BRE and partners Duany, Plater-Zyberk, Turnberry Consulting and the University of Hertfordshire are the proud recipients of a Charter Award from the US-based Congress for New Urbanism. The award relates to their work on the development of a masterplan for growth in Hertfordshire in line with Government targets for the East of England region.
Judged by leading urbanists, the awards represent the world's best urban planning projects. The unique Hertfordshire project highlighted six potential scenarios for growth in the county which were rated against a range of sustainability criteria and against the opinion of local community inhabitants. The key issues that had to be addressed were the standard of existing housing and the need for further homes.
Central to the project was the hosting of a two week long ‘charette' to which all stakeholders and Hertfordshire residents were invited. Participants were encouraged to voice their visions and opinions on the county's future development - working directly with designers and planners to formulate a blueprint for growth in the county.
James Fisher who leads BRE's Sustainable Communities team said: "We are delighted to receive this award. This was a fantastic project to work on and it produced a highly sustainable blueprint for the development of the county which all stakeholders and the local residents have bought into."
