Make towns more attractive than suburbs/rural living-
People must want to live in towns; unloved & dismantled by modernist planning, architecture and engineering. We’ve taken out the retail, housing and businesses, and flung them out to the suburbs in their own little pods. We’re a suburban nation, every bit as much as the US (Duany et al). We need to reassemble the town, and fundamental to that is to keep people living there, and re-populating the centres. For this to happen the centre has to be more attractive, and present better and wider opportunities than the suburban equivalent.
Sustainable urbanism must be at the heart of urban renewal, adaption and innovation. The historic fabric is an asset that denotes identity and character, just as established communities represent continuity and social fabric and local economies. During the tiger years continuity and respect for the fabric, was replaced with faith in the zeigteist. The economics of development of individual plots can stand up again. The only situation where comphrehensive redevelopment can be justified is when the public gain through new streets and parks can be achieved.
Local authorities need to undertake thorough reviews of their budgets to examine geographically where they are spending public money and who is benefiting. Look at most main-streets - is there a cent being spent? Quality housing + attractive residential streets, business districts (not parks) and retail streets = walkable towns + neighbourhoods = good towns = sustainable urbanism
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