14 C O N T E X T 1 5 0 : J U L Y 2 0 1 7 Urban designGood design is a crucial element of delivering sustainable development.This includes consideration of movement, natural surveillance, a well-functioning public realm, and infrastructure that supports sport and physical activity. Heritage-led regenerationEnabling heritage-led regeneration and economic development can be a key component of planning policies, especially in transitional historic areas where large-scale changes of use are occurring.This includes older commercial and industrial areas, where decline has occurred, but also where low land values and rentals can be a magnet to small-scale enterprise, knowledge-based business and creative industries. At a more strategic level, the serious discrepancies in economic performance between different parts of the country represents a serious threat to sustainable growth. Land and house-price inflation are severe problems in some parts of the country, especially London and the south east. At the same time, there are many parts of the country where the development sector has yet to recover from the economic problems of almost a decade ago. In other areas, there is an imbalance between costs of housing and the strength of the local economy, fuelled by a range of factors such as second-home ownership and commuters (in Cornwall and rural Norfolk, for example). In many rural areas, high house prices exclude many working in the rural economy. Less than a decade ago, the housing pathfinders were based on a broad-brush view that there was an over-supply of housing in those areas and a need for managed decline. This led to the destruction of many houses, without proper consideration of alternative strategies involving retention and creation of demand. It is now difficult to reconcile this with the current emphasis on the national housing crisis. It is interesting to note that heritage bodies like SAVE rigorously campaigned against the pathfinders at the time. The aftermath of this policy is still to be seen in areas such as Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent. In fact, the issue for such housing is one of under-demand and economic viability.The challenge is in how to incentivise employment-creating development in these areas, so as to create demand for residential properties, making their refurbishment more viable.The problem is one of geographical economic imbalance. Managed decline is a negative and unsustainable concept. It is planning for failure. Just a few decades ago the waterfront and city centre in Liverpool were the subjects of a debate about managed decline.Thankfully those arguing for managed decline lost and the Albert Dock was listed.Today Liverpool is a vibrant city centre and the waterfront was recently voted in an RTPI poll as the greatest place in England. The challenge for the heritage sector is in reconciling heritage conservation with the need to create fit-forpurpose, sustainable and inclusive places. For professional heritage practitioners involved in managing or supporting change, a complex range of factors is involved, including land use, transport, movement, permeability, townscape, economic development, town centre viability and numerous other factors. So building performance is part of a much bigger picture for heritage and sustainability, with social, economic and environmental dimensions. Indeed, it is not sustainable practice to improve the performance of a building, if it then accommodates a new use in an unsustainable location. There is an apparent mismatch between the sometimes narrow ‘buildings’ focus on sustainability and the way it is being addressed by those who live, work and own property in historic buildings and areas.This is especially the case for those who are now involved in planning for the future development of their areas through neighbourhood plans or community-led development, the latter sometimes including taking on heritage assets. While not diminishing the importance of retrofitting, there is a problem if this is the sole focus, excluding consideration of what makes places sustainable. The challenge for national heritage bodies is on how best to support people and groups actively involved in conservation in different localities. To achieve this, a comprehensive and all-encompassing perspective is required.To focus on building performance in isolation rather misses the point. Dave Chetwyn is managing director of UrbanVision Enterprise and of D2H. A former chair of the IHBC, he chairs the institute’s communications and outreach committee. An end-of-terrace shop in a grid of streets in north Newcastle
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