Forest City 1
The prospect for building a new city in the UK has been talked about for a decades, but few ever thought it was possible. Successive governments have promised New Towns – often redefining village-scale or housing-estate layouts with the flattering sobriquet of “town” – sometimes “eco-cities” – but they have never really got off the drawing board.
Now a few brave souls have put forward plans for a real step change. A £100 billion city of 400,000 homes built on 45,000 acres of land to the east of Cambridge, and between Newmarket and Haverhill. Eventually, this should lead to a population of one million people – with 5,000 hectares set aside for woodland. ‘Forest City 1‘ is a bold initiative that deserves to be taken seriously.
This an interview on Ali Miraj’s LBC Radio programme, discussing Forest City, the generic city, and the broader implications of Big Ideas. We also explored the need to provide more housing, more infrastructure, and more positivity.
Forest City 1 is the brainchild of Shiv Malik and Joseph Reeve.
Play recording:
