John Harris insists that housing is top of the Labour agenda for change (Labour, beware: Britain’s housing crisis is driving voters towards populism, 23 September). Labour promises to build 300,000 homes per year for the next five years. Targets are necessary, but quantities are not enough. Labour needs to build neighbourhoods. There is no precise specification for a neighbourhood, so it will need to address the difficult task of drawing one up. Housing needs to be clustered into highly organised densities, because every house dweller needs to be within walking distance of amenities. We can ask of any new housing scheme: does it increase social isolation and dependence on the car, or does it foster community life?
Harris notes that the commercial market is not able to build neighbourhoods, which is why there is so much poor housing. The government is considering lifting planning restrictions to promote construction, but it will not lead to better housing. Unless new housing is inventively integrated with public spaces that host the daily life of its inhabitants – including supermarkets, hardware stores, bookstores and cafes, and public amenities including parks, doctor surgeries, libraries and bus stops, within walkable distances, none of which are possible in the homebuilder business model – a massive housing programme runs the risk of creating social discontent in the future. This will require public investment.
