The Impact of Covid-19 on the UK Housing Crisis – Part Two
Through Part One of this blog, we considered the current position of the UK housing market and the ongoing housing crisis, considered to have been worsened by the lasting impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Through Part 2, we explore one of the Royal Town Planning Institutes (RTPI’s) proposed solutions to addressing housing need – Urban Densification (RTPI, 2023).
What is Urban Densification?
When considering the term ‘Urban Densification’ in the context of addressing the housing crisis through urban design and planning, I refer to the drive to rethink the way we plan and design cities and new developments to combat urban sprawl, in turn encouraging a more wide-spread use of public transport and improving walkability in efforts to reduce net carbon footprint (Teller, 2021).
Urban Densification in Practice – Goldsmith Street, Norwich
Published land use statistics for the period 2021 to 2022 identify average density of residential addresses surrounding newly emerging residential addresses to be c. 31 addresses per hectare, a recognised decrease of 11 residential addresses from 2020 to 2021 (Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, 2022).
Mikhail Riches development with Norwich Council ‘Goldsmith Street’, completed in 2019, challenges recent average density with project providing 105 socially rented homes with an average density of 83 dwellings per hectare (Mikhail Riches, no date).
Figure 1: Section of Goldsmith Street Development Showing Key Design Considerations (RIBA, 2019)
Through careful placement of windows, the scheme was designed with only 14m between blocks, roof profiles and orientation allowing sufficient sunlight into the streets, as depicted at Figure 1. As such, despite being narrower than average, the development is not described as feeling ‘oppressive’ (Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), 2019).
Figure 2: Design Features of Goldsmith Street Development (Annotated by Author, original image available from Mikhail Riches, undated)
In addition to increasing density, the Goldsmith Street scheme places a focus on pedestrianisation of space, with parking provision to the perimeter of the scheme, hence allowing the streets to feel ‘owned’ by pedestrians (Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), 2019). The relationship between the public realm and private dwelling space is successfully explored, creating a welcoming, dense community without seeking high-density living in the form of high-rise apartment buildings.
Conclusion
Urban densification is considered to have a range of significant advantages; however, it is recognised that there are challenges to its delivery. If implemented as a strategy nationwide, strategic-level changes would be required, beginning a lengthy process to be implemented in policy. But the housing crisis is happening now. In the near future we must consider solutions that could be implemented in the short term, in emerging housing schemes, to better ensure housing security.
References
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (2022) Land Use Change Statistics – New Residential Addresses 2021 to 2022 Statistical Release, GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/land-use-change-statistics-2021-to-2022/land-use-change-statistics-new-residential-addresses-2021-to-2022#density.
Mikhail Riches (no date) Goldsmith Street | Mikhail Riches. Available at: https://www.mikhailriches.com/project/goldsmith-street/ (Accessed: 17 May 2024).
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) (2019) Goldsmith Street, Architecture.com. Available at: https://www.architecture.com/awards-and-competitions-landing-page/awards/riba-regional-awards/riba-east-award-winners/2019/goldsmith-street.
Teller, J. (2021) ‘Regulating Urban Densification: What Factors Should Be used?’, Buildings and Cities, 2(1), pp. 302–317. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5334/bc.123.