New towns risk repeating past mistakes unless transport comes first, Herts experts warn
New towns will fail to deliver thriving, sustainable communities unless high-quality public transport is included from the outset, according to a new report from the University of Hertfordshire.
The report argues that decades of low-density, car-dependent housing development has left many residents with little choice but to drive, increasing congestion, carbon emissions and pressure on local infrastructure.
With the Government committed to delivering 1.5 million new homes and considering a new generation of new towns, researchers say there is a clear opportunity to avoid repeating those mistakes.
Drawing on case studies from Freiburg in Germany, widely regarded as a world leader in sustainable urban development, as well as major developments in Cambridge and Harlow, the report concludes that public transport, walking and cycling networks must be planned and funded before homes are built.
The report, Better places: new settlements with transport that works, comes from the University of Hertfordshire’s Smart Mobility Unit - acknowledged experts in new towns. It comes as the Government prepares to respond to a report last year by the New Towns Task Force.
The report’s co-authors, Stephen Joseph OBE and Sue Walsh, say the UK must allow more homes of a higher quality inside a compact footprint, creating a more connected and active community, more space for parks and community facilities, and a reduction in cars, parking requirements, road congestion, and carbon emissions.
Stephen Joseph said:
“Our report notes that much of the UK’s recent housing development has been of low density, with limited or no shops and community services, limited public transport and, sometimes, no pavements. This leads to car dependence with on and off-street parking issues and wider impacts on people’s health and independence.
“It has been shown in the UK that we can build at higher density with less car use, but high-quality public transport must be in place from the beginning and fully integrated with the masterplanning of the developments. Germany solves this by using land value uplift and public funding to cover temporary transport subsidies for mass transit developments, but these funding routes are not really available in the UK at present.”
Achieving a higher density of housing is an important factor in the report. Housing densities are higher in Freiburg than in the UK - this is because housing in Freiburg is built around sustainable public transport ‘spines’, primarily using trams or linked bus routes. In turn this allows a more efficient approach to parking, streets that support cycling and walking, and reduced need for car ownership.
Freiburg also has a governance and finance structure that allows for a streamlined and joined up approvals process and advance funding to be unlocked, enabling transport connectivity to come first. Its financing model uses the uplift in land values from development – termed ‘land value capture’ – to provide upfront funding for public transport. A similar approach was utilised in the UK to help finance the Elizabeth Line and is also used elsewhere in Germany and in France to finance new transport developments. Freiburg’s system also rolls together the various planning requirements into a single process, thereby drawing them together and reducing regulatory costs.
The report was compiled after extensive study visits together with officials and it also looks at new developments in Cambridge and Harlow.
In Cambridge the study visits found some high-quality development, with high levels of active travel, new rail stations and guided buses. However, it notes the difficulties authorities have faced in delivering these. For example, the guided bus route has not been fully integrated into the Northstowe development, and active travel routes have not been fully delivered. Governance there and in Harlow is much more fragmented than in Freiburg and transport and planning are managed by different authorities.
Although the report identifies a range of challenges that the UK faces, such its capital costs for mass transit, its deregulated transport systems, and its fragmented governance, the researchers have provided the government with plenty of practical solutions (see notes).
The authors conclude: “Our visits - both to Freiburg and to Cambridge and Harlow in the UK – show that it is possible to deliver new housing without relying on and providing for high levels of car use…. Simpler governance, clear planning systems, new funding and financing regimes (including devolved funding for public transport so that it can be provided in the early years), stronger master plans and design codes and opportunities for community and resident involvement along the way will all help deliver the vision in the New Towns Task Force report”.