Thriving communities, affordable homes

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2 Julian Hart Design and Standards Manager HCA London February 2010

3 Defining Sustainable Development for an investment and regeneration organisation

4 The Agency New Agency December 2008 Biggest development and regeneration agency in Europe 9 English regions Nearly 1,000 staff Annual budget of over 5bn 50,000 new homes per year English Partnerships and ATLAS Housing Corporation New Towns (MK) Academy for Sustainable Communities DCLG Programmes (eg Decent Homes)

5 English Partnerships Own land Private development partners Design - highly aspirational / questionnable delivery Housing Corporation World s most efficient spending machine Housing associations seek funding for development Design - taken out of equation to maximise efficiency HCA London 70 investment staff 4 design staff 1.5bn / 10,000+ homes / 800 projects funded per year 3

6 Statutory Objectives The Homes and Communities Agency was created by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 to: Improve the supply and quality of housing in England; Secure the regeneration or development of land or infrastructure in England; Support in other ways the creation, regeneration or development of communities in England or their continued well-being; and Contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and good design in England, with a view to meeting the needs of people living in England. balancing the tension between delivered outputs and quality outcomes?

7 Our vision To create opportunity: For people to live in homes they can afford in places they want to live For local authorities and communities to deliver the ambition they have for their own areas A national agency that works locally

8 Process Single Conversation Outcomes Creating homes & communities Achieving local ambitions Great design, great places

9 Design and Sustainability Strategy Definition of Quality of Place Design Standards Process

10 Classic interpretation of Sustainability Triple Bottom Line Planning gain?

11 Planning Gain Profit Environmental Mitigation Social Compensation

12 Day-to-day life in the office Quantity - drive to meet output targets Quality - aspiration to achieve quality places an inherent tension Quantity is easy to define But what do we mean by Quality?

13 Quality is all about the future What will it be like to live in? Does it promote good health amongst inhabitants? How much will it cost to run? How much energy will be consumed? Does it promote good interactions between people? How durable is the construction - how much maintenance will be required, how frequently will parts need replacing? How long will the whole development last? How complicated is it to maintain? Total long-term cost

14 Quantity = today Quality = tomorrow

15 Quantity = today where do the targets come from? Quality = tomorrow who is fighting those targets?

16 Quantity = national and regional Quality = local local economy local society local environment

17 Could sustainable development be better understood as a dynamic tension between quantity and quality? Where Quantity Quality Drive for growth Need to maintain health Large scale economic drive Locally relevant / specific Shorter term horizon Long term horizon Delivers more immediate needs for population Ensures future needs of the population are addressed Little concern for future implications Total focus on future implications Business Community