The Garden City Principles are a distillation of the key elements that have made the Garden City model of development so successful, reimagined for the 21st Century, and should be viewed as indivisible.
What is a Garden City?
Garden Cities were founded on a series of principles developed by Ebenezer Howard which remain relevant today:
- Strong vision, leadership and community engagement
- Land value capture for the benefit of the community
- Community ownership of land and long-term stewardship of assets
- Mixed-tenure homes and housing types that are affordable for ordinary people
- Beautifully and imaginatively designed homes with gardens in healthy communities
- A strong local jobs offer in the Garden City itself and within easy commuting distance
- Opportunities for residents to grow their own food, including allotments
- Generous green space, including: surrounding belt of countryside to prevent unplanned sprawl; well connected and biodiversity-rich public parks; high quality gardens; tree-lined streets; and open spaces
- Strong cultural, recreational and shopping facilities in walkable neighbourhoods
- Integrated and accessible transport systems
Principles in practice
In the world’s first Garden City, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, a Community Benefit Society, ensures that land value is captured for the local community, while taking a long-term approach to managing and stewardship of the estate. It reinvests £4million a year back into the Letchworth community by into charitable services for the community including a treatment centre, minibus service, cinema, gallery, landscaping and museum services, as well as grants for local groups and individuals.
