In 1961 Jane Jacobs, in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, criticised the way modern urban areas were being redeveloped with a car-first attitude, and destroying the historic neighbourhoods that made city living attractive.
Andrew Rowson, in his new book Better Neighbourhoods for All, revisits Jacobs’ ideas and applies them to the UK today to explore how new towns and districts should be planned if they are to be inclusive, sustainable communities.
As part of the book he looks at Fitzrovia and at some of the successes and failures of Camden and Westminster councils’ planning policies and decisions affecting the district.
Rowson lived in halls of residence on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Maple Street as a post-graduate student in the 1970s and has been fascinated by the neighbourhood ever since.
In a 30-page chapter he looks at the development of the area and reflects on the changes that have occurred to its built environment since his student days and assesses some of those changes when measured against what Jacobs would consider a liveable neighbourhood, such as New York’s Greenwich Village.
Other chapters cover districts in Cambridge and Portsmouth, building density, street design and traffic management.
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