Cities for a Small Country

IN THE FOREWORD, Will Hutton states that the British have rarely taken their cities seriously. Urban life is something that has to be suffered, and real life lies in the countryside. This book comes from a very different viewpoint; it believes that well-functioning and well-designed cities will lead to better and richer lives in every sense, from the vitality of our democracy to the health of our society. The spatial qualities of a city are part of its ability to function.

The chapters deal with the following topics: the future of cities, social change and fragmentation, the escape to the suburbs and the demise of compact cities, traffic, the environment (why we must change), recovery of city centres, making cities work, and the role of citizens.

This wide-ranging book covers a large area of influences on and reactions to city life. It ranges from neighbourhood management to globalization, in showing the multiple facets of urban life. These are presented with examples of places that “work”, guidelines to good design and management,
and social and economic factors, with historical information to give context. In the last chapter the four axes of cohesive cities are given as:
• stimulating the local economy by improving skills and jobs;
• a strong voice for residents and control over local conditions;
• equal public services for all, including neighbourhood management;
• physical and environmental care, giving confidence to potential and existing residents.

The book ends with a reminder that by the end of the next generation, most of the population of the world will be living in cities. Most of us depend on cities; they concentrate problems but also provide solutions, therefore they hold the key to our common future.