By Steven Harding, Head of Public Affairs, RIBA
All of a sudden housing is top of the political agenda. The last Prime Minister to invest so much capital in housing was Harold Macmillan, and some might say we’re still paying for the mistakes made in the rush to build in the 1960s. Now it’s our job to ensure that as Gordon Brown brings housing back to the top of the to do list, those mistakes are not repeated.
High quality design adds value to homes and places - not only in terms of house prices but also happier residents, safer communities and better public spaces. A well-designed home is cheaper to run, grows old gracefully and responds to the needs of its inhabitants. But too many homes in the UK fall short in terms of design. That has to stop. One reasons is that architects were blamed for many of the mistakes under Macmillan and were largely shut out of the housebuilding industry for a generation. We’ve learned from those mistakes and now we’re back in the game.
Last week we celebrated the Housing Design Awards at the Banqueting House in Whitehall. These awards show what can be done when architects, planners and developers work well together. A week earlier the RIBA launched its new policy document Better homes and neighbourhoods which sets out the barriers to achieving high-quality housing, together with recommendations for ourselves, central and local government, as well as the housebuilding industry.
A key message is that we need to reverse the trend of shrinking homes. It’s startling to think that the average home built today is significantly smaller than its equivalent in the 1920s, or that new homes in the UK are far smaller than those being built in Holland – a country will just as much pressure on land. For people with disabilities the consequences include reduced choice and limited adaptability. And for those with limited mobility in particular, spending too much time in poky rooms is pretty grim.
We need homes that are going to adapt with their users’ needs, allowing people to maintain their independence and their dignity. This is not only important for people with disabilities: think also about the needs of older people or those with young children. Adaptable homes enable home working and, by doing so, keep neighbourhoods active during the day, reduce travel demands, sustain economic activity within neighbourhoods and extend employment opportunities to vulnerable groups.
The RIBA is committed to doing what it can to deliver better homes and neighbourhoods by encouraging high design standards. Those homes must sit alongside proper infrastructure, amenities, public space and jobs so new settlements won’t become ghost towns from birth, and so that people with disabilities can become a part of genuine communities.
Uncle Harold said we’d never had it so good. He was wrong. Will Gordon get it right this time?
Read the RIBA housing policy at www.architecture.com