Case Studies

In the parts of continental Europe visited for this book, legislation concerning development of land is much more restrictive than in the UK. Land is either government owned, and handed to developers in much smaller parcels with stringent energy targets, or, as in Vorarlberg, Austria, it is privately owned, with ‘design experts’ approving quality and craftsmanship of the designs proposed for it. With the exception of Sieben Linden, the schemes showcased in Parts 2 and 3 have succeeded in producing superb housing in the UK against all the odds – but it needn’t be that difficult. It could be a lot easier to produce good-quality housing and places in this country, and there is much to learn from the rest of Europe, as the schemes on the following pages show.