Do you live close enough to the places you need to get to each day such as work, school and shops? For many people buying a new-build home, driving is their only option to get to work or other places they need to, according to a recent study by Transport for New Homes. The pressure … Continue reading “Do you live close to the places you need most?”
With the BRE Cities Convention just a few weeks away, two of our speakers and both leading lights of the built environment world provide an insight into what is really driving connected, smart places and a Digital Built Britain. “The drive for a Digital Built Britain resulted from the pressing need for a more productive, … Continue reading “Connecting people and place: the benefits of a Digital Built Britain”
There’s a lot of chatter about smart cities – but what makes a smart city, where do you start, and what if you’re not a city? “Smart cities” has become a byword (byphrase?) for investing in and embedding technology, but it’s much, much more than a future-proof IT system, cloud computing and a strong internet … Continue reading “Connecting people and places is everyone’s job”
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the government’s policy for local planning practitioners and stakeholders. This includes the way in which local (and neighborhood) plans are developed and applications assessed, and also direction in respect to local policy ambition and requirements for issues such as health, security, climate change, housing etc. Like many … Continue reading “BRE Response to the National Planning Policy Framework Consultation”
The Home Quality Mark (HQM) aims to make new homes better. Better for our pockets, our wellbeing and our environment. And at the very heart of the HQM scheme is the need to deliver quality homes. Quality Homes are high on the public agenda, but it is not always easy to achieve, particularly when house-building … Continue reading “HQM ONE – setting baselines in a flexible scheme”
Planning and regeneration can help create health promoting environments that are good for people and the environment. Over the last year I’ve been working with Southwark Council on an ambitious project to raise the profile of health and wellbeing in the Council’s planning activities, particularly for the regeneration of Old Kent Road. Initially, BRE was … Continue reading “Healthy planning and regeneration innovations”
The concept of Garden Towns or Garden Villages was first introduced in the UK in 1898 and has continued to modestly grow ever since.
There is a common view amongst developers that designing and building for health and wellbeing objectives is more expensive than standard projects and that it doesn’t offer return on investment. I have recently written an article which summarises evidence from a range of organisations, including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Urban Land … Continue reading “Developing healthy homes and communities does not have to cost extra”
[View the story “UK Construction Week 2016” on Storify]
Can we save the NHS by building healthier places? This was the provocation at last night’s Developing Healthy Neighbourhoods event as part of Bristol’s Healthy City Week. Organised by Bristol Health Partners and IBI Group, and supported by Bristol’s mayor, this event asked the audience to consider two potential solutions to ‘business as usual’ development … Continue reading “Can ‘building in health’ to new developments save the NHS? – a lively debate in Bristol”
