We must reclaim our residential spaces.
Where we live directly affects our health and social wellbeing. But while wealthy urbanites secure luxuriously renovated, centrally located character properties, the rest of us are pushed ever further into insufficiently connected commuter towns. Currently, construction projects are guided not by need, but the desire for profit; they aim to create valuable assets and work within outdated urban concepts, rather than providing a habitat fit for the modern world. The gap between housing for the rich and poor and the resulting sense of frustration are growing even more rapidly than the commuter belt.
Meanwhile, we are facing climate change (with its prolonged heavy rains and heatwaves) as well as demographic changes, increasing digitisation, and new traffic and energy needs. If we want to adapt, we must radically transform our towns and cities. We simply can’t carry on like this – and now is our opportunity to create affordable places, where people can live together peacefully, healthily and happily.
In “The Homes We Want”, journalist and architect Beck describes some of the successful examples of positive, practical and feasible urban planning, and inspires us to think more deeply about how we want to live in future.
She argues that despite the challenges, sustainable solutions are possible – it’s time to reclaim our cities, and we can all do our bit.