The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
In the latest episode, we hear from the VeloCity team about how new housing can be located within pedestrianised village centres, with vehicular traffic kept to the edges alongside barns repurposed for package delivery and bicycle parking.
Ross explains why we desperately need a joined-up approach to spatial planning that focuses on villages clustered within a seven-mile radius to lure people out of their cars and on to bicycles and footpaths; while Featherstone reveals early proposals for Blenheim Estate which include Passivhaus housing and reinstated cycleways to facilitate school runs during Covid and beyond.
The discussion follows on from our previous episode in which conservationist Isabella Tree spoke about her campaign against new housing on a greenfield site adjacent to the rewilded Knepp estate in Sussex.
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About Sarah Featherstone
Sarah Featherstone cofounded FeatherstoneYoung, an architectural practice with a 20-year track record in place-making with a strong focus on social engagement and reuse. FeatherstoneYoung’s Ty Pawb, a partial conversion of a car park into an arts centre in Wrexham, Wales, was named AJ Retrofit of the Year in 2019. Featherstone teaches at Central St Martins and the Welsh School of Architecture. As a member of the six-strong VeloCity team, she is currently leading the work on Blenheim Estate.
About Jennifer Ross
Jennifer Ross was a founding director of Tibbalds Planning & Urban Design in 1991 and stepped down as a director in 2017 after completing the practice’s conversion to an Employee Ownership Trust. She now works as an independent planning consultant for Tibbalds and others. Among her key projects are the development framework for Elephant and Castle, Canada Water, White Collar Factory and numerous award-winning estate regeneration projects in Hackney and Camden. Ross is a founder of pedElle, an annual charity cycle ride for women in property that involves a unique team effort and creates lasting friendships.
Show notes: Projects and resources mentioned in this episode
Source:VeloCity
Study of potential village clusters across Oxfordshire
Source:VeloCity
Study of typical daily journeys
RIBA research funding: Modern Day Picturesque
Ty Pawb (2018)
Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015
Credits
Climate Champions is produced in association with ACAN, the Architects’ Climate Action Network
Podcast produced and edited by Concept Culture
Music: Edmilson do Pífano, Forró de dois Amigos. Interpretation: Felipe Tanaka e banda Balaio de Baião