COMMENT >> the challenge of affordable housing for all

Peter Owens was asked by Architect’s Choice: Are Brown’s promises, to allow everyone that wants to get on the property ladder the opportunity to do so, realistic and if so what will need to happen in order to ensure these do not prove to be empty words?

‘Home ownership for all – brave, perhaps noble or misguided words. The German precedent is for low rates of ownership and more disposable income. Why however should those wishing to buy be denied ?

‘On face value, forces of supply and demand imply both availability and affordability through a major house-building programme.

‘Eco-towns and -villages ? We must set the framework for vibrant community and clarify environmental parameters and priorities. We must be prepared for impassioned debate, accusations of hypocrisy and even inevitable environmental loss within the process.

‘Planning authorities must be strong and environmentally articulate as most certainly ‘one size’ (read policy) will certainly NOT ‘fit all’.

‘Being quantitative, for true low Carbon communities, one could argue that biodiversity and natural landscapes of value are secondary. Huge land requirements bring into question relative values of town and countryside. There is a danger of political ‘us and them’ agendas. However, how could an ‘eco-town or –village’, possibly not respect such essential qualities of a sustainable environment.

‘Clearly the planning of such communities must consider far more than design and construction. Proximity and clean means of transport to centres of employment, leisure and retail must be integral. Taking forward aspects of ‘landscape urbanism’, sense of place and meaningful cultural content are absolutely vital if we are to avoid 21st century replication of the great suburban sprawls of the 1930’s.

‘Perhaps firstly, we should consider creatively reducing development pressures, unlocking existing built stock and decentralise more – create desirable growth poles in areas of current low housing demand would be the paradigm.

‘Thinking laterally, do we work from home more ? Maybe fast, efficient and clean, transport is the key – accepting the current dynamics of employment ?

‘Ultimately, we have to evaluate whether these measures are preferable to accepting the inevitability of a global megalopolis into which nature is packaged as a nostalgic theme park, consumed within an amorphous web of transport corridors, woodland belts, the occasional sports field and finally houses, houses and more houses ?’