![Redpoll Way and Redstart Way in Abbeymead, Gloucester](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Redpoll_Way_and_Redstart_Way_in_Abbeymead%2C_Gloucester.JPG)
Radburn design housing (also called Radburn housing, Radburn design'', ''Radburn principle, or Radburn concept) is a concept for planned
housing estate
A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country.
Popular throughout the United States a ...
s, based on a design that was originally used in
Radburn,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
History
![Radburn Cellular Street Pattern](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Radburn_Cellular_Street_Pattern.jpg)
The design is typified by the
backyard
A backyard, or back yard (known in the United Kingdom as a back garden or just garden), is a yard at the back of a house, common in suburban developments in the Western world.
In Australia, until the mid-20th century, the back yard of a pro ...
s of homes facing the street and the fronts of homes facing one another, over common yards.
It is an offshoot of American designs from the English '
garden city' movement and culminated in the design of the partly-built 1929 Radburn estate.
In the US, the Radburn idea reached its ultimate expression in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, with the design and construction of Clarence Stein and Robert Alexander's Baldwin Hills Village, now known as 'The Village Green'. It opened as apartments for lease to the public on December 7, 1941. Between 1973 and 1978, it was transformed into an HOA community of 629 unit-owners. It has been designated a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
.
It is often referred to as an urban design experiment that is typified by failure because of its laneways being used as common entries and exits to the houses, helping to isolate communities and to encourage crime. There have been efforts to 'de-Radburn' or demolish some Radburn designed public housing areas in Australia.
When interviewed in 1998, the architect responsible for introducing the design to public housing in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Philip Cox, was reported to have admitted with regard to a Radburn-designed estate in the suburb of
Villawood: "Everything that could go wrong in a society went wrong.... It became the centre of drugs, it became the centre of violence and, eventually, the police refused to go into it. It was hell."
Research and influence
The impact of Radburn's urban form on energy consumption for short, local trips was considered in a 1970 study by John Lansing of the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. The study found Radburn's design to have important implications for energy conservation: 47% of its residents shopped for groceries on foot, compared to 23% for
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia and a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Reston's population was 63,226.
Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City movem ...
(another Radburn-type development but more car-oriented) and only 8% for a nearby, unplanned community.
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
was influenced by Radburn and the works of Howard in his planning for
Disneyland
Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
,
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
, more specifically, his original vision of the
Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (concept)
The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT, or E.P.C.O.T., is an unfinished concept for a planned community, intended to sit on a massive swath of undeveloped land near Orlando, Florida, that was developed by Walt Disney in co ...
(EPCOT). Disney incorporated the pedestrian pathway concept into his own future city planning: "Children going to and from schools and playgrounds will use these paths, always completely safe and separated from the automobile."
Other Radburn innovations that Disney would look to incorporate into his plans for EPCOT were cul-de-sacs, collector streets and common open spaces within superblocks.
Worldwide examples
Canada
In Canada, the Radburn concept was used in the late 1940s and early 1950s, most notably in Halifax and Winnipeg.
Westmount Subdivision
Westmount Subdivision is a neighbourhood in Halifax Regional Municipality.
History
In 1931 the Halifax Municipal Airport was built on the site of the future neighbourhood. Pan American Airways operated at the airport, running a route between Hal ...
in Halifax features a Radburn neighbourhood on the site of the original Halifax Municipal airport. In
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
, there are seven distinct Radburn subdivisions:
*
Wildwood Park in Fort Garry, consisting of ten bays
*Norwood Flats in St. Boniface, consisting of four bays
*Gaboury Place, an individual bay in St. Boniface
*Raymond Place, a single bay in St. Boniface
*Rillwillow Place, two bays in South St. Vital
*Millwood Meadow in Transcona
*Blairmore Gardens in Transcona
Today, as in Westmount in Halifax and Wildwood Park in Winnipeg, Radburn designs are considered to be desirable middle to upper-middle income neighbourhoods to reside in.
Clarence Stein incorporated Radburn design principles into the plan of Alcan company town
Kitimat, British Columbia
Kitimat is a district municipality in the North Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine regional government. The Kitimat Valley is part of the most populous urban distr ...
in the 1950s, and the developers of
Varsity Village and
Braeside Braeside, meaning ''hillside'' in the Scots language, may refer to:
* Braeside, Aberdeen, Scotland
* Braeside, Greenock, Scotland
* Braeside, Victoria, Australia
* Braeside, Ontario, Canada
* Braeside Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona
* Breaside, Chic ...
, subdivisions in
Calgary, Alberta
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...
also used the Radburn model in the late 1960s.
Australia
In Australia, the first example of the Radburn model was used for a housing estate for workers at the Commonwealth Munitions works in
St. Marys, Sydney, from 1942, the architect being
Walter Bunning
Walter Ralston Bunning (19 May 1912 – 13 October 1977) was a prominent Australian architect and urban planner.
Early life
Bunning was born in Brisbane. During the depression he moved to Sydney to study at East Sydney Technical College grad ...
