MY KIND OF TOWN

摘要

It may come as a surprise, but hoards of Chinese and US regeneration experts are descending on Britain's new towns. Even more surprising, perhaps, they've come to admire and learn. Think milton keynes, think Shanghai. With British planning at risk of becoming the dumping ground for any politically irreconcilable development challenge of the day (new nuclear power stations could well be the next small issue for planning to resolve, for example), it is heartening to take a moment to recollect how planning started. Was it with an ever-increasing urge to regulate how and where we will live? Or just build houses and other much-needed developments? Not quite. With the 60th anniversary of the New Towns Act next month we can now reflect on the development of planning and where it might be heading next.