Creating Liveable Communities in UK New Towns

Ramboll Associate Director, Cities & Regeneration, Sean Cleary said: “New Towns offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to meet a pressing need. Taking advantage of this opportunity to build sustainable, resilient, and liveable communities is a shared responsibility that rests on the shoulders of the policymakers, planners, investors, developers, and residents. The Taskforce’s report is a positive start, but it is only one step on a much longer journey.”

“Embedding resilience will require New Towns to focus on incorporating sustainability, liveability, and long-term value. Towns and cities succeed when people have a stake in their development. Inclusive engagement reduces planning friction, increases public accessibility, and helps to ensure that local infrastructure meets the actual needs of communities.”

Achieving lasting success in developing resilient places is a shared objective that will benefit both current and future generations. At Ramboll we are devoted to creating places where innovation meets equity, development unlocks long-term growth, and communities support their residents. By applying technical rigour, extensive delivery experience, collaboration, and long-term thinking, local visions can become thriving, liveable places.

The Taskforce has developed placemaking principles to provide the foundation for each new town to be built upon. This serves to ensure that each town has a distinct sense of identity and the necessary infrastructure and amenities to support the health and wellbeing of its residents and neighbouring communities.

By taking a holistic approach, we can bring partners and stakeholders together to achieve better outcomes, as demonstrated in the part we have played in the transformation of Copenhagen. We have vast experience of creating liveable places across Europe and globally, aligned to the placemaking principles that have been defined for the New Towns. This includes developing environmentally sustainable designs that are diverse, affordable and support the health & wellbeing of those that live there. We create walkable communities while recognising that connectivity is key to enabling employment, participation and growth.

Our tried and tested model featuring international cases shows how the vision for New Towns in the UK can become a reality, acting as an enabler in creating future-ready, inclusive and economically viable communities:

1. Liveability: a just and equitable transition & wellbeing by design
2. Deliverability: joined-up infrastructure & modern methods and materials
3. Resilience: embedded climate-readiness & from sustainable to regenerative.