letchworth a trust owns much of the commercial,
industrial and agricultural land to the value of £127m which generates an
annual revenue of £7.5m a year which it spends in the town. Not bad for a
population of 35,000. Milton Keynes has a similar model which it uses to finance
the running of its parks and open spaces. In the USA the community land trust
movement is delivering similar benefits in places such as Burlington. This isn’t
a utopian or outdated model from a previous century but one that works here and
now and is delivering success.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I have received in Letchworth many visitors from China and
the developing world where new settlements are being built, the questions they
have on their lips is how can we turn houses, factories and offices into a
community? They don’t want Brezhnev style homes and towns any more than we do and
so they look at the garden city for the answer as the special ingredient. We
tell them that it is creating a sense of place, purpose and belonging for
people and giving them a stake in their community. We have written a book – ‘
21<sup>st</sup> Century Garden Cities of To-morrow’ – which details 12 social
principles upon which to build an socially, ecologically and economically
sustainable city. We believe that this social contract is the most important part
as it can act as charter or manifesto for a new settlement and be the guarantor
underwriting the value and belief in the place. In the UK there is still the belief
in some quarters that a garden city must be an ‘idealised’ place and is based
on an old idea. We believe that the values and particularly the underlining
social principles of a garden city that are about sharing, enjoyment and
prosperity aren’t old, but are fresh, alive and well and need to lead any
future debate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Part of the problem is that I accept that is lack of a
formal definition of a garden city but assert that it is for communities and
social groups rather than developers or Whitehall to formulate and that is what
we must do.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While some may reject Garden Cities as a ‘utopian ideal’, in
contrast I embrace it, as I believe that it is the British skill in turning
such hopes and dreams into reality that made this country great and we won’t
shy away from it now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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<i>Philip Ross was Mayor
of Letchworth Garden City 2007-9 and founder of the New Garden City Movement
and co-author of ‘21<sup>st</sup> Century Garden Cities of To-morrow. A
manifesto’.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-69316286259526498032014-07-16T05:46:00.000-07:002014-07-16T05:46:00.282-07:00Housing crisis? What housing crisis?<header class="entry-header" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><h1 class="entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Omnes-SemiBold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 10px 0px;">
<em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Omnes-Medium, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Mark Wadsworth works as a tax advisor and is interested in tax, welfare and land reform, as well as being the treasurer of the <a href="http://www.yppuk.org/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #282828; font-family: Omnes-SemiBold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">Young People’s Party UK</a>. </em></h1>
<h1 class="entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Omnes-SemiBold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 10px 0px;">
<em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Omnes-Medium, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">In this article he gives his take on how a land value tax could help solve Britain’s housing crisis</em></h1>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Omnes-Medium, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">
<em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Omnes-Medium, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></em></div>
<div>
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Omnes-Medium, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.if.org.uk/archives/5393/housing-crisis-what-housing-crisis#comment-132588">http://www.if.org.uk/archives/5393/housing-crisis-what-housing-crisis#comment-132588</a></i></span></span></div>
</header>Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-68916384256059561102014-07-09T05:33:00.000-07:002014-07-09T05:33:00.243-07:00Garden Cities in picturesI came across this link on the Telegraph website of a picture history of garden cities.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/uknews/10703058/In-pictures-Garden-cities-A-brief-history.html?frame=2854373">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/uknews/10703058/In-pictures-Garden-cities-A-brief-history.html?frame=2854373</a>Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-24876448159585662372014-07-01T04:02:00.002-07:002014-07-01T04:02:54.518-07:00How can settlements be locally led?The Building and Social Housing Foundation supports bottom up approaches to housing problems, and actively examines how better policy and practice can provide improved housing for all.<br />
<br />
In the UK, BSHF has explored a number of different approaches to increasing housing supply, both through building new homes and making better use of the existing stock.<br />
<br />
Following their Windsor Consultation in 2013 BSHF published Creating the Conditions for New Settlements in England which argues that “(N)ew settlements offer the opportunity to create better places, which not only deliver housing, but provide a range of social, environmental and economic benefits that will help to address the challenges facing England today. These include a growing and ageing population, climate change and weak economic growth.” (p.6).<br />
<br />
In a new article they seek to promote this innovative solution afresh.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bshf.org/scripting/getpublication.cfm?lang=00&thePubID=44CDCE4C-D4AE-52C7-704914AC4E9BE266">http://www.bshf.org/scripting/getpublication.cfm?lang=00&thePubID=44CDCE4C-D4AE-52C7-704914AC4E9BE266</a><br />
<br />Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-31638158581460780362014-07-01T03:58:00.002-07:002014-07-01T03:58:27.734-07:00International Garden Cities : Kowloon and Hong Kong<i>During a visit to Hong Kong in 2012 we were kindly shown about the Garden City suburb in Kowloon. This article gives some background to it</i><br />
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<b>Hong Kong Garden City<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Garden Cities may sound very English but they have inspired
cities and towns throughout the world, in America, Africa, Europe, Australia
and more recently China. In England people think of Letchworth and Welwyn
Garden Cities as well as Hampstead Garden Suburb. The father of the Garden City
movement was Ebenezer Howard who designed Letchworth and then Welwyn and
published his seminal book ‘Garden Cities of To-morrow’. But Howard’s
motivation was as a social reformer as much as was as a planner. Planning was a
means towards social reform and social justice. Through garden city social and
design principles he believed in combining the best of town and country life
together and underpinned the philosophy with the principle that the town’s wealth
would be held in common and its prosperity would be shared. Letchworth was founded in 1903 as, what we
would call today, a community land trust. As such these principles inspired Lenin
to visit and stay in the City long before the Russian revolution. <o:p></o:p></div>
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By the 1920’s Garden City design principles were main stream
and the British were implementing the principles to design new colonial cities
in their empire. The Garden City Movement strongly pushed the design principles
but unfortunately these more conservative figures were softer on the social
principles. Howard became slightly marginised in the movement but held his
principles intact. So when he received a call for help to design a new garden
city suburb in Hong Kong he accepted and went.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For this request didn’t come from the colonial government or
the British establishment or even from the British Hong Kong community. The
call came from the non-British community wealthy, merchants from Arabia, India
and China. It was a call to build a suburb for them that would be a deferential
snub to their deferential British colonial masters. I expect that Howard accept
the commission with glee.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The background is both simple and a chilling insight into
British colonial attitudes and rule. Anyone who has visited Hong Kong will no
doubt have taken the cable-car to the top of Victoria Peak to appreciate the
clean air and views across the city and Victoria Harbour. But what they may not
know is that under colonial rule in the 1920’s is that only people of British
origin were allowed to live, or even spend the night at the top of the Peak. I
am told that servants couldn’t even spend the night there. As you went lower
down the Peak, Americans and then Europeans were permitted to live and other
races the lower you got. This social and racial apart ide practised by the
British also meant that properties were finer the higher you went.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But this group of non-British eastern merchants refused to
play the deference game with the British and so boldly invited the leader of
the now quintessentially British Garden City movement to design a new suburb
for them . In doing so it may have
helped to break the imperial hold on the garden city movement and ideas and
helped it go truly international which it did.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you want to see the Hong Kong Garden City today, cross to
Kowloon and drive up the Nathan Road and turn up Waterloo Road to Kowloon Tong.
