I have been reading Nicholas Crane's book for a while now.
Initially I downloaded it to go on my iPad to accompany some travelling we had planned as I wanted to understand more of the ancient factors which shaped the way our land lies. Certainly, the opening chapters did not disappoint.
I have, however, been slower to finish the second half other book. Out of duty as much as anything I plodded through until the final hundred pages or so touched on something which reminded me of the work I was able to do in my study leave prior to starting here.
My interest picked up with the turn of the 20th Century, and the desire to see something done to improve the quality of life in the dense urban environments which had arisen between the Industrial Revolution and the end of Victoria's reign.
It is most unlikely we will ever see the likes again of projects such as Port Sunlight where philanthropic businessmen were willing to invest cash in order to secure good housing stock for their work force, often inspired by a Christian faith let it be noted.
Crane also points to the work of Ebenezer Howard, who was a central figure in the Garden City Association. Not only did this lead to the building of towns such as Letchworth, but also influenced the dense urban developments in London as well. He cites the example of the Bourne Estate on the edge of Clerkenwell.
These were not cheap as chips buildings, but contained details to make them homely and a community. Gardens were also important, probably with the expectation of a degree of self-sustenance.
Crane also quotes Patrick Geddes writing in 1915
Where, wondered Geddes, was the scope for the 'natural activities of wigwam-building, cave-digging, stream damming'? Children in town parks were watched over as 'potential savages', to be 'chivvied away, and are lucky if not handed over to the police'.
I find myself wondering where this aspiration went? We have seen recently the Government raising concerns about the apparent stranglehold that a small number of very large house builders have on the market (and thereby upon you and me and the environment in which we seek to live and flourish).
Alain de Bouton touched a nerve when he spoke in 2006 about the poor architectural merit of 'Barratt boxes', as he called them. (He was no kinder on the faux-gentrification being recreated in places like Poundbury).
Where are the leaders and philanthropists with a grand vision for the next generation of our urban landscape? We need hunters of thousands of new homes every year just to catch up with the shortfall from the past decades. If Barratt boxes are all we get then what on earth will our children inherit?
Come on, surely we can do better than this!
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