Exploring the effectiveness of Building for Life in improving suburban residential design quality

• Main Author: Kruczkowski, Stefan L.
• Published: Nottingham Trent University 2018
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.765558

Over the last 20 years, efforts have been made to improve design quality in new suburban residential developments. Following the global credit crisis of 2008, political emphasis shifted away from design quality and ore firmly towards increasing the level of house building. With CABE dissolved in 2010 and funding across central and local government cut, the resources to challenge poor design are limited. Local authority urban designers and the number of urban design courses offered by English universities has fallen increasing the risk of a future skills shortage. Within this climate of austerity, deregulation and political impatience to get 'Britain building'1, how might design quality be improved? The research is an insight into one local authority's efforts to improve residential design quality over a ten-year period. Empirical evidence challenges the dominant theory that robust local regulatory control is the principal means by which local authorities can secure well designed developments. As part of the research, a new version of Building for Life was created to align with the National Planning Policy Framework (DCLG, 2012a). The research also provides evidence that suggests that a different, more proactive approach to design regulation could emerge through the application of digital, mobile technologies as an integral part of the English planning system and an improved understanding of the interrelationship between product development and planning processes.