UK Government Initiatives - years 2000 to 2003
February 2003 Sustainable Communities - Building for the Future
The Government's Action Programme which sets out the policies, resources and partnerships to tackle the challenges of a rapidly changing population, the needs of the economy, serious housing shortages in London and the South East and the impact of housing abandonment in places in the North and Midlands.
October 2002 New five year Government-led improvement programme for public spaces launched at the Urban Summit. Living Places – Cleaner, Safer, Greener documents the Government's vision.
October/November 2002 Urban Summit
Promised in the Urban White Paper, took place in Birmingham 31 October-1 November, with over 1,500 delegates. Its main purpose is to evaluate progress on the recommendations of the White Paper, and many of the ideas represented come from the Towns and Cities: Partners in Urban Renaissance project, with its 5 volume report being launched at the Summit.
August 2002 Deputy Prime Minister announces tough new regulations to ensure newly built public and commercial buildings provide facilities like ramps, automatic doors, audio enhancement and clearer signage to make access easier for all. The new measures were published for consultation
July 2002 Deputy Prime Minister outlines radical and ambitious £1.5 billion plan to rejuvenate communities, and notes importance of high quality design for greenbelt housing
July 2002 PPG 17: Sport, Open Space and Recreation (Revision)
New planning guidance (PPG 17) provides robust guidelines for local planning authorities on the need to protect open spaces and playing fields, and emphasises that local authorities should rigorously ensure that communities' needs for open space, playing fields and sports and recreational facilities are met.
May 2002 Green Spaces, Better Places
The Urban Green Spaces Taskforce, charged with discovering how to create a renaissance for parks and green spaces issues its final report.
October 2001 Urban White Paper Implementation Bulletin
Announced the Government's year-long action research project to work with 24 towns and cities to gain a better understanding of how they implemented urban renaissance, what barriers to progress existed and how they might be resolved.
September 2001 Better Places to Live - By Design
Focuses on the attributes that underlie successful residential environments in order to provide guidance on implementing the new approach to planning for housing set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 (PPG3).
September 2001 Urban Regeneration Companies (URCs) - Learning the Lessons
Consultants' report on the value of URCs, concluding that they are set to become a powerful tool in regenerating our towns and cities.
June 2001 Guidance on Tall Buildings
Consultation paper giving guidance on the ways in which EH and CABE evaluate proposals for tall buildings, given their different, but complementary roles & remits. Consultation process finished 15 October 2001.
February 2001 The value of urban design Report of research commissioned by CABE & DETR to investigate the extent to which good urban design produces economic and social value. The report can be bought from Amazon.
November 2000 Our Towns and Cities: The Future - Delivering an Urban Renaissance (The Urban White Paper)
A long term strategy for action to breathe new life into our towns & cities by changing the planning and management of urban areas.
October 2000 Better Public Buildings
Advocates a step change in the quality of building design in the public sector and demonstrates that good design provides many benefits and is not a costly luxury.
May 2000 By Design - Urban Design in the Planning System: Towards Better Practice
This new design guide aimed at driving up standards in urban design forms a key part of the Government's strategy for promoting better urban design in the planning and development system, and has relevance for all aspects of the built environment - including the design of buildings and spaces, landscapes, roads and movement systems - and to villages as well as city centres.
