ABSTRACT
Following the inception of the Urban Villages Forum (UVF) in the UK during 1992, championed by HRH The Prince of Wales, there has been a sharp rise in the number of mixed-use developments characterized by the term 'urban village'. This chapter explores what the origins - and the reasons for the popularity - of this 'village in the town' concept might be, making a critique of current practice. In particular, the need for clearer thinking about social, economic and particularly cultural factors in urban village-style developments is highlighted; issues of particular importance as we enter the first phase of the UK Government's Sustainable Communities Plan (ODPM, 2003) which sets out a spending programme of some £30 billion over the next three years, much of it on housing. This chapter proposes an agenda for action that builds in these factors to the planning and design of neighbourhoods from the outset. The aim is not to dismiss the work of the UVF, but to build on experience in creating truly liveable neighbourhoods.