Though the original houses have all but disappeared the layout and street
design is still there. You will know you have arrived when you the housing
switches from high density to lower density of only three stories. There will
be more greenery and with more trees. You may spot perhaps the only roundabout
in Hong Kong – Letchworth had the world’s first one. The area is now home to a
number of schools, kindergartens and temples. You will see the town geometric
shaped parks on the boundaries of the suburb and a few occasional larger
gardens. Howard was a big fan of large gardens and urban agriculture as it gave
people a connection with the earth and the chance to feed themselves. The
street names too change and carry the names of English counties – Cornwall
Road, Dorset Road, Somerset Road, Cambridge, Oxford and Lancashire. The Garden
suburb in effect runs from Boundary street to the foothills a little further
north. It is not a large place and is today is home to the wealthy Hong Kong
establishment but not the British.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But what we see is both a reminder and echo of the Garden
City movement, a reminder of the Garden City design and layout principles and
green spaces and an echo too of its radicalism as its roots lay not in paternalism
or charity but in citizenship and empowerment. The pioneers and founders of
this settlement felt empowered enough to claim their rights and moral
citizenship in building their own settlement to audaciously challenge the
British.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am not sure what the colonial British response was to this
failure to show due deference but directly bordering the garden city suburb are
a number of buildings that once formed a British military barracks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Philip Ross<br />
Hong Kong, May 2012<o:p></o:p></div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-81022947487724265392014-06-19T04:35:00.001-07:002014-08-08T06:48:43.866-07:00Wolfson Prize - Garden Cities and our contribution<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwGKLY5OG6OXUkR3SDNmVHJ2VWs/edit?usp=sharing">
<img alt=" " border="0" src="http://static.lulu.com/browse/product_thumbnail.php?productId=21481812&resolution=320" height="200" width="140" /> </a>
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Our continued congratulation to the organisers of this years <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_226980316"></span>Wolfson Prize<span id="goog_226980317"></span></a> which is focusing on garden cities. The short list to the competition has just been announced. We were pleased to have met with some of those on the short list and with others who also put on entries.<br />
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Our entry was produced by Philip Ross and Patricia Nevins with contributions from Prof. Michael Maineilli, Chiara Von Gunten, Abigail Shemoel, Prof. Yves Cabannes, Prof. Austin Smyth and Dr. Mike Page.<br />
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Details of the paper put together by Prof. Michael Mainelli and Chiara Von Gunten on policy performance bonds, a land value tax and garden city coins can be found here on the <a href="http://www.longfinance.net/news/long-finance-blogs/the-pamphleteers/896-new-garden-city-economics-mechanisms.html">Long Finance website</a>.<br />
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We took the garden city principles and governance and applied to other financial models for raising finance. We know other models were looking at Community Land Banks and Community Land Trusts of which we are in favour, our local looked in more detail at the idea of implementing a land value tax. We combine it too with ideas of policy performance bonds and use bit-coin technology to create a garden city currency.<br />
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The summary is below and the main document can be downloaded here or by clicking on the image.<br />
To purchase a printed copy <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/philip-ross-and-patricia-nevins/wolfson-prize-how-would-you-deliver-a-new-garden-city-which-is-visionary-economically-viable-and-popular/paperback/product-21481812.html" target="_blank">click here</a><br />
<br />
We are happy to share these ideas with any of the successfully shortlisted groups.<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Wolfson Prize Entry - Summary</span></b><br />
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Our vision is of a Garden City that is economically
innovative, environmentally secure and socially sustainable. It will deploy the
finest urban design techniques to deliver a New Garden City that is built on enduring
social values and principles that Ebenezer Howard would have been at home with.
Just as they were in Letchworth, the architecture and urban design will reflect
and enhance those values just as the governance and economic model will. Our
vision of a Garden City is a city for all that is in harmony with its residents,
its neighbours and the environment, not a gated community.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The core design and social principles will be defined in the
founding documents as a Constitution and will cascade down into the bodies
assembling, developing and managing the city and its estate. The Constitution
will guarantee that the new city is not being developed for private gain by distant
landlords or speculators but rather for the people that will live in it including
existing local communities that it will join with.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Garden City will adopt the 12 principles proposed by
Prof. Yves Cabannes (Urban planning expert<a href="file:///C:/Users/pross/Documents/private/Wolfson/81685952-Summary.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>)
and Philip Ross (former Mayor or Letchworth, a 110 year old and successful
Garden City) in their book ‘21st Century Garden Cities of To-morrow’<a href="file:///C:/Users/pross/Documents/private/Wolfson/81685952-Summary.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>.
These twelve principles have also been presented to other cities, including both
Chengdu and Beijing, <a href="file:///C:/Users/pross/Documents/private/Wolfson/81685952-Summary.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
at the World Habitat Forum<a href="file:///C:/Users/pross/Documents/private/Wolfson/81685952-Summary.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
and are being referenced by the United Nations in their recommendations for
communal housing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Garden City will also endorse the idea proposed by
current Lord Mayor of the City of London - Fiona Woolf - of an ‘open-data’ city,
that is a city that shares both its wealth and prosperity for the common good and
also the data related to buildings, industry and commerce to help drive that
prosperity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A strong sense of citizenship and belonging will be encouraged
from the start by ensuring true participation in the planning, design and
management processes through the use of charrettes<a href="file:///C:/Users/pross/Documents/private/Wolfson/81685952-Summary.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
and participatory budgeting. The principles of carbon neutrality and energy
efficiency will influence both the design and materials used for its
development. The need to provide access to land for living and working, could
include the ability for the city to feed itself through urban agriculture. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The first phase will be to develop the master plan, raise
funds and win planning permission. Funds could come from the Treasury, individuals,
a public bond offering and philanthropic capital. A New Garden City Company (NGCC)
will develop the city and be run by a New Settlement Partnership<a href="file:///C:/Users/pross/Documents/private/Wolfson/81685952-Summary.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
comprising of local authorities, shareholders, local land owners and developers
working together on a common cause. The company will hold the freehold for the
estate and will provide 999 year leases. A New Garden City Community Land Trust
(CLT) will initially be endowed with leases for portions of land by the NGCC
like for the Milton Keynes Parts Trust. It will focus on perpetual affordable
housing and community structures. The rest of the land will be available to
developers and individuals to develop according to the Master Plan. The lease will
provide the lever for the implementation of a land value tax (LVT). The ability
for speculators to hold neighbouring plots of land to gain unearned increment
from infrastructure projects will be unfeasible as land will be taxed according
to its new value. The CLT and LVT will ensure that prosperity through rising
land values is captured for the good of the local community rather than distant
recipients. Prosperity should be safeguarded by t<span lang="EN-US">he GC principles of participation and
democratic governance in order to maintain accountability, scrutiny and
popularity.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In order to prove that long-term policies are
stable enough for investment the NGCC will use policy performance bonds<a href="file:///C:/Users/pross/Documents/private/Wolfson/81685952-Summary.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
to provide a hedge against policy risk, namely the issuing country’s government
or local authority not delivering on its commitments or targets. Government could issue such a bond for the
initial land purchase, equally indicating that the bond will pay higher
interest rates if the city is not as successful as planned. Developers can use it to hedge their
confidence in the NGCC and it receiving central government support. Secondly, the
NGCC could issue bonds relating to specific projects or targets, e.g.
