ABSTRACT
The attraction of exchanging a decaying and overcrowded urban environment for life in a new, planned community has a long history that ranges from the Greek colonies in the eastern Mediterranean of the fifth century BC to the present day (see Chapter 3). Modern new towns primarily stem from post-Second World War developments in the UK, where, over a period of three decades, twenty-eight New Towns were constructed as part of a government strategy to alleviate the social, economic and physical problems of older urban areas. In this chapter we trace the roots of modern new-town development in the UK and its subsequent manifestation and reformulation in the USA and elsewhere. We then consider the future of the new town concept and the role of public and private agencies in new community building.
