Chapter 5: General conclusions

Comprehensive redevelopment

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We think our studies demonstrate that the ability to command the comprehensive development or redevelopment of large areas is extremely important to the successful handling of motor traffic. Conversely the piecemeal replacement of individual buildings in existing areas is likely to be very restrictive. Comprehensive development makes it possible, in particular, to apply the techniques of multi-level design, which not only yield much-needed extra space, but open the door to the creation of new environments of the most interesting and stimulating kind.

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Comprehensive development presents many formidable problems of finance, administration and land ownership. Local authorities can undertake it, provided they own the land, either themselves or by letting the land off on building leases. But this is almost certain to necessitate the use of compulsory acquisition on a big scale, with vast financial outlay bringing no returns in the early stages. Private developers can undertake it provided they can overcome the difficulties presented by the multiplicity of owner-ship. These difficulties are acute. Moreover, as matters stand at present, private enterprise is, naturally enough, only interested in the profitable rebuilding of commercial and business centres, and finds little inducement to tackle the enormous ‘twilight areas’ of obsolescent ‘by-law housing’ of which there is so much in our towns.

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It would be outside the scope of this study to enter into these questions of comprehensive development except perhaps to make three points:

1. The scale upon which action is required is so great, especially if account is taken of the increase of the population which has to be accommodated in the next 40 years, that it seems doubtful whether existing agencies using present constructional methods can possibly cope with it.
2. If private developers are going to play a major part it would seem necessary to encourage them to have a greater sense of responsibility for the public weal than has been evident since the war. Means should be found to promote a greater readiness to co-operate with other developers; to pool and re-share interests, sometimes even to forego the full commercial potential of a site; sometimes to postpone or advance rebuilding projects and, in the case of big projects, to offer substantial concessions to the public amenity. But it should also include the duties of patronage, to co-operate in experiments, to try new forms and to commission designers with vision.
3. But if private developers are to play an important role, the local authorities have an equal obligation to be ready with the broad ‘framework designs’, so that developers know the context in which to work and are not unduly delayed, and to ensure that projects, whether publicly or privately sponsored, are part of one coherent overall design.