Title
Distinctively Local
Year published
2019
Authors
Andrew Beharrell, Andrew Matthews, Stephen Proctor, Simon Toplis, Simon Bayliss, Ben Williamson
Design
Pollard Thomas Edwards
Editor
Denise Chevin
Foreword
Lord Matthew Taylor
Download
Website
In May last year, then Minister of Housing, Kit Malthouse, launched ‘Distinctively Local’, a new report about how to boost housing supply by creating beautiful and popular homes and places.
One year on, in a world which none of us anticipated, the report’s guidance seems even more relevant to life during and after the covid-19 lockdown.
Published by four architects specialising in the design of new homes and neighbourhoods - Pollard Thomas Edwards, HTA Design, Proctor & Matthews Architects, and PRP Architects – Distinctively Local demonstrates the virtues of places which respond to their context, with people-friendly streets and spaces as a setting for generous, modern houses, crafted to feel like home and offering choice and adaptability.
Distinctively Local unlocks the 'power of choice' for the benefit of communities and consumers. The pandemic has accelerated our move into digital engagement tools and our awareness of how readily social media can create ‘instant digital communities’. We have all seen new WhatsApp groups forming on our streets to share information, encourage volunteering and target support towards neighbours who need it. Meanwhile, digital democracy is being exercised by virtual planning committees.”
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Andrew Beharrell, Senior Partner, Pollard Thomas Edwards
