Campaign update

Shared garden courtyard, Westcoe Crown Village, Newcastle. Photo: © CPRE

Building sustainable communities
A return to well designed higher density living, in rural as well as urban areas, can build sustainable communities and secure environmental objectives – a key finding revealed in our new report: The Proximity Principle: why we are living too far apart.

Our report finds that proximity encourages community interaction, makes public transport, local services and environmental initiatives more viable, and drives creativity – a key component of a successful economy. Our research is supported by case studies where people tell us their experience of living in communities of differing designs and densities.

Rural decline
Our study of the Cambridgeshire villages, Somersham and Haddenham, found a story of rural decline. Many long-term residents list the closure of local businesses and the decline in facilities such as libraries, public transport and local policing. Jobs within the villages are limited, reflecting a national decline in rural land-based industries, like farming. Most workers commute to nearby towns, leaving villages empty during the day. Fewer children and young people are a worry for residents, and people express a desire for a better mix of ages in their area.

Focus on regenerating rural communities
Gordon Brown's promotion of new eco-towns turns out to be not so green when we apply the proximity principle. Rather than encourage greater community cohesion these new towns will cause greater dispersal and urban sprawl. People may find themselves having to travel further for local services such as schools, health centres, leisure and work. The consequences for the environment are more countryside being nibbled away and more damaging carbon emissions as a result of an increased reliance on the car.

The Urban Task Force set up by the architect Richard Rodgers, argued strongly that there was a need to support existing communities, through regenerating inner cities and reusing derelict land, rather than building elsewhere. A similar argument can be made for rural communities.

There are three vital ingredients to a sustainable rural community:

• affordable housing supply;
• good transport links;
• and local services, including jobs.

Given the decline in household size and the prevalence of commuting, more homes will be needed to maintain local services. A good case could be made for increasing the number of homes within exisiting villages to achieve this.