completion date of a rail station or airport, level of renewable energy or
educational achievement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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An alternative local currency
called Garden City Coins (GCC) will ensure that the Garden City can retain and
generate local credit. This will emulate the successful Swiss WIR but will use
modern AltCoin<a href="file:///C:/Users/pross/Documents/private/Wolfson/81685952-Summary.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
technology and could be used for B2B, C2C, C2B transactions. <span lang="EN-US">If the NGCC takes GCC’s in full or partial payment
for LVT, then the currency would be ‘backed’ by genuinely valuable credit
created by the city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Taken as a whole, these three mechanisms would
provide a unifying structure to the economics of the New Garden City. Being equitable across ‘space’, the LVT
brings taxation to bear on the right areas, encourages sustainability and
efficient use of land, and frees land over time for reallocation Being
equitable across ‘time’, policy performance bonds allow investors to hedge
their risk of policy change, thus allowing them to commit fully to
projects. Finally, the GCC provides a
mechanism for local credit creation, combined with a sense of community
favoring local economic development.
Ultimately, the economic ‘health’ of the community can be assessed by
the confidence placed in the GCC. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We propose an ‘open-data’ Garden City that is
community owned and uses three innovative economic measures to drive growth. These
are underpinned by a Constitution for the City based on the 12 principles
mentioned above. Taken together, this would work to make the Garden City economically,
environmentally and socially sustainable so that all will be able to share, enjoy
and prosper in the New Garden City as it grows and develops.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwGKLY5OG6OXSm1JS25VcFRhOVE/edit?usp=sharing">Download PDF Copy</a><br />
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/pross/Documents/private/Wolfson/81685952-Summary.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> http://www.amazon.co.uk/21st-Century-Garden-Cities-To-morrow-ebook/dp/B00I7TL5LE<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/pross/Documents/private/Wolfson/81685952-Summary.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> http://ecocitynotes.com/2012/06/a-new-vision-for-chengdu-garden-city/<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-24436577<br />
http://newgardencitymovement.blogspot.co.uk/p/about-us.html<o:p></o:p></div>
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Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-66174513481552449062014-03-16T17:49:00.002-07:002014-03-17T04:53:29.480-07:00Ebbsfleet Garden City - Let it be a real garden city in both name and
substance<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 22.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Let it be a
real garden city <br>
in both name and substance<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Philip Ross, the founder of the New Garden City Movement has
welcomed the government’s announcement to build a new garden city in Ebbsfleet
in Kent. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Philip Ross said that “Without a doubt Ebbsfleet is a great
location for any new settlement and the need for more housing is apparent and
the argument to have it is largely won. How it is going to be built is the next
question”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Philip Ross is the former Mayor of Letchworth Garden City
and author of the book ‘21<sup>st</sup> Century Garden Cities of To-morrow’
along with Prof. Yves Cabannes of Bartlett College at UCL. The book integrates
12 key social principles that should be the foundation of any new garden city
and provides examples of how to achieve them and is already being into Chinese
where there is great interest in it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Much of the land in
Letchworth is still owned by the successor to the development trust that built
it. Today it has assets of £127m and puts pack on top of council tax an
additional</i><br>
<i><br></i>
<i> £7.5m into the community, “Not bad” says Ross, “for a population of
only 35,000”.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Philip Ross said “It is important that it is not just to
consider this to be a new town rebadged as garden city for marketing purposes”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He added that “A garden city needs be a long term project
that provides economic, environmentally and socially sustainability. That means
that like the original garden city it should<br>
capture the rising land values and
prosperity of the city for good of the community as has happened in Letchworth
not just money to build it but to run it<br>
in perpetuity.<br>
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It should be built in harmony with the countryside and be
carbon neutral. Thirdly it should be socially sustainable providing affordable
homes in perpetuity. “<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ross said “A Garden City is more than just homes, offices
and factories – it is a community. To create that sense of community you need a
sense of place, pride and belonging. That is what a garden city is. It isn’t a
slab of 15,000 Brezhnev style homes nor is it a cluster of gated communities”. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ross noted, “You need to promise more than just homes, you
need to provide a vision for a new community and a promise of how it will be
run and what it will look like. That is what our 12 principles aim to provide.
