The population of the UK is increasing and the need for new housing rising. Where and in what form should these dwellings be built? Sustainable urban development calls for more compact cities and increased urban densities. But in London and other cities recent development pressures have led to some disregard for housing standards, public health and environmental quality. Many have argued for an alternative and better planned approach to the problem based around the concept of garden cities and new towns. So what is the best way forward: increasing the density of existing cities or developing planned new towns? Or is there another alternative based upon the expansion of smaller existing towns? This book examines the history and achievements of town expansion in England, lessons that might be learned and the case for further planned expansion of smaller towns today, particularly in a world where Coronavirus may have become endemic.
