
Across Scotland and the UK there is a repetitive and
persistent message of a housing crisis. Whether you are looking for
an affordable home to rent or buy, choices are limited and costs
are going up. In Scotland there has been a major focus by
Government on the supply of affordable housing, just one part of
the jigsaw.
In Edinburgh land prices are high and rising, rents are
becoming eye-watering in some areas and subsidised affordable
housing is at a premium. House builders are focusing on low-density
developments, knowing that a small house presents lower risk in the
market than a block of flats.
Yet it is more quality high-density living that we need to
meet demand in a city such as Edinburgh, constrained on one side by
the Forth and the other by the Pentland Hills. Continuing to build
out towards the city's perimeter and on into the Lothians and Fife
only perpetuates the existing transport chaos that occurs every
day. The challenge is to design and build high-quality flatted
developments that offer a range of spaces for people to live at all
stages of their lives.
Having recently returned from Hamburg, where flats are the
norm for the young, families and older people, it is clear that
Edinburgh has a job to do. In Hamburg public transport and the road
network combine to make high-density living efficient and
effective. The streetscape was friendly to pedestrians and
cyclists, making it a place to live and relax in.
If this is just left to housebuilders will we, in 30
years' time, look back at houses built in the early 21st century
with pride in how they shaped our city? Many modern houses are
squeezed onto tiny plots, with shrinking floor plans and dubious
"double bedrooms". New housing developments are rarely integrated
into the community and this is also one of the reasons why modern
high-density developments often miss the mark.
Is it not time to reimagine housing in urban areas and
create new principles of design that respect the cost of land
without trying to squeeze an outdated concept on to an ever
shrinking footprint? City councils such as Edinburgh are under ever
increasing pressure from developers to speed up the planning
process and accelerate the availability of land. This is certainly
required, but not at the expense of creating a city that is fit for
today, tomorrow and 100 years from now.
What we build today will determine how the city functions
for generations and there is a compelling argument for a
large-scale placemaking approach to the entire city.
It is not beyond our collective wit to design a great city, we just
need to work together and keep one eye on the future whilst
tackling the crisis of today.