We will send a copy to George Osborne and I am confident in them and all the
parties to work together on this.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Philip Ross</div><div class="MsoNormal">Rosspe@talk21.com</div><div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="tel:07881%20685%20952" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">07881 685 952</a><br>
17<sup>th</sup> March 2014<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br></div>
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Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-45152512721852386262014-02-27T01:22:00.002-08:002014-02-27T01:22:11.285-08:00Dreams of utopia in a potato patch: Young families rush to be part of proposed 'co-operative' town with low-cost, low-carbon homes.<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px;">
Dreams of utopia in a potato patch: Young families rush to be part of proposed 'co-operative' town with low-cost, low-carbon homes.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6em;">Posted in support of our friends at Owenstown :</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6em;">Jonathan Brown, The Independent, 5th January 2014</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.6em;">A rickety farm gate opening on to a muddy track that heads up a windswept hillside towards a distant stand of pines might not look like the entrance to a new utopia. This year, however, work is set to begin which could transform this former potato farm in Lanarkshire's Douglas Valley, into Britain's first new garden city for nearly a century.</span></div>
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Owenstown is named after the visionary philanthropist Robert Owen whose New Lanark model village, now a Unesco World Heritage Site, is close by. Owenstown, could one day be home to 5,000 co-operative pioneers drawn by the promise of living and working in a society that is being described as "a new international benchmark for utopian living".</div>
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Four local businessmen have already stumped up £3m for the 2,000-acre site on which they plan to build 3,200 affordable homes in a low-carbon settlement based on Owen's enlightened principles, which means it will be governed and owned by its citizens. It is hoped that the £500m project will eventually yield more than 4,000 jobs – helping revitalise an area ravaged by the decline of coal mining and other traditional industries.</div>
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Although it is yet to be granted planning permission by South Lanarkshire council, which meets next month to decide its fate, the prospect of living at Owenstown is already generating considerable interest not only in the UK but also across the rest of Europe.</div>
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"We have had 1,500 applications with very limited publicity. What we do get is a lot of young families – couples in their twenties with children. Both might have jobs but they still cannot afford to have somewhere to live," said Martyn Greene, co-ordinator of the Hometown Foundation, the charity set up to make the vision a reality.</div>
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One of the objectives of the town is to provide affordable housing, with the community founders hoping to offer high-quality, environmentally friendly homes – many built at a factory on site – at 60 per cent of the market value. Bill Nicol, the project director, said this would be achieved by adopting Owen's principles and the garden-city ethos of minimising the land, labour, capital and entrepreneurial costs and passing the benefits on to the user.</div>
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Whereas mainstream developers would concentrate on building in honeypot areas around Edinburgh and Glasgow, Owenstown will create quality housing in an area that would otherwise continue to decline, it is claimed."Surplus funds will be reinvested into the community instead of being sucked out by property developers or landowners as profit," Mr Nicol said.</div>
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The idea of a new garden city has been gaining political traction in recent months. Pioneered in the UK by Sir Ebenezer Howard at Letchworth, Hertfordshire, the model was repeated at nearby Welwyn and then in suburban developments such as Hampstead, west London.</div>
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The main political party leaders, who have been urged by the Policy Exchange think-tank to commit to building a garden city in the next Parliament, have all backed versions of the concept as a possible way of meeting the 1.5 million shortfall in new homes predicted by 2020.</div>
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The Wolfson Economics Prize is offering £250,000 for the best proposal for a 21st-century garden city. Mr Nicol believes that the economic crisis of recent years has created a demand among a new generation not to repeat the mistakes of their debt-burdened parents.</div>
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"It is about living within their means, living and working within the community. As a young professional, to be able to set up a business, live close to where you work, and not have to chase a high-value job to prop up an unsustainable lifestyle is very attractive," he said.</div>
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The community's would-be founders, who intend to live in Owenstown, say it will bear little resemblance to unloved Scottish new towns such as Glenrothes and Cumbernauld, which were assembled around the needs of the motor car. Instead, it will be designed on a human scale, under the democratic control of neighbourhood committees, with leisure and work needs given equal priority.</div>
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The seven quarters, radiating out from a civic core, will be built in the Scottish vernacular style. There will be three schools (two primary and one secondary), sports facilities, generous allotment spaces for residents to grow – and trade – their own food and thousands of acres of open countryside.</div>
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As well as provision for children and families, there are plans to create living space for the elderly close to the civic core. It is also intended that there will be a hotel, cafés, restaurants and shops, land and buildings for industry, and an electric bus service. But first the scheme must overcome objections to its impact on the environment and local transport, and claims that it should be built on a brownfield site.</div>
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"Today, it is unlikely that Robert Owen would be given planning permission to build New Lanark," said Mr Nicol. "This land is not in the local development plan, but this is a nationally significant project. There has been a mixed reaction, but most councillors are sitting on the fence," he said.</div>
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Ironically, it was Owen's repeated clashes with the local authorities that persuaded him to decamp to the US to recreate his utopian vision at New Harmony, Indiana, although the experiment unravelled in 1828.</div>
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But the Hometown Foundation said that even if the scheme is rejected, it will press ahead somewhere else – assuming that the Scottish government does not step in to support the plan. "There is a 100 per cent chance it will happen somewhere," said Mr Nicol. "Even if it doesn't happen here we will look elsewhere. The trustees are determined to deliver on the project."</div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-75654487693737197642014-02-03T03:08:00.003-08:002014-02-03T03:08:27.053-08:00Garden cities need community ownershipNew article on Garden Cities published by new start magazine.<div>
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<div>
<a href="http://newstartmag.co.uk/your-blogs/garden-cities-need-community-ownership/">http://newstartmag.co.uk/your-blogs/garden-cities-need-community-ownership/</a></div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-85834654600262235312013-12-09T08:07:00.002-08:002013-12-09T08:07:33.343-08:00New Garden Cities will inspire co-operative communities<blockquote id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_38996" style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 1em;" type="cite">
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39354" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">New garden cities are needed to tackle the UK’s housing crisis, create sustainable communities and help young people get on the housing ladder, a new report, ‘Commons Sense’ from Co-operatives UK argues.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39338" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">With 1.7m people waiting for social housing and half a million overcrowded households, <span class="yiv774344662storytop" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39340">radical housing solutions are needed. Whilst there is an </span>urgent need for 1<span class="yiv774344662storytop" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39352">.5m new homes by 2020, </span>house building actually decreased by 11% in 2012, to just 117,190 homes – its lowest level since the 1920s.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39361" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Support for a new generation of garden cities is growing with the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition all making supportive statements in the last two years.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39364" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">And the 2014 Wolfson Economics Prize, <b><span class="yiv774344662yui_3_7_2_70_1386154161082_103">backed by </span></b>Conservative Peer and Chief Executive of Next, Lord Wolfson, is offering £250,000 for the best proposal for a popular, visionary, self-financing 21<sup>st</sup> Century Garden City.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Garden cities history</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></i></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39369" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39368" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Garden cities were pioneered in Letchworth by Ebenezer Howard, whose aim was to provide healthy homes for ordinary working people in leafy and spacious surroundings. Land was commonly owned by the community for the benefit of residents.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Howard’s plan for Letchworth designed in fully integrated public transport, municipally owned energy systems and the nation’s first greenbelt for urban farms to facilitate food security for a city of 33,000.<span style="color: red;"></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Co-operative place making</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></i></b></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">‘Commons Sense’ calls for planners and politicians, councils and communities to rediscover the radical spirit of garden cities – that land should be owned in common by the community.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39376" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It shows how garden cities are part of a broader vision for co-operative place making - bringing community agriculture, energy efficient homes and green energy projects together with other co-operative enterprises to create low carbon economies, largely self-sufficient for food and fuel.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39372" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39371" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This vision can be seen in the plans for 3,000 affordable new homes at Owenstown in Lanarkshire, named after co-operative pioneer Robert Owen. The residents of Owenstown will own the land collectively through a co-operative and enjoy state of the art energy-efficient homes with access to an allotment. Planning permission is pending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Secretary General of Co-operatives UK Ed Mayo said:</span></div>
