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What is an eco-city?

Last Modified: 30 Oct 2007
By: Andrew Thomas

Environmentally sustainable communities are the homes of the future - More4 News finds out what's needed to make them work.

In the near future millions of us are meant to live in environmentally sustainable communities.

These so called "eco-towns" are something all three political parties agree on.

'We need to deliver the best eco-towns for the sake of the planet and the next generation... It is crucial that we involve local people, and citizen juries are a great way of doing just that.'
Yvette Cooper, housing minister

Contest for ideas

Today housing minister Yvette Cooper launched a competition for architects, designers and 'citizen's juries' to come up with ideas for them.

She wants to engage the leading creative thinkers on architecture, urban and landscape design and transport planning on proposals for the new developments of up to 20,000 homes.

But it seems unclear whether anyone has really grasped the scale of what that means - and the changes needed to make it work.

The aims of the competition

To gather ideas from: - from the best national and international thinkers in the fields of town planning, urban design, architecture, landscape design, transport and environmental planning

- on what an eco-town could and should try to achieve, and how the design and development process can support positive outcomes

- on the key design features that should be considered when designing an eco-town, eg regional and local identity

- on the design layout of eco-towns and how they tie in with existing transport links and the natural landscape

- on housing layouts and sustainability features

Public participation

There will also be an opportunity for public involvement to judge eco-towns designs through a citizens' panel.

At the end of the competition, the best of the ideas and lessons learned will be drawn together in an exhibition and eco-towns compendium, which will help inform the thinking of local authorities and developers taking forward eco-town proposals.