A new report suggests that returning to "well-designed high density living, in rural as well as urban areas" could help to solve the UK's housing problems.
The study from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) concludes that high-density housing could "build sustainable communities and secure environmental objectives".
According to the CPRE, returning to well designed high-density living can help to encourage community interaction, drive creativity and make public transport, local services and environmental initiatives more viable.
The report, The Proximity Principle: why we are living too far apart, posits that proximity can help to create a successful economy, while current UK housing policy is causing settlements to spread out more widely, with plans for ten new eco-towns potentially worsening the drift.
Becky Willis, author of this report, commented: "Despite the advantages of proximity, Gordon Brown's housing policy is causing greater dispersal, by promoting new 'eco-towns' outside existing settlements and refusing to provide incentives for development within existing towns and villages. This report suggests that housing policy should focus on supporting existing communities."
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW) has warned that it is vital that the country focuses on the development of sustainable rural communities and has raised concerns about affordability and industrialisation.
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