<div class="yiv774344662MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“For housing, community and jobs, Britain now needs a new generation of garden cities. This is not just about pretty country cottages in well planned urban spaces. The garden city model, from the start, was for co-operative ownership of the underlying land, with the community benefiting from development that takes place on it. This is still a relevant and genuinely radical concept, designed not to create conflict over planning, but to foster consensus around appropriate development."</span></div>
<h2 style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt; margin: 0.83em 0cm; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Inspired by Letchworth and Community Land Trusts</span></i></h2>
<h2 style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt; margin: 0.83em 0cm; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The concept of co-operative place making has been inspired by the success of around 50 Community Land Trusts in the UK including Coin Street Community Builders and the Cornwall Community Land Trust.</span></h2>
<div class="yiv774344662western" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Coin Street Community Builders have transformed a derelict 13 acre site on London’s South Bank since the mid-1980s, creating a thriving mixed use neighbourhood on community owned land with co-operative homes, a park, sports facilities and community buildings. The community also benefits from leasing out the shops, galleries, restaurants and bars on the site.<span style="color: red;"></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And in Cornwall, where high demand for second homes has priced out local people, Cornwall Community Land Trust has provided 105 affordable new homes since 2005 on 12 village sites. By separating the cost of land ownership, which is held by the community, new homes have been built in Cornwall for between 25% and 70% of the open market value. By using a Community Land Trust, the homes will remain affordable in perpetuity.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
<div class="yiv774344662MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Whilst Community Land Trusts have been most successful in helping to address affordability issues in rural areas, they are now providing low cost solutions to deliver affordable housing and urban regeneration in a growing range of places including East London, Bristol, Liverpool, Rhyl, Banbury, Stroud and Middlesbrough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Report editor, Pat Conaty said:</span></div>
<div class="yiv774344662western" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">“Just as water, air, language, knowledge and culture are common to us all, the land that we build on should be commonly held for the benefit of the community who use it.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“As Letchworth and community land trusts do, we need to separate land ownership from properly ownership. Roughly half the cost of a home in most of western Europe is the land it is built on and half is the cost of building it. By taking sites out of the market and allowing the community to own the land, we can build housing and community facilities at roughly half the price. Moreover, any public investment into the community is shared by the community and not a small number of property speculators. Additionally economic rent can be captured for community benefit as Letchworth today still shows”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
<div class="yiv774344662MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Further details</span></i></b></div>
<h1 style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 12pt 0cm 3pt; padding: 0px;">
<span lang="X-NONE" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Commons Sense: Co-operative place making and the capturing of land value for 21st century Garden Cities</span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">is being launched at <a href="http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/land-community-creating-a-21st-century-commons-tickets-8754066649" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Land & Community: Creating a 21st Century Commons</a>taking place on Thursday 5 December at Coin Street neighbourhood centre.</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39397" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386579392848_39399" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It is published by Co-operatives UK at <a href="http://www.uk.coop/commonssense" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">www.uk.coop/commonssense</a>. It has been produced in partnership with CDS Co-operatives, Charity Bank, Co-operatives UK, Ecology Building Society, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, Tridos Bank and and Community Finance Solutions at the University of Salford.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-84851426581977004982013-12-09T01:24:00.002-08:002013-12-09T01:24:33.429-08:00Donate land for a new generation of garden cities See UK news story below<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/donate-land-for-new-generation-of-garden-cities-or-suburbs-developers-told-8983786.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/donate-land-for-new-generation-of-garden-cities-or-suburbs-developers-told-8983786.html</a>Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-48967060477964232562013-12-09T00:53:00.001-08:002013-12-09T00:54:01.633-08:00Land & Community: Creating a 21st Century Commons <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpC6VOuYC1qBXMYuIhMUwhx4-3374lnKAKpEFpszXB8scwP_fvlkF5NruanzpnBP96NqafDrHJvE53WN0QavOMl8_OB4oINnjX37p4pZyDq-llIIpvJySG_ddEBARx1uzuL-9yxIXpanN/s1600/coin-street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpC6VOuYC1qBXMYuIhMUwhx4-3374lnKAKpEFpszXB8scwP_fvlkF5NruanzpnBP96NqafDrHJvE53WN0QavOMl8_OB4oINnjX37p4pZyDq-llIIpvJySG_ddEBARx1uzuL-9yxIXpanN/s320/coin-street.jpg" width="320" /></a>"Great to have been a part of the 'Land & Community: Creating a 21st Century Commons event' at Coin Street on 5th December. Event was hosted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SharedAssets" target="_blank">Shared Assets</a>" says Philip Ross<br />
<br />
<br />
Included the launch of the 'Common-sense report by Co-ops UK'.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://storify.com/SharedAssets/land-and-community-creating-a-21st-century-commons?utm_content=storify-pingback&utm_campaign=&awesm=sfy.co_rKPx&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_source=facebook.com">http://storify.com/SharedAssets/land-and-community-creating-a-21st-century-commons?utm_content=storify-pingback&utm_campaign=&awesm=sfy.co_rKPx&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_source=facebook.com</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<br />
See Philip's speech below :<br />
______________________<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Coin Street
Address<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My name is Philip Ross, I am a citizen of Letchworth Garden
City. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A citizen. <o:p></o:p></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">I am not a planner<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">I am not an architect<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">I don’t work in housing and
I am not here to represent any organisation <o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am here instead to represent an idea which at its most
basic is that the real definition of a garden city is that it is a social
rather than an architectural project.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was the Mayor of Letchworth in 2007-9 and won a high court
case asserting and defending those principles.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since then I have kept up that fight been on a mission to
help define what makes a garden city. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of you may have read our pamphlet (HOLD IT UP). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am determined that the garden city term must remain with
the co-operative movement, with us in this room and must not become a by-word
for new gated communities.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is a fight that together we are winning. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So let me tell you why I think this report - Common Sense -
is so important and how we need to use it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
__________________________________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I am not from Letchworth either - as many people use to
tell when I was Mayor. I wasn’t born into the faith but I am convert!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We moved there in 2000. It was just called Letchworth then -
the Garden City suffix had been dropped a few decades earlier. We never looked
for a house in Welywn Garden City as it sounded far too expensive and posh. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You see the GC suffix had been dropped to distance it from
its early associations with radical politics and ideas such as <o:p></o:p></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">collective land ownership <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">that was rumoured to have
attracted Lenin to the town and <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">that it was the home the
many from the ILP and co-ops. <o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As they swapped theDaily Worker for the Daily Mail they
wanted to forget this past<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So come 2003 and the town’s centenary the suffix was restored
in part to help house prices, it was almost forgotten. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I too had been blind to what the garden city was about<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But as the embers were turned over during the centenary
celebrations something caught my attention and allowed me to see what the
garden city was truly about.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was that I noticed that people could call themselves ‘a
citizen’ of Letchworth. Where had this come from? I wondered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had worked in and lived in many towns, new and old.
