Key principles about Sustainable New Towns

In the view of approving a charter

I. INTRODUCTION

According to the United Nations, today more than 50% of the world population lives in
urban areas. This urban phenomenon affects countries all over the world but it impacts
particularly on developing countries which have been experiencing a dramatic urban
growth rate for the last 20 years. In order to respond to such a rapid urban demand in
terms of infrastructures, services and management, most of those countries have chosen
the option to build new towns. However, this choice has significant consequences in
terms of urban planning or institutional and financial management. National and local
leaders must keep in mind those consequences to avoid repeating the mistakes made
during the construction of the European New Towns almost 50 years ago (in terms of
architecture, urban planning and integration of environmental protection principles) and
to avert worsening future problems related for instance to the adaptation to climate
change and to various environmental challenges.

The main objective to adopt principles in 2010 in the view of having a charter in 2011, is
thus to highlight the key elements that should be taken into account by local leaders and
town planners when they decide whether or not they will launch the creation of a new
town. This charter aims at promoting the core principles of sustainable urban
development in the frame of the construction of new towns, from the planning phase to
the management phase of the building process. It is first and foremost designed as a tool
box providing with key elements that must be implemented by each signatory new town
to ensure the development of sustainable urban practices in the future.

The main targets of this document are all the persons involved in the new town’s urban
fabric, in other words local leaders and institutions in charge of the building decision;
local architects and teams involved in the building process; civil servants and
representatives of the future new town; and finally the inhabitants of the new town, the
final users of the new town

We participants of the 2010 ENTP general Assembly in Agios Stefanos, decision, elected
representatives and technicians working in New Towns recognize the value of European
declarations:

- The Aalborg Charter of European Cities and Towns Towards Sustainability;

- The Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in
decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters;

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 - The Leipzig Charter on Sustainable Cities
- The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and Agenda 21
- The Almere Declaration on New Towns
- The UN-Habitat State of the World’s Cities 2010/2011 – Cities for All: Bridging
the Urban Divide

We also would like to refer in this document to the definition of the World Commission
on Environment and Development, the so-called “Brundtland Commission”, when it
comes to “sustainable development”: “Sustainable development is development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs”.

The 16 key principles of this document are all inter-related and one element cannot be
implemented without thinking about the others. They are all rooted in concrete elements
and examples. They cover the major areas of sustainable urban development: transport
and integration of the new town within the regional and national territory; flexibility and
adaptability to new contexts and changes; necessity to provide enough services and
facilities.

II. We New Towns representatives and people working in

and with New Towns propose the following principles
for the creation of Sustainable New Towns
II. 1) Locate future New Towns as a strategic places well deserved in public
transport
Past New Towns’ experience has showed that a good public transportation system linking
the new town to its metropolis is a key element for the new town to attract new
inhabitants, businesses and investments. New Towns well connected to capital cities have
managed to stay attractive while keeping their own identity and characteristics. On the
other hand, other cities not as well-connected built upon wrong growth prospects or in
competition with other new towns, did not get the same success.

II. 2) Insert the New Towns within its Metropolis area and region
Existing New Towns’ experience has also demonstrated the necessity to integrate the
New Town within its Metropolis, and main region or province geographical area of
influence. This integrated approach of urban development and management imposes from
the beginning to think about core elements such as the transport system but also about the
economic role of the new towns within the Metropolis area. This approach enables to
create synergies between the new town and its Metropolis and provides also with the
tools to deal with foreseeable public spending cuts.

II. 3) Promote multi functional and holistic approach

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The first European New Towns and the Eastern European New Towns, built to host a
unique kind of economic activity, embedded the principles from the Athens declaration,
to separate functions within the towns. Nowadays, learning from a not so successful
model, we see the necessity to promote a cross-cutting and holistic approach of urban
development, taking into account only housing needs, or separate economical needs, but
we see New Towns as places for living gathering all cities functions. .

II. 4) Use flexible planning so as to integrate the changes in terms of

lifestyles
Adaptation is a permanent necessity for urban panning. Human lifestyles, needs and
expectations may change very quickly in terms of transports, consumption habits,
housing needs or quality of life requirements. In our societies increasingly influenced by
the use of information and communication technologies, urban planners must consider
uncertainty as a new fundamental element of urban planning and integrate those core
changes as a key element of their way to imagine the future new town.

II. 5) Think about all services and facilities

A new town is not only made of walls, houses and roads. Contrarily to a “dormitory
town”, the core idea of a new town is to become a place to live, with a community feeling
shared by its inhabitants, enabling them to feel responsible and engaged towards a
specific community. This is why it is important to provide public services but also
shopping, sport and cultural facilities in order to attract people to the new town and to
foster social cohesion.

II. 6) Promote environmental construction and renewable energy

In a context of global warming, it is necessary to integrate measures to fight against
climate change in every aspect of the new town’s building and management process. It is
thus fundamental to take into account new ways of thinking and new tools to limit our
impacts on the environment. From the ecological footprint scheme for new buildings to
the product’s life cycle assessment, we need to review every aspect of our everyday life.
We also need to pay attention to energy efficiency in transports and existing buildings in
order to limit energy poverty due to the increasing energy prices.

