\noddly named urban village that’s going to be built from the ground up over the
\nnext 20 years in southern Wales. It’ll have an impressive 4,000 compact homes,
\nplus commercial space and 1,300 acres of parks and greenery. It’s also got a
\nhigh-profile engineer—the Prince of
\nWales<\/a>, whose Foundation for the Built Environment<\/a> is building it on a brownfield formerly occupied by a BP oil refinery.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The idea is to unite <\/p>\n Most of us will never <\/p>\n The Prince’s focus on <\/p>\n (Hat tip to Kaid Benfield<\/a> at <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n What the green movement needs from the next Supreme Court justice<\/a><\/p>\n Great Barrier Reef oil spill hits renowned nature sanctuary<\/a><\/p>\n Paris mayor wants to drive cars away from the Seine<\/a><\/p>\n
\nthe best of British village traditions with 21st century sustainability
\nprinciples. The BBC has a well-produced video with glitzy simulations of the completed
\nvillage and an interview with Prince Charles about his commitment to “a return
\nof human values to architecture.” Sadly, it’s not embeddable, but it’s available
\non Youtube<\/a>. <\/p>\n
\nlive in new towns built from the ground up. And they certainly have a spotty
\ntrack record (see the latest
\ntrouble<\/a> for Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City). But these sorts of projects—from the
\nsleepy, pastel-hued Seaside,
\nFlorida<\/a>, to the futuristic, $35 billion Songdo,
\nKorea<\/a>—can show us what’s possible, and they’re fun to think about. There’s something
\nuseful in the way these things appeal to people’s pioneer spirits, or at least
\ntheir inner SimCity nuts.<\/p>\n
\nthe built environment also complements the many-pronged
\nWelsh clean energy project<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nSwitchboard)<\/p>\n