Sunderland, Newcastle, Peterlee, Washington New town, Stevenage, Luton and
Leamington Spa. But no-where else had I heard people call themselves citizens.
But in Letchworth they could, it had resonance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I realised that it was in the DNA of the town. That
foundation stone had been collective ownership. Howard’s idea that people could
collectively own the town and be their own landlord and share in its
prosperity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
__________________________________________<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the emanation from that is Citizenship implies a stake
in, a sense of place and belonging.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I ceased to see the GC as <o:p></o:p></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">being about roundabouts
with flowers, <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">regulation height of
hedges and <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">chocolate box houses - a
heritage model to be preserved. <o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But a radical proposition to take forward….<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I realised that this garden city citizenship is the special
ingredient that turns houses, factories and offices into homes and communities.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
___________________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Interestingly enough Letchworth is often spoken of in the
same breath as <o:p></o:p></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">Bournville, <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Saltaire and <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Port Sunlight. <o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wonderful as these places are, they are different. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These are places built principally out of CHARITY and
PATERNALISM. Home for grateful and deserving workers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The GC on the other hand is a <o:p></o:p></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">co-operative model, <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">involving institution
building. <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">And empowerment<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
About citizenship creating a sense of place and belonging,
not just a sense of gratitude.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
__________________________________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That is what I like about this report. It gets it, it
understands this key concept.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I picked up three key issues <o:p></o:p></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal">Environmental
sustainability<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Economic sustainability<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Social sustainability<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They are less like three magnets more like three rings that
link together and are overlaid and there strength of strong and democratic
governance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1) Environmentally
and ethically sustainable</b>. As talked about for Eco towns, but I like the
bits in the report on district heating and community food. The role of urban
agriculture not just for food but in creating recreation and a sense of place.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2) Economic
sustainability</b> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Land value capture is at the heart of the argument. As Shann
Turnball talks about the CLB and elsewhere about CLT’s.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know that there is this cynical liberal wisdom which says
‘it all sounds good on paper but secretly we don’t think it will actually
work…’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The fact is that it
does work and Letchworth is the living proof that it does.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
110 years on £127m in assets and £7m a year for a population
of 35,000.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wealth created not from coffee beans in Brazil, or
derivatives trading, or the lucky purchase of apple shares. But wealth
generated locally through rising land values.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Milton Keynes is
another example : assets of £20m in 1991
now worth £84m.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Letchworth the monies has not come from the fact that it
has been well managed - on the contrary- but from holding the asset together
and getting the rise in land values - the unearned increment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Where it hasn’t worked? In the report Shann turnball talks
about the Jubilee Line extension £3.5bn spent with a £13bn uplift in property
values - the beneficiaries? Absent landlords.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That is the issue, not creating land values, but about
capturing it. Someone will, it is our responsibility as a movement to ensure
that it is captured for common good.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3) Socially
sustainable<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>and this include
affordable sustainability</b>. If there has been a criticism in the past it is
that garden cities are taken over by the rich. I like the parts on CLT’s and
the model in use in Burlington VA that creates a resale formulae. And also in
Chicago.<o:p></o:p></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">Land value capture is at
the heart of the argument. <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Social sustainability
means keeping going the participation.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Not just about sharing the
prosperity, but in sharing the decision making on how it is shared.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Participation not just in building it but in running it.
About good governance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
_________________________________________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we should say to the architects and urban planner
contemplating building new towns or garden cities or entering the Wolfson
competition<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That these social values and principles aren’t something
that can be bolted on at the end, but like in Letchworth need to be there in
DNA right from the start.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we can’t just hope that they will be picked up, we need
to make sure that they do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>We need to recreate a
new social garden city movement that will have custody of the garden city brand
and definition. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>We don’t need to ask
permission to do it<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>We just need the
courage of our convictions to act.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I commend the report and the principles it extols which
marry with our own 12 principles. <o:p></o:p></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">to you all and <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">to the Coalition
Government <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">and to a future Labour
Government.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To build a garden city where all can Share, enjoy and
prosper <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thank you<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Philip Ross<o:p></o:p></div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-16308402796098037292013-11-14T02:51:00.002-08:002013-11-14T02:51:15.102-08:00Garden City competition welcomed<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The announcement today by Lord Wolfson of plans to hold a <a href="http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/component/zoo/item/wolfson-economics-prize">competition</a>
to build a new garden city in England is to be welcomed. There is general
political consensus around the need to build new towns and settlements to
address the housing and population growth. Cameron has expressed support for
the principle of Garden Cities, as has Nick Clegg and as did Ed Miliband in his
conference speech.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Garden Cities transcend party politics and the issue isn't which party builds the new garden city but that it gets build.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to a recent <a href="http://www.bshf.org/published-information/publication.cfm?lang=00&thePubID=DA16820B-D4AE-52C7-70495EE78A4F3D3C">report
published by the BSHF</a> the population of England is growing in 2001 it was
49m and in 2011 it was 53m. This is accompanied by the growth in the number of
households from 20.5m to 22.1m an increase of 158,000 households per year. This
growth is projected to accelerate reaching 24.3m households by 2021 and
increase of 221,000 households per year. We need more homes to deal with a
chronic backlog of house building and this growth. The <a href="http://www.ribablogs.com/files/FHCHiRes.pdf">Future Homes Commission</a>
has<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"> called for 300,000 extra homes to be built every year in a
"housing revolution" and this concurs with the BSHF and </span><a href="http://www.tcpa.org.uk/"><span style="line-height: 115%;">TCPA</span></a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The need for new homes in not disputed the discussion
now moves to where and how. Indisputably the suggestion that new Garden Cities
can be built sounds softer on the ear than new towns or estates. But what is a
garden city?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">The day before Ed Miliband’s speech a fringe
meeting debated ‘building real garden cities with community ownership’. In
attendance was Maurice Glasman a strong advocate for community land trusts,
Kate Henderson the CEO of the TCPA, Steve Wyler CEO of the </span><a href="http://locality.org.uk/"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Locality</span></a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"> the body that
represents communities and bodies that control local assets, Pat Conaty of
Co-ops and the author of the ‘</span><a href="http://www.newsociety.com/Books/R/The-Resilience-Imperative"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Resilience
Imperative’</span></a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"> and co-ordinator of last year’s </span><a href="http://www.progressonline.org.uk/2011/10/25/building-a-new-garden-city-movement/"><span style="line-height: 115%;">conference
on building garden cities</span></a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"> (the report from the
conference comes out on the 5th December this year), myself former Mayor of
Letchworth Garden City and author of the pamphlet ‘</span><a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/philip-ross/21st-century-garden-cities-of-to-morrow-a-manifesto/paperback/product-21283357.html"><span style="line-height: 115%;">21st
Century Garden Cities of to-morrow</span></a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">’ and chaired by
Mrs Patricia Nevins from the </span><a href="http://www.newgardencitymovement.org.uk/"><span style="line-height: 115%;">New Garden City Movement</span></a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The meeting heard how garden cities had been
originally established as social projects which aimed to bring planning and
architectural practise together (combining the best of town and country) but
also in a co-operative theme to capture the rising land value for the good of
the local community not the crown or absent landlords. The theme of collective
ownership is a strong part of the Garden City ideal, is supported by the TCPA
and is one of the 12 principles in our book. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The founder of the Garden City movement
Ebenezer Howard believed that as investment went into the town and its
infrastructure that the land values would subsequently increase. He called this
the ‘unearned increment’ and instead of this going to absent landlords,
speculative investors he was adamant that this should be captured for the local
community and their benefit in perpetuity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This may all sound idealistic until you look
at Letchworth and see that the company he founded to control the town still
exists (though in one of many new forms over the last 110 years). Today it
controls of assets worth £127m and makes an annual charitable spend of £7.5m.
