Postcards from the Future

Tircoed houses

POSTCARD FROM SWANSEA AND TIRCOED FOREST VILLAGE: Building new settlements and sustainable urban neighbourhoods

Revisiting Tircoed Forest Village, just outside Swansea, reminded me how powerful the “urban village” idea can be when done well. Homes are woven into the landscape rather than imposed upon it. The layout prioritises walking, sociability and stewardship, with a Village Trust set up to manage shared spaces. Decades later, Tircoed still feels vibrant and desirable - a testament to long-term thinking.
Utrecht

POSTCARD FROM UTRECHT: Healthier living and the AoU Congress

Spending six days in the Netherlands to attend the Academy of Urbanism Congress in the Dutch city of Utrecht in June brought home the huge benefits from sustained  public investment in creating connected cities and healthy neighbourhoods. With such a relaxed way of life in a Northern European city, many of the visitors to the AoU Congress must have wondered whether Dutch cities offered a replicable model for the UK.
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