Urban Eden

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Urban Eden is a

pressure group based in Milton Keynes, England, formed in 2006. The group states that its aim is to "promote a sustainable expansion to the original masterplan for Milton Keynes".[1] In recent years the expansion of Milton Keynes has moved away from the original design principles of the city; Urban Eden campaigns against this trend, pressuring for new developments to remain true to the original vision for the new city. As of 2009[needs update] the group says that it has over one hundred members, including a number of professional engineers and town planners, as well as some former employees of the Milton Keynes Development Corporation.[citation needed
]

Campaigns

According to their main website, Urban Eden's main campaign focuses can be broadly summarised to the following:

The first two of these points are expanded below.

The grid system

One of Urban Eden's primary goals is the continued expansion of the

dual carriageways
, situated on average 1 km apart. The original grid roads were designed to take extraneous traffic between neighborhoods rather than through them. The current[
Milton Keynes Partnership describe as 'city streets', which form the spine roads of the new districts. The group argues that these city streets do not provide sufficient room for future expansion, restrict pedestrian, cycle and car movement and are dangerous.[citation needed] They argue that the grid system, with its lack of frontage development and its regular pedestrian/cycle underpasses, provides a much safer pedestrian/cycle environment and allows all modes of transport to move more freely.[citation needed] On the other hand, Milton Keynes Partnership argue that the grid system may not be the most sustainable transport system for the expansion areas, and creates a barrier effect between residential areas.[citation needed
]

Building density

Further information: Expansion plans for Milton Keynes
The hub:MK complex, one of the new high-rise developments in Central Milton Keynes. Urban Eden has objected to this development specifically, due to its direct frontage onto nearby roads.

Milton Keynes, from its conception in 1967, has always been a low-density city.[

Homes and communities agency and the organisation in control of the expansion of Milton Keynes,[when?][needs update] argues that higher densities are necessary to deliver high-quality transport systems and meet housing targets.[2]
Urban Eden argues that the high-density districts have the potential to become "instant slums" and are out of place in a city which has always been built at a low density. High-density districts are now being built in many towns and cities across the country, and this debate is not limited to Milton Keynes.

Urban Eden in local media

The group's activities have attracted much attention from the local media,

Oakgrove
, was changed to protect a stretch of grid road that was proposed to be downgraded, although it is unclear as to whether or not this was a result of Urban Eden's campaigning.

References

  1. ^ Urban Eden's main website
  2. ^ Milton Keynes Partnership's Growth Strategy for 2031.
  3. ^ A list of newspaper and magazine articles published by or referring to the group.
  4. Daily Telegraph
    describing the group.
  5. ^ City revamp is 'madness': 'One of the original designers of Central Milton Keynes has branded latest plans for a revamp "madness" and urged the "vandals" behind them to quit the city'.] Milton Keynes Citizen, 30 May 2006
  6. ^ Article from the MK NEWS local newspaper referring to the CAGOT (Citizens Advisory Group on Transport) survey undertaken in 2008 which supported the GRID roads in Milton Keynes.

External links

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