Urban Design and the English Urban Renaissance 1999–2009: A Review and Preliminary Evaluation

Abstract

This paper reviews the urban design dimension of the English urban renaissance of the last decade. It focuses on the recommendations made in the Urban Task Force report in 1999, largely adopted by the New Labour Government, and follows through its implementation in planning, housing and regeneration practice to evaluate the design outcomes thus far. The focus is on four areas of reform: the pursuit of design excellence; housing supply and quality; public realm and urban environmental quality; and local governance, the latter providing the frame for the implementation of renaissance objectives. The paper draws on a very wide range of academic, professional and governmental literature as well as a collective academic study of the renaissance experience in each of the major British cities. It concludes with a discussion of the successes and failures of renaissance policy and the challenges to inclusiveness and sustainability that lie ahead.