By Vivienne Russell | 24 January 2013
Tower blocks should be demolished and replaced with ‘real streets’ of terraced houses and low-rise flats, Policy Exchange has recommended.
In its Create streets report, published today, the centre-Right think-tank said high-rise blocks scar the landscape and encourage crime and social alienation. It cited several studies showing residents of high-rise blocks suffer more from stress and mental health problems, while children living in high rises are more likely to demonstrate behavioural problems such as hyperactivity and hostility.High-rise living is a particular problem in London, Policy Exchange said.
The vast majority of families with children living in tower blocks are social housing tenants. A total of 52,000 social renter households with children live on the third floor or above, of whom 40,000 were in London. And 20,000 social renter households with children live on the fifth floor or above, 16,000 of whom are in London.
The report estimated that an extra 260,000 new and better quality homes could be built in the capital over the next seven years by knocking down existing tower blocks.
Report author Nicholas Boys Smith said: ‘It’s time we ripped down the mistakes of the past and started building proper streets where people want to live. We must not repeat mistakes by building housing that makes people’s lives a misery.
‘Bulldozing the high-rise tower blocks and no-go zone estates and replacing them with terraced homes and low-rise flats is the best way to build both the number and the quality of homes that we need.’
Policy Exchange is calling on the London mayor to conduct a study to determine how many homes might be built by transforming high-rise estates into streets with terraced housing. Planning frameworks in London and more widely should also be amended to remove the focus on super high-density building and regulations should encourage the development of ‘attractive streetscapes’.
But the Royal Institute of British Architects challenged some of Policy Exchange’s claims about the effects of living in tower blocks, saying it would be ‘simplistic’ to suggest that all the social problems mentioned in the report arose from the design of high-rise homes.
‘Decisions on high-rise developments and their future should be made at a local level and include the existing population. We would not advocate the demolition of all existing high-rise residential buildings, especially in a time of housing need and where existing communities may be flourishing,’ a RIBA spokesman said.
‘Quality design is the most important aspect when it comes to homes of the future. Our research has shown that people want space, light and privacy. We believe there are more than just a few types of buildings that can achieve this.’
