Downturn is a good time to change

04/03/09

A leading architecture and town planning academic from Canada has urged the UK housing sector to use the recession as an opportunity to innovate and look at new ways to build long-term sustainable communities.

Professor Avi Friedman, from McGill University in Montréal, suggested it was the wrong time for the sector to go into 'hibernation'. He went on to say that the UK should go back to the fundamentals and revisit the whole concept of what makes a successful community. He said building truly successful communities can take 20 to 30 years and needs to consider factors such as nature, climate, homeownership, health, families and choice.

Professor Friedman indicated that construction industry in particular had a huge opportunity to rethink their approach. He suggested that people should be able to choose new homes which offer a menu of options on how to use the living space - a space which can be adapted as their circumstances and needs change. He also pointed to the need to innovate around construction times. In Canada it takes three months to build a home - in the UK it takes a year.

Claire Martin, CIH South East's new chair said, 'The social housing sector has a strong record of working innovatively in good times and bad, and we should not let the current recession deflect us from our long-term aims. The sector can influence the way we build our communities and it is right we take this moment to work with our partners and developers to shape the future.'