“In new towns everything is possible”
What do cities like Vantaa, Milton Keynes and Almere have in common? Indeed, they are all European cities that are reasonably well-known today. However, not because of their medieval architecture, picturesque streets or cultural heritage. No, in these cities, all built in the 60s and 70s, one mainly finds modern high-rises and architecture. They are so-called ‘new towns’, characterised by the fact that they are completely planned. They are cities that have been developed on the basis of a master plan, shaped by all kinds of ambitious ideas about what the ideal city should look like. This does not automatically mean that all these cities become successful. They often suffer from a bad image. Especially in Europe where, in contrast to for example Asia, people still have a certain aversion against ‘modern’ cities. Because of their inconsistencies new towns are interesting research objects. The International New Town Institute (INTI) was set up to explore new towns in all their diversity. Michelle Provoost, director of the institute, is deeply fascinated by new towns: “In new towns everything is possible. They are very dynamic!”
The new town
New towns aren’t suburbs becoming independent. They also aren’t
villages or settlements growing into cities. New towns are cities
that were planned as an independent whole. They all originate from
a certain political or policy development, after which they are
drawn up by an architect or planner. We might not directly notice
it, but according to Michelle Provoost there are quite many new
towns in Europe. How come we often do not recognise or notice them
as such? “Well, often you just don’t go there,” Provoost says. “You
for example have a lot of new towns near Paris. But when you to
Paris as a tourist, you usually go to the centre of the city, and
not to Cergy-Pontoise,” one of the ‘villes nouvelles’ built around
the Parisian banlieues. In London the situation is similar,
Provoost explains. “Since 1946 a whole circle of new towns has
beenbuilt there, such as Stevenage, Harlow and Milton Keynes.”
Nowadays almost no new towns are built anymore. Only a few in England, but with around 10.000 inhabitants, these can barely be called cities. However, in Asia, in particular in countries such as India, China and Korea, new towns are booming. According to Provoost this is an interesting development. These new towns in Asia might be able to learn some useful lessons from their European predecessors. The new towns in Europe are almost all in need of renovation. Because they were built in the 50s and 60s they now display signs of decay. “It is very important to think about how to regenerate these cities again,” Provoost thinks. “While trying to answer this question, it is important not to forget about the ‘nature’ of new towns.” New towns have all arisen from highly optimistic projects, based on new ideals and notions of how people should live together. In the eyes of Provoost, this innovative character is one of the most positive elements of new towns. “New towns are often characterised by a certain pioneer mentality and a lack of traditions, which is why a lot more things are possible there than in other cities. Almere’s slogan for example is ‘It’s possible in Almere.’ I am not saying that is true, but it does give an idea of rhe aura of new towns, especially in the beginning. The tragedy is of course that many of these beautiful ideas often are not realised.”
New towns are a failure. Or not?
New towns are designed at once, on a very large scale. And that
often goes wrong. According to Provoost this is because in the time
that is needed to build a new city, plans are always revised. “A
city is never ‘executed’ the way it was planned,” Provoost says. A
recession or a political coup may come in between. “I do not know
any examples of fully planned cities that were executed according
to plan. Often there is a gap between the plans and the real city
that is born outof these plans.” Provoost thinks this is mainly due
to the fact that planners often ignore local culture and the daily
needs of people. She gives the example of new towns in Africa and
Asia. These are usually built according to very perfect Western and
modernist models. In practice however, it often turns out that the
plans did not consider accommodating for example a local market or
a mosque. “Frequently, plans for new towns are not flexible enough
to incorporate all these elements. Then you immediately have a
problem, and local culture takes over,” Provoost states. You could
also see the fact that local culture takes the initiative to change
the city as a positive development though. “When the local
population of a city takes over from the creator, new layers are
built on top of the original new town, so that it can slowly evolve
into a normal town.”
In time, all new towns become normal cities. For that to happen, one needs patience. “You see that many new towns from the 50s still have not become normal cities. But with others, for example medieval towns, you can no longer see they once were new towns as well. Then you would have to do historical research.” According to Provoost it takes between one and a few centuries before a new city becomes ‘normal’. Today however, people often conclude that the new towns from the 50s are a failure and should be demolished, in order to be able to start anew. Provoost nonetheless believes another approach could be taken. “You have to give cities time to develop and make sure that several new layers are added to the city. Then it will automatically become a place that fits better with the life in the city.”
In time, new towns will surely be able to compete with old(er) cities, Provoost believes. The idea that historical cities are more beautiful, better and therefore more successful is very European, Provoost thinks. “In China it is not like that at all. I remember a case when a group of Chinese people were guided around the Bijlmer area in Amsterdam. They were told that this was a real problem area where a lot of buildings would be torn down. The Chinese then said: yes, we also see that you have a problem here. That’s because the density is far too low here.” These kinds of views depend very much on culture Provoost reasons. That’s why you cannot say that people simply do not like new neighbourhoods and buildings.
New towns in search for their own
strength
New towns often face the same problems. To remain independent
cities need facilities, and generally these are not available
directly from the beginning. Education is very important for
example. Provoost explains that Milton Keynes recently took a very
ambitious step by setting up its own university. But new towns can
also take smaller initiatives. In Almere for example, it was
decidedto start a research and knowledge institute for new towns:
the International NewTown Institute (INTI). With the support of the
City of Almere and the Province of Flevoland, and in cooperation
with several international partners, this institute will mainly
focus on research and education in the field of new towns. It thus
fulfils a different role than INTA (International Urban Development
Association, which in the past mainly focused on new towns) and
ENTP (European New Towns Platform), both organisation in which
cities are the most important stakeholders. The ambition is to let
INTI evolve into the most important meeting place for people around
the world dealing with new towns.
The fact that people all around the world are actually dealing
with new towns is illustrated by Provoost’s favourite new town:
‘Tema’, in Ghana. This harbour town was built in 1962. According to
Provoost it accurately reflects the historical and geopolitical
developments of that time: the Cold War, the battle between the
United States and Russia for allies, African independence and
modernisation. “A year and a half ago I was in Tema. When I saw all
those terraced houses there I though ‘oh, that is just like in the
English new towns. ’But then you see a palm tree in the backyard
and someone grinding manioc in thefront yard. That contrast between
the ideal new town and the real local culture, that is something
that has really grabbed my attention.”
© EUKN, Simone Pekelsma