Not bad for a town of only 35,000 people. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">Milton Keynes though not a Garden City still adopted
the principle of endowing the new town with assets. These assets worth £20m in
1991 (now worth £84m) and 5,000 acres are controlled by a </span><a href="http://www.theparkstrust.com/about-us/about-us"><span style="line-height: 115%;">trust</span></a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">. They generate revenue which pays for the upkeep of the parks
and green spaces (about 25% of the city) in perpetuity so it doesn’t have to
compete with the local council for funding.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Community ownership does work and the idea of
endowing assets is also a key feature of the BSHF report. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The key is that Garden cities are not to be
places of charity and paternalism but as places of citizenship and empowerment.
As Kate Henderson of the TCPA told the Today programme it is about ‘capturing
land value’. With community ownership in the form of a community land trust or
community land bank this can be done and they will foster participation in both
the planning, development and governance of the city. Such that people will
call themselves citizens of the garden city an appellation derived through a
sense of place or ownership. Lord Wolfson talked of the need to focus on
governance too. It is governance, ownership and other issues that our tried and
tested 12 principles focus on to define a real garden city.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">As for the competition I hope that those in
the co-operative movement and elsewhere can forge together to put in a proposal
in for this competition or in general. In Scotland this is on the blocks with
the proposals for </span><a href="http://www.owenstown.org/"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Owens
town</span></a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A new garden city is about more than sleek
urban design, green space and environmental sustainable. These are parts of the
picture but it all. It needs to be also be socially and economically
sustainable providing long time affordable homes and capturing the prosperity
in perpetuity for the community. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope that all entrants will embrace the real
ethos of a garden city in their entries to deliver the special ingredients that
can turn houses, offices and factories into strong communities. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Philip Ross is the former Mayor of Letchworth Garden City<br />
and founder of the <a href="http://newgardencitymovement.blogspot.co.uk/">New
Garden City Movement</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-57139515172356815992013-11-14T02:48:00.003-08:002013-11-14T02:48:50.227-08:0012 Garden City PrinciplesThe 12 principles for building a 21st century garden city are :<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. Residents are Citizens.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. The Garden City
owns itself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; tab-stops: 14.2pt; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
3. The Garden City is energy efficient and carbon
neutral.<!--[if supportFields]><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "</span>Carbon
Neutral"<span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'> </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>XE "</span>Carbon neutral"<span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'> </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; tab-stops: 14.2pt; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
4. Provides access to land for living and working to all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5. Fair Trade<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "</span>Fair Trade"<span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'>
</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--> principles are practised. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6. Prosperity<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "</span>Prosperity"<span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'>
</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--> is shared.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7. All citizens<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "</span>Citizen, citizens; citizenship"<span style='color:black;
mso-themecolor:text1'> </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--> are equal, all citizens are different. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8. There is fair
representation and direct democracy.<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "</span>Democracy"<span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'> </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; tab-stops: 14.2pt; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
9. Garden Cities are produced through
participatory planning and design methods.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; tab-stops: 14.2pt; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
10. A City of Rights that builds and defends the
Right to the City<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; tab-stops: 14.2pt; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
11. Knowledge is held in common, shared and
enhanced. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12. Wealth<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "</span>Wealth"<span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'> </span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--> and harmony measured by happiness.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>1. Residents are
Citizens<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Residents consider themselves to
be citizens<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Citizen, citizens; citizenship" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> of the Garden City. This includes people who
also work, participate and use the Garden City. They are aware that the town
truly belongs to them. There is a culture of rights, duties and
responsibilities that comes through citizenship. The town is run for the common
good, reflecting and representing the common will with a belief in equality and
fraternity as the city is run for the benefit of the many, not the few. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>2. The Garden City owns
itself <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Garden City is ultimately
owned by its local community and not by a series of landlords. This ownership
and governance<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Governance" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> is derived from the people who live and work in
the city and who are its citizens<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span> XE "Citizen, citizens; citizenship" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> acting for the common good. If the Garden City is its own landlord then
it is answerable to and controlled by its citizens, ideally as a Community Land
Trust<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE
"Community Land Trust (CLT)" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> managed by democratic structures that make it both
inclusive and accountable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
<b>3. The Garden City is energy efficient and carbon neutral</b><!--[if supportFields]><b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "</span></b>Carbon
Neutral"<b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;
mso-themecolor:text1'> </span></b><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span></b><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>XE "</span></b>Carbon neutral"<b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'> </span></b><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span></span></b><![endif]--><b> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A Garden City has a harmonious
relationship with nature and is energy efficient. A Garden City is a carbon neutral<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Carbon Neutral" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>XE "Carbon neutral" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> city and does not pollute. It’s planning,
design and resources are deployed to achieve this goal. Citizens<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Citizen, citizens;
citizenship" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span><![endif]--> and the
Government in the Garden City have a collective<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Collective" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> responsibility in their daily lives to design
and implement such policies. This could be ensuring the provision of clean,
safe and efficient public transport, the ability to navigate the Garden City by
walking or cycling on one hand and the ability to reduce waste, recycle and
reuse resources by citizens on the other. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
<b>4. Provide access to land for
living and working to all<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Garden City promotes urban<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Urban" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> agriculture<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Urban Agriculture" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, the ability for citizens<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Citizen, citizens; citizenship"
<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> to grow most of their own food,<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Food" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> even in an urban area. There is a right of
free and fair access to the land for all residents to grow their own food
whether it is through common allotments<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Allotments" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, common land, farms,
productive streets and parks or private gardens. Alongside this is the right to
affordable housing and also the right of access to resources in urban areas to
build or run their individual or collective<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Collective" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> businesses or workshops. It is a productive
