While disadvantaged communities routinely put up with poorly designed housing development, it is not a given. Through presenting twenty stories which illustrate ten routes to success from across England, this study demonstrates that if the will is there, we can routinely deliver well designed new housing developments in even the most challenging locations. The economic, social, environmental and health benefits that flow from this will be substantial.
In too many disadvantaged areas, poor quality housing development is the norm. The private market works less well in such places, with lower land prices leading, proportionally, to lower investment in all aspects of the design and delivery of new homes and neighbourhoods. This happens to the point where all quality is squeezed out of private and associated affordable housing or housebuilding simply becomes unviable. Too often it is perpetuated by the disengagement of the public sector from housebuilding and from the governance of design quality.
Authors: Matthew Carmona, Jingyi Zhu and Wendy Clarke, UCL & Place Alliance.
Publication date: February 2025
Further information: https://placealliance.org.uk/from-inequality-to-quality/
