Government tells us that there are not enough homes in England, and that we need to deliver more – up to 300,000 every year. It says that more housing needs to be built faster, in the right place, by a more diverse housing market. But is more better? Is faster better?

Research by the Foundation for Integrated Transport suggests that many new housing developments remain car based, and that this is resulting in less healthy and economically active lifestyles. In the rush to build more houses, are we at risk of exacerbating this problem?

We believe that the disruptive effects of technology and the sharing economy have created an opportunity to break away from the precautionary approach to planning which led to this position – and that by putting the quality of ‘Places First’, we will better understand how to plan and deliver more sustainable, healthy communities.

We are working with our clients and other stakeholders, including the Independent Transport Commission, the Commission for Travel Demand, and the Chartered Institute of Transport to re-imagine traditional means of planning and assessing development and infrastructure projects. Our Places First series of publications is intended to take this important area of research forward. Volume 1 was published in July 2018, and Volume 2 was published in March 2019.

We’d love to know what you think, so please get in touch if you would like to meet us to discuss Places First further or share your thoughts on Twitter using #PlacesFirst.