II. 7) Avoid peri urbanization: densify housing if relevant

Western European New Towns were originally built to avoid the development of peri-
urbanized areas and endless suburban areas around big metropolises. This challenge is
still present today within new towns. Instead of building new accommodations on
farmable lands or on forests, far from the town centre and without any connection with
the public transport system, it is often worth examining the possibility to renovate
existing buildings while making them denser. Density is now a major element of
sustainable urban planning.

II. 8) Promote the New Town’s transnational/national/regional roles

In several European countries, new towns have alleviated the congestion of main
metropolises and fulfil a function of housing and provision in services. Some of them are

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still part of the national designated “areas for growth”. There are various ways to promote
and emphasize the new towns’ national and regional functions. Indeed, for instance,
when new targets are set for New Towns at the national and regional levels, this should
go along with positive press campaigns and declarations However, financial support
needs to accompany these measures to enable New Towns to fulfil the requested targets.
These means should not only concentrate on housing, but also on the provision of public
services and regeneration of ageing facilities.

II. 9) Assess local needs, assets and challenges but tackle most urgent needs
New Towns are facing common challenges that require rapid actions: ageing
infrastructures and housing stock, social exclusion and deprivation, or improvement of
their image. Furthermore, current discussions about sustainability and environment have
led to new constraints in terms of energy efficient buildings or clean transport systems.
Based on an accurate assessment of their situation, New Towns should be able to:
- Prioritize actions depending on the most urgent needs;
- Play a pro-active and pioneer role in new constraints to enable positive impact in
terms of image;
- Mobilize specific attention and financial support from the public sector but also from
the private sector.

II. 10) Define a long-term and sustainable development vision and reinvent
your city
The success of a development project mostly relies on its coherence and relevance
regarding a more global ambition. New Towns should therefore provide a comprehensive
driving vision guiding their future development.
It should be ensured that:
- Clear objectives and implementation strategies are defined, while remaining flexible
enough to adapt to changes in needs and demands;
- Crucial questions regarding identity are answered: should the New Town be like any
other city or keep its specificity? Should it exist as a distinct entity or be integrated into
a wider urban network?
- Main stakeholders contributing to the development of the town (i.e. politicians,
investors, businesses, citizens) might share the vision. Thus, everyone will be able to
understand it and to contribute to its materialization.

II. 11) Involve all stakeholders and civil society including in planning
Citizen participation and the involvement of all relevant local stakeholders in the decision
taking process, especially in the fields or urban planning and urban development, are
increasingly considered as a key element to implement sustainability principles. In the
particular context of New Towns, improving citizen participation would help fostering
social cohesion and community feeling. Moreover, citizens are the final users of the New
Town and it is crucial to enable them to participate in the decision-taking process
concerning their New Town. Local democracy is a major part of sustainability.

II. 12) Curb the dependence on a fragile economy

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New Towns have created jobs by attracting businesses and creating business parks.
However, in a globalized world, this newly-founded economy is fragile: large businesses
delocalize easily, economic cycles deeply affect local territories.
Therefore, New Towns need to:
- Invest in SMEs to provide a solid economic development framework
- Conciliate excellence fields and diversification of their economies
- Improve the labour skills of population to better adapt to labour market’s needs

II. 13) Match public services to local needs

The provision of public services is still a challenge for New Towns. When the population
has doubled or tripled, basic services had to adapt really quickly to face new demands. As
a consequence, they are often not as well provisioned as in large cities.
The further development of New Towns will depend on:
- A better provision of services and amenities (e.g. number of equipments, location,
overall quality), especially as regards New Towns experiencing strong growth
- The maintenance and adaptation of those services to current and forthcoming needs
(e.g. ageing population)
- The rational increase in “soft investments” likely to improve New Towns’ image (e.g.
culture and leisure).

II. 14) Adapt the housing offer

As the whole housing stock was created at the same period, housing units are
simultaneously ageing, which calls for rapid action, in a context of climate change
New Towns need to:
- Renew their social housing stock and public buildings, but also work with private
owners (especially co-properties) to refurbish the housing stock
- Build new housing estates in a more flexible process depending on the real adapted
figures; indeed, targets are often too high
- Solve recurrent problems such as those of empty flats bought only for investments or
low quality buildings
- Adapt to changes according to their local situation: while some New Towns still have
disposable land to expand and cater for more people, others should work on
densification of the existing urban tissue

II. 15) Mainstream sustainable development principles in all your actions

Sustainable development is essentially a call to develop a global and comprehensive
vision of our ways of thinking and planning the New Town. This concept is at the
crossroads of the social, environmental and economic dimensions and it embodies the
necessity to think about the global consequences of our actions. Sustainable development
is part of the holistic approach we are calling for in the third principle of the charter. For
instance, thermic renovation of existing buildings is a way to fight against global
warming, to use less energy, to create new employments but it is also a tool to have a
warmer home and to save money. Municipalities can use several instruments to
mainstream sustainable development principles:
- Implement a local Agenda 21
- Assess the ecological footprint of its activities

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 - Organize awareness campaigns and activities

II. 16) Strengthen the image and attractiveness of the newly created
community
Enhancing the image and identity is another crucial challenge for New Towns, not only
to attract further inhabitants, but also to benefit from a better economic position.
Some of them have successfully managed to do so through:
- Cultural investments echoed at national level and often co-financed by national,
regional and public funds
- The presence of well-known universities and research clusters - The organization of
sport and cultural initiatives likely to promote social cohesion and a healthier way of
life