city that aims at its own self-sufficiency providing opportunities for
agricultural work, crafts, commerce and industry. Rents are provided to
encourage self-sufficiency and regeneration, provided in partnership with
tenants, not just for tenants. The goal is for the City to be productive and
sustainable in its own right, not as a dormitory settlement or a place of mere
consumption. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>5. Fair Trade</b><!--[if supportFields]><b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "</span></b>Fair
Trade"<b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;
mso-themecolor:text1'> </span></b><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span></b><![endif]--><b> principles are practised <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Garden City is committed to the
practises and ethics of Fair Trade<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Fair Trade" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> implementing the credo that it’s prosperity<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Prosperity" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> is not built upon the suffering of others,
whether inside its own city limits, inside its own country or internationally.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>6. Prosperity</b><!--[if supportFields]><b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "</span></b>Prosperity"<b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'> </span></b><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span></span></b><![endif]--><b> is shared <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The prosperity<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Prosperity" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> of the Garden City is shared in practise among
all its citizens,<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Citizen, citizens; citizenship" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> not just among the rich, wealthy and
establishment. Participatory budgeting<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Participatory budgeting" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> through which citizens decide on the
priorities for public and community investment is one of the key mechanisms in
practise. To secure the wealth<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span> XE "Wealth" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> and trigger jobs among the community it can
create local or a complementary community currency and set up community banks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="text-indent: -14.2pt;">7. All citizens</b><b style="text-indent: -14.2pt;"> are equal, all citizens are
different</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
All citizens<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Citizen, citizens;
citizenship" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span><![endif]--> in a
Garden City are equal regardless of how long they have lived there or how many
generations of their family have. There are no special privileges for anyone. A
Garden City provides support and treat with dignity those with mental and
physical disabilities and value each citizen, irrespective of their religious
or sexual orientation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
<b>8. Fair representation and direct democracy</b><!--[if supportFields]><b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "</span></b>Democracy"<b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'> </span></b><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span></span></b><![endif]--><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There is a right to participate
in the Garden City, in what the city does, how it is run and who does what. A Garden
City can be made up of many cities and towns but each of these will be
comprised of different neighbourhoods and communities, each with differing
needs and aspirations. The prosperity<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Prosperity" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> of the Garden City is employed to help those
in greatest need. Each community and neighbourhood should be empowered and
encouraged to form its own free and open association, council or forum to
represent and engage the views and needs of that local community. The Garden
City will share its decision making. It will devolve some to representatives
but by also by engaging directly and meaningfully with the citizens<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Citizen, citizens;
citizenship" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span><![endif]--> so all can
have an informed say and collective<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Collective" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> decision making power on the priorities for
the Garden City. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; tab-stops: 14.2pt; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
<b>9. Garden Cities are produced through participatory
planning and design methods.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A Garden City is in harmony with
the landscape, water, air, nature and the surrounding countryside. New
developments and housing have Garden City space and design characteristics and
aim to promote the health and wellbeing of its citizens<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Citizen, citizens;
citizenship" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span><![endif]-->, current and future and are developed through
participatory methods on fundamental issues, not just cosmetic ones. Public
spaces are widely available as an important concept as it provides the means
for people to meet and share views and to integrate. These public spaces and
facilities bring together young and old, rich and poor, those of different
races, religions and backgrounds as a community that celebrates and rejoices in
its diversity and exercises tolerance and freedom.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
<b>10. A City of Rights that builds and defends the Right to the City.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In the Garden City there are
universal rights for all citizens<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span> XE "Citizen, citizens; citizenship" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> such as the right to clean air, the right to
nutritious food<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Food" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span><![endif]-->, the right to adequate housing, the right to work
and fair wages. There are not only individual rights but collective<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Collective" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> rights such as the collective right to enjoy
the city and its majesty as well as collective civic and political rights. In
traditional terms, as the City is held in common there is a collective right to
these commons. The Right to the City is a superior Right as it is both
individual and collective. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
<b>11. Knowledge is held in common, shared and enhanced <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A Garden City is a mutual<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Mutual" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> city that builds a culture of production,
sharing and co-operation, not just in terms of its prosperity<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Prosperity" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> and governance<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Governance" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> but also in terms of the knowledge it acquires
and generates. It shares and co-operates for the good of the City while still
operating competition to create innovation and development.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 14.2pt; text-indent: -14.2pt;">
<b>12. Wealth</b><!--[if supportFields]><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span> XE "</span></b>Wealth"<b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:text1'> </span></b><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='color:black;mso-themecolor:
text1'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span></b><![endif]--><b> and harmony measured by happiness
<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The wealth<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Wealth" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--> and harmony of the Garden City is measured in
the happiness its citizens<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Citizen, citizens; citizenship" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->. It is the only true
measurement of a successful city. Their happiness is not based upon the
suffering or expense of others. <o:p></o:p></div>
Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-60255285667478701612013-11-11T00:47:00.001-08:002013-11-11T00:47:29.928-08:00UK : Miliband backs new Garden Citiesfollows our fringe meeting on 'building real Garden Cities' with Maurice Glasman and other Garden Cities thinkers we were pleased to see Ed Miliband back Garden Cities in his conference speech.<br />
<br />
Garden Cities are coming home to Labour.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/sep/23/labour-ed-miliband-housebuilding-pledge" target="_blank">See here.</a>Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5424531979001145941.post-68088199872650778962013-11-11T00:44:00.000-08:002013-11-11T00:47:42.421-08:00UK Independent newspaper : Why Garden Cities have a rosy futureFollowing the Policy Exchange report Jonathan Brown for the Independents reflects on the benefits of Garden Cities. We point him in the direction of Owenstown too.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/could-it-be-the-answer-to-our-housing-crisis-why-garden-cities-have-a-rosy-future-8927808.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/could-it-be-the-answer-to-our-housing-crisis-why-garden-cities-have-a-rosy-future-8927808.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/britain-needs-to-build-and-on-a-grand-scale-8927487.html">Their editorial backs this up</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Philip Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378828149399947174noreply@blogger.com