Smart New Towns

New towns are urban centres and settlements designed from scratch and built in a short time, often with support from the government.

Well-known British examples like Milton Keynes and Stevenage were constructed after World War II.

Today, a new generation is emerging in response to the UK’s seemingly insurmountable housing crisis.   

According to the National Housing Federation, some 8.4m people in England live in unaffordable, insecure and overcrowded housing, while the Center for Cities states that Britain is short of more than 4m homes.

These numbers indicate that the construction of new towns is urgent and essential.

But many planners, councils and residents are learning that not all new towns are created equal. 

AR Urbanism, founded by architect Amanda Reynolds, is a specialist consultancy in master planning and urban design. The firm has gained invaluable insights through its work on urban regeneration projects and new town developments across the UK. These insights include understanding the key pillars of successful new communities, the advantages and limitations of emerging technologies like AI, and how the new Labour government’s plans for developing brownfield sites can benefit from lessons learned from previous generations of new towns to better shape the future.

Building more than houses

Just as a house doesn’t create a home, building many houses doesn’t guarantee a thriving community. Northstowe in Cambridgeshire exemplifies this challenge. AR Urbanism joined the Northstowe project to masterplan the proposed employment zone and local centre to the north of the new settlement. Local residents expressed frustration about the lack of public services in the new development. Architect Amanda Reynolds notes that this raised important questions about how new settlements should be planned.

‘Should you be building housing first?’ she asks rhetorically. ‘The answer is not in isolation. Just as physical infrastructure like drains and roads is essential, social infrastructure must be established from the start.’

The first Northstowe residents moved in in 2017, but years later, amenities and businesses were still missing. ‘No shops, no pubs, no community spaces, no doctors,’ Reynolds tells LS:N Global. ‘Much of this needs to be in place when the first person moves in or communities flounder.’

To address this issue, AR Urbanism proposed both temporary and permanent community centres. ‘Temporary facilities can be added quickly and allow residents to have input on their permanent amenities and businesses.

AI-generated smart infrastructure

New technologies, including artificial intelligence, are transforming industries, and AR Urbanism’s director Riccardo Bobisse believes AI will play two critical roles in urban planning: enhancing smart infrastructure and assisting the design process. 

‘AI tools are crucial for the growth of smart infrastructure in new towns,’ explains Bobisse. He suggests AI could help do everything from monitoring air quality, energy consumption and traffic flow to improving communication between community members and local officials, and even supporting remote patient monitoring.

But Bobisse warns of a common issue where technology is pushed by manufacturers, creating a ‘solution looking for a problem’ scenario. While new technologies can greatly improve towns, over-reliance on them can be risky – given that some technologies age quickly and lose relevance. ARU suggests a balanced approach that integrates both old and new infrastructure is essential to ensuring the long-term resilience of urban developments.

The rise of m-AI-pping

AI also offers vast potential within the design process. According to Bobisse, it’s changing the way urban planners work by speeding up repetitive tasks and improving the communication of design intentions. One area in which AI has made a significant impact is mapping. Historically, mapping relied on aerial photography, which was both costly and time-consuming. Now, AI can process these images much faster, converting them into valuable data in a fraction of the time.

Despite these advances, Bobisse notes that AI is still far from replacing experienced urbanists. ‘AI can generate all possible combinations for a site,’ he says. ‘But it struggles to consider the wider context of the town.’ Human expertise remains crucial for understanding the broader implications of planning decisions.

Transforming brownfield sites for urban renewal

Brownfield sites are previously developed land, often unused or abandoned, that the new Labour government is focusing on to address the UK’s housing shortage. Examples like the Olympic Village in Stratford and the Kings Cross Goodsyard site, which includes Coal Drops Yard in London, show how these sites can be transformed into thriving new districts rich with amenities and housing – bringing new life to unused land while meeting modern housing and infrastructure needs. Using brownfield sites also allows cities to grow without encroaching on green spaces. 

‘It’s the right approach,’ says architect Amanda Reynolds, highlighting their proposed Mayflower Quarter redevelopment on brownfield land in Southampton. AR Urbanism’s master plan for the 84-hectare site would double the city centre’s size, creating new housing and employment spaces along with new public spaces, parks and better access to the river. Reynolds notes this includes the potential for expanding the universities and providing energy to the city.

Building future-ready towns

In developing new districts within existing cities, AR Urbanism draws on lessons from previous generations of new towns. A key insight is to move away from car-centric planning. ‘We’ve learned not to plan so much around the car,’ explains associate director Richard Crappsley. ‘We focus on walkability, public transport, cycling and reducing car dependency.’

This 15-minute city concept, pioneered by urban planner Carlos Moreno, envisages neighbourhoods where everything that residents need – work, shopping, healthcare and leisure – is within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. Popularised in Paris by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, this approach promotes local living, minimises car usage and enhances quality of life. Cities like Melbourne, Portland and Milan are also adopting this model to foster sustainable, vibrant communities.

Flexibility is another vital lesson. AR Urbanism’s Bobisse emphasises the need for urban environments to adapt over time. ‘Overly rigid master planning can create monolithic areas that age poorly,’ he says. Today, the goal is to design districts that can evolve with the community, ensuring long-term vibrancy and resilience.