The first Scottish new town was East Kilbride, begun 1947. Glenrothes, Cumbernauld, Livingston, Irvine followed. Stonehouse was the last to be begun, but was abandoned quickly as policymakers' attention turned to Glasgow's regeneration rather than further decentralisation to the new towns (3/..) - ThreadSky

alistairfair.bsky.social • 30 days ago

The first Scottish new town was East Kilbride, begun 1947. Glenrothes, Cumbernauld, Livingston, Irvine followed. Stonehouse was the last to be begun, but was abandoned quickly as policymakers' attention turned to Glasgow's regeneration rather than further decentralisation to the new towns (3/..)

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alistairfair.bsky.social•30 days ago

Each new town was overseen by a public-sector development corporation, which took responsibility for planning and, in the early years, also built/managed much of the housing. Residents typically chose to move: aspirational people building better lives for themselves and their families (4/..)

alistairfair.bsky.social•30 days ago

Our book, available to buy in print but freely available from next week as an e-book, looks at plans & buildings, & considers what life was like in the new towns. We explore themes including the home, the family, work and community, and so the book addresses themes in current social history (5/..)

michgreig.bsky.social•30 days ago

I am really looking forward to this. That first picture is giving off Gregory's Girl vibes.

alistairfair.bsky.social•30 days ago

thanks - yes, it is Cumbernauld. We really wanted a picture on the cover with people in it, rather than just an 'architectural' shot. Children's experiences of the new towns form an important theme - we discuss schools, leisure, home life and the transition into the workplace.

alistairfair.bsky.social•29 days ago

The book explores plans: East Kilbride's dispersed neighbourhoods, Cumbernauld's concentration, Livingston's flexible grid, Irvine's emphasis on mobility, & Stonehouse's pragmatism. They show changing ideas about the form of a modern town/city, how to deal with cars and planning for leisure (6/)

alistairfair.bsky.social•29 days ago

We think about how landscaping created a new kind of urban environment around the home (whether green/park or hard/urban), while local and town centres represented new kinds of urban space with e.g. pedestrianisation and community facilities (7/)

alistairfair.bsky.social•29 days ago

As for 'architecture', we're interested in radicalism (such as the megastructural Cumbernauld and Irvine town centres, or prefabricated housing), but we also emphasise 'mainstream modernism' - overlooked by critics but no less 'new' for residents, and offering a new image of Scotland (8/)

alistairfair.bsky.social•29 days ago

The Scottish Office believed that modern housing and workplaces in an attractive setting were essential to stop the population drain, and to attract international investment put off by stereotypes of grimness. For residents, new town houses offered welcome space, light, privacy, gardens (9/)

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