England’s Garden Cities (an interesting history)
England has two official garden cities, but there used to be more, and we can learn a lot on how to take inspiration, from its rich history. Inspired by town planner Ebenezer Howard, they were designed to take people out of crowded 19th century cities into urban communities with fresh air and greenery.
In the late 1800s, English cities boomed with factories but suffered from noise, smoke, and crowded slums. The countryside, by contrast, offered peace but little work. People packed into grey, squalid neighbourhoods, longing for something better.
If planning garden cities, know trees to avoid near horses (including yew, oak and sycamore), livestock and other animals. Use no-dig gardening to protect wildlife and learn about pet-friendly gardens.
Howard dreamed of places where city and nature worked together. His garden city plan called for:
- Clean air and green parks
- Local jobs close to new homes
- Affordable, well-built houses
- A shared sense of community
- Self-sufficiency, with each city supporting itself
He pictured self-contained towns ringed by green belts, not endless rows of buildings. These towns could offer fresh air, safety, and friendship, without losing the life of a busy city.
What sparked the garden city movement?
In many late Victorian cities, families lived packed into small rooms. Soot settled on window sills by breakfast. Wash hung out to dry came back speckled. Children played near dustcarts and green space was nowhere to be seen.
Landlords made more money by squeezing more rent from less space, and a combination of bad drains and shared toilets made many communities ill.
A garden city is far more than street trees, though these are good too. They include:
- Walkable layouts and shops within neighbourhoods
- Public parks and green spaces
- Mixed-use communities so no transport is needed
The main garden cities in England
Letchworth (Hertfordshire) was founded in 1903, the first garden city due to good train links with London. It blended homes with schools and shops, and tree-lined wide streets, along with shared parks and allotments.
Welwyn Garden City (also in Hertfordshire) was built 8 miles away, in 1920. It again had public gardens and became a showcase for good town planning. Roads connected by leafy walkways.
Hampstead Garden Suburb (London) was founded by social reformer Henrietta Barnett, after she and her husband bought a weekend home in this affluent area of north-west London.
They set up trusts to buy 243 acres of land from Eton College, and the area eventually grew to over 800 acres of garden city space.
Garden cities around the world
Town planners from every corner borrowed from Howard’s model for worldwide garden cities.
Suresnes (France). This small town near Paris sits on a hill, across from the River Seine (you can see the Eiffel Tower). The streets are lined with trees, and people can walk in local parks and flower gardens. There are also local allotments, for people to grow organic food.
Den-En-Chōfu (Japan). This town in a Tokyo neighbourhood is a peaceful and calm place to live, with wide streets and tree-lined footpaths. The houses all have gardens, and parks have tall trees and flowers.
Greenbelt (Maryland, USA). This small city was built in the 1930s, and again has many trees and parks, and homes that sit on curved streets. Residents can reach schools, parks and shops without a car.
Radburn (New Jersey, USA). A safe and friendly place to live with quiet houses, footpaths and green parks, the walkways’ enable people to walk from their homes to the park or school, without ever meeting cars. All homes face parks, not streets.
Tuindorp Vreewijk (Netherlands). One of the first Dutch garden cities, this mixes rows of brick houses, with shared courtyards and green gardens. Built around 100 years ago, each house has its own little garden, and the wide streets are all lined with trees.
Tuindorp Oostzaan (Amsterdam). This again has tree-lined streets, and sits just across the water from the city centre. The small houses are close together, but have their own gardens.
