The Renaissance of the Garden City

As Britain stumbles out of its economic torpor and looks toward a sustainable and greener future, the concept of the garden city has reared its head for the first time in generations.

The garden city movement was initiated by Ebenezer Howard in 1898 and led to the inauguration of several new towns including Letchworth, Welwyn and Hampstead. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self contained communities surrounded by greenbelts and containing proportionate amounts of residences, industry and agriculture.

With Britain suffering from a severe lack of housing, the garden city is now being seriously discussed as a thoroughly modern alternative to existing housing projects. Both Nick Clegg and David Cameron have backed the concept, with the Prime Minister going as far as saying future communities should be “green, planned, and secure, with gardens.”

Indeed, the first garden city to be built in over a century is on the cusp of becoming reality. Owenstown in Lanarkshire will consist of 3,000 factory-built, energy efficient new homes, each with access to an allotment.

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