Edited by Paul Hackett.
Published 2009 (ISBN 1 905370 51 2) Price £9.95
This unique publication follows on from work that the Smith Institute has undertaken on housing and place making. Suburbia has grown enormously and changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Today, more than 80%of the population of England live in suburban areas. Public policy has often overlooked these trends. While suburbs are clearly popular places to live, some have suffered neglect and many have weak labour markets, poor infrastructure, and below-average green credentials. It is from this starting point that the essays in this collection set out ways to make suburban areas more sustainable and much better places to live and work. As Peter Hall says in his introduction, “This is a challenge to politicians of all persuasions in the run-up to the next election.”