Sketching with David

I feel I’ve reached the point in my pseudo architectural blog to try my hand at the suburbs debate. Much has been said about the loved/hated burbs and I have no doubt that my thoughts will be a breath of fresh air…

I’ve now been living for almost a year in London, carefully observing the curious ways of the British. I can say from first hand experience that the issues at hand in London (and more generally England) are very different from those in North America. But interestingly, one thing holds mostly true: the suburbs are not loved. As Martin Dines puts it, it’s the place that gets rebranded “an ‘urban village’ as soon as a branch of Carluccio’s opens”.

The alternative, city life, has its limitations. A high demand in London has seen the rise of tiny north-facing flats off the dreaded train line. More and more neighbourhoods are becoming gentrified as a result of the demand. And prices are high. Most estimates seem to point out that without a serious commitment to high densities, the London Plan of 23 000 new dwellings per year will not be achieved. The answers to our housing questions may lie in a combination of densities and arrangements. I do not believe a case can be made for a unique approach to housing. Certain cities simply do not have the capacity to cope with the demand and suburban developments are going to have to be part of the solution. Which brings me to the final issue: putting aside the credentials debate, how do you design a GOOD suburb? (more…)