The dire state of the
UK’s transport infrastructure is contributing to the housing crisis, according
to a new report published by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Joining the Dots: a new approach to tackling the UK’s
infrastructure challenges, makes the case for addressing the UK’s
transport issues as part of the solution to the housing crisis.
Alongside the report,
RIBA commissioned ComRes to survey public opinion on transport infrastructure
and housing.
The RIBA report
concludes that the UK’s transport infrastructure problems go beyond a simple
lack of investment and are systemic. Opportunities to maximise the return of
investment in transport, for example by encouraging the delivery of high
quality new housing alongside transport to meet local needs, are missed because
there are no common guidelines or holistic view. Infrastructure is dealt with
by central Government and favours a flawed analytical system that fails to
respond to local circumstances.
ComRes/RIBA survey
results suggest there is a perceived lack of political power and resources in
the English regions due to this centralised decision-making process and that it
is fuelling local discontent. Residents in Yorkshire and the North West of England,
for example, are less than half as likely as residents in London to believe
their area receives a fair amount of transport funding (16% and 19%
respectively agree with this sentiment, compared to 41% in London).
The ComRes/RIBA
research showed that local and regional, not national politicians, are seen by
the public as best placed to tackle the major infrastructure and housing
challenges. 55% of people favour local and regional leaders - such as
local councils, MPs and Local Enterprise Partnerships - to “develop plans to
improve local transport networks” (compared to 18% who favoured national
authorities).
The RIBA report sets
out a new decision-making framework for local and central government, with a
number of recommendations for infrastructure investments. The framework aims
to:
- Ensure
that housing and employment are given greater importance in the
decision-making processes for transport infrastructure projects;
- Deepen
the devolution of power and resources over infrastructure and housing to
local and regional leaders;
- Raise
the bar for design by including design guidance in national and local
infrastructure policies.
RIBA President Ben
Derbyshire says: “This report should alert Government to the reality that
ploughing money into transport infrastructure in isolation is not enough.
"We are gripped
by an escalating housing crisis and we need a new approach that links
government’s disparate systems and processes together at a local and national
level.
"We want to see
simple but significant reforms to infrastructure decision making to maximise
the economic and social impacts of public spending and to ensure that new
transport infrastructure raises the bar for good design and long-lasting
quality. We encourage the Government to take heed of these common-sense
recommendations and eradicate the barriers to improving our infrastructure and
housing.”
