The Future of the Garden City

by Natasha Christou Digital Marketing Consultant

When the concept of the garden city was first envisioned in 1898 by Ebenezer Howard, the prospect was presented as being idyllic and utopian. The idea first stemmed from Howard’s concerns surrounding overcrowding and exponential growth in built-up urban areas — a result of the industrial revolution. The visionary’s idea was to create a place that was the best of both the city and the countryside. Vast stretches of greenery would break up the monotony of industrial cityscape, and people would breath healthier air and enjoy a better quality of life.

In 1903, his vision became a reality with the formation of the very first garden city: Letchworth. Surrounded by greenbelts, this city provided a breath of fresh air from the larger industrial towns. Since then, the idea took off. Other such cities were created over the twentieth century, such as Milton Keynes, Hampstead Garden Suburb, and Rosyth. Homes in these areas have been highly sought after over the years, thanks to the promise of a higher quality of life and minimised air pollution.

The UK garden city

Evolving through the years and going by many names, from garden villages to eco-towns, the appeal of this alternative brand of city planning is clear. Many have gone so far as to envision garden cities as the long-awaited solution both to the UK’s housing crisis and the climate emergency. In 2014 for example, Former Chancellor George Osborne announced plans for a brand-new garden city which has since began construction in Ebbsfleet, Kent. According to the Ebbsfleet development site, their vision is to create a modern and green city, housing around 30,000 people by 2035. It outlines plans for an area of economic growth and investment, as well as emphasising the importance of recreation and leisure.

One of the benefits of Ebbsfleet is its location. The development site boasts the city’s 17-minute train journey from Central London, and the fact that it is only two hours away from Paris. Transport planning is key in the creation of the perfect garden city, as it allows people to enjoy the best of both the countryside and the city with ease.

With improving infrastructure and a heightened awareness of the climate emergency, we are likely to see more and more garden cities popping up in the UK. Or, at the least, cities adapting to embrace a greener existence. In other parts of the globe however, some cities are storming ahead. Perhaps the UK can take inspiration from other countries around the globe.

Garden cities around the world

In many cities around the world, the concept of the garden city has been taken to the next level. Fusing nature and new tech, cities such as Singapore have endeavoured to clean up their environment and allow nature to flourish within their city walls.

Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay is an incredible example of how green cities and garden cities will look in the future. The utopian fusion of nature and tech allows for whole ecosystems to exist in the middle of a busy city, including the 250,000 species of plants that exist with the garden’s conservatories (the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome). The gardens maintain endangered plant species, while also encouraging insects, bats, and birds back into the city, encouraging a diverse eco-system.

As well as high-tech, modern eco-cities such as Singapore, there are many more modest garden cities around the world. Canberra in Australia, Den-en-Chofu in Japan, and Kapuskasing in Canada were all built following the garden city ethos. Each of these towns and cities encompasses large areas of greenery which works not only to uplift its inhabitants’ mental wellbeing, put also to slow industrial growth and help tackle climate change.

By taking inspiration both from history and from other cultures, the UK should endeavour to create more garden cities, or adapt its current towns and cities to become more environmentally friendly. With new tax measures already being brought in to improve air quality, we are already on our way to a more sustainable version of city living. Like we’ve seen with Singapore, the garden city of the future will harness technological advancements, as nature and tech work hand in hand to maintain important eco-systems and benefit residents’ quality of life.