. The model was also used in the planning of some
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
suburbs developed in the 1960s, in particular
Charnwood,
Curtin and
Garran, and a small part of
Hughes
Hughes may refer to:
People
* Hughes (surname)
* Hughes (given name)
Places Antarctica
* Hughes Range (Antarctica), Ross Dependency
* Mount Hughes, Oates Land
* Hughes Basin, Oates Land
* Hughes Bay, Graham Land
* Hughes Bluff, Victoria La ...
. In 2014, with plans for demolition of houses under the
Mr Fluffy
Mr Fluffy relates to widespread asbestos contamination of houses in the suburbs of Canberra, Australia, Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Two companies were referred to collectively as "Mr Fluffy", a nickname coined in the 1990s for Asbes ...
asbestos
Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...
home demolition scheme being developed, it was realised that a significant number of the houses treated with loose asbestos, and thus affected, were in the Radburn areas.
In Western Australia it was used in the 1970s in the southern suburb of
Thornlie in what is known as the
Crestwood Estate
Thornlie is a large residential suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, located south-east of the city's central business district. It is a part of the City of Gosnells local government area. The Canning River runs through the ...
. Today the estate is considered to be a highly successful implementation of the Radburn principles. It also inspired the design of
South Hedland which clustered four residential neighbourhoods around a commercial core. The design was quickly considered a failure by residents and government authorities and abandoned in 1974. Other examples include
Withers Housing Estate, in South Bunbury and
Karawara.
It was also used in the
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
suburb of
Doncaster East
Doncaster East is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham local government area. Doncaster East recorded a population of 30,926 at the 2021 ...
in an area known as the
Milgate Park Estate
The Milgate Park Estate is a housing estate in Doncaster East, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The estate comprises 40 hectares of land situated around a section of Long Valley, a gully bed that no longer carries surface water, which flows nort ...
. In the mid 1960s the Fountain Gate Housing Estate in
Narre Warren
Narre Warren is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 38 km southeast of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Casey local government area. Narre Warren recorded a population of 27,689 at the 2021 census. ...
was designed with Radburn design principles. The design was also applied in the 1970s in
Minto
Minto may refer to:
Places Antarctica
*Mount Minto (Antarctica)
Australia
*Minto, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Minto railway station
* Minto County, Western Australia
* Parish of Minto, New South Wales
Canada
* Minto City, British C ...
, an outer suburb of
Sydney, Australia
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...
where it was one of a number of factors leading to serious social problems on the estate.
In New South Wales the then Housing Commission used the Radburn concept in numerous new estates built in the mid to late 1960s and early 1970s. Many of the medium density dwellings are being 'turned around' by lowering the road side 'rear' fence and fencing off the 'front yards that share a communal space.
The lane ways have long been a problem giving local youth a place to hide and evade motorized police patrols while launching raids into homes virtually unobserved. One benefit of this plan not often mentioned is that it allows for narrower streets in the cul-de-sacs that serve the backs of the houses. This means lower costs as less bitumen, piping and cabling is needed to service the homes. In major Radburn areas such as Mt Druitt in Sydney the current Housing NSW are selling off many of their properties as they pass their economical maintenance life and begin to cost more than they are worth. Other properties, particularly the blocks of flats often housing the less affluent and educated are being demolished and new medium density developments built in their place. These are being given to the aged and (specifically migrant) families rather than the former residents, many of whom were on parole or being reintroduced to the general community after treatment for various psychiatric disorders.
Planning for new towns built for the iron ore industry in Australia in the late 1960s was also heavily influenced by Radburn principles. They included South Hedland, Dampier, Shay Gap (now demolished) and Karratha.
United Kingdom
![The Meadows, Manifold Gardens Bridgeway Underpass 0007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/The_Meadows%2C_Manifold_Gardens_Bridgeway_Underpass_0007.JPG)
The
Orchard Park Estate
Orchard Park Estate is an area or housing estate situated on the north-western side of Kingston upon Hull, England.
Geography
The Orchard Park Estate is on the northern eastern fringe of the western part Kingston upon Hull adjacent to the cit ...
,
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...
, UK was built beginning 1963 to the Radburn design, with several other council estates in the city following that pattern - most notably Bransholme.
At
Skelmersdale
Skelmersdale is a town in Lancashire, England, on the River Tawd, west of Wigan, northeast of Liverpool and southwest of Preston. In 2006, it had a population of 38,813. The town is known locally as Skem .
While the first record of the tow ...
, UK the Radburn design layout was explicitly blamed by residents for problems of antisocial behaviour; specifically that unobserved rear parking gave areas prone to crime. In
The Meadows, Nottingham
The Meadows or Meadows is an area of Nottingham, England, south of city centre, close to the River Trent and connected to West Bridgford in the Borough of Rushcliffe by Trent Bridge and the Wilford Suspension Bridge. Victoria Embankment runs ...
the model also led to anti-social behaviour problems :
Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. It consists of 55 councillors, representing a total of 20 wards, elected every four years. The council is led by David Mellen, of ...
has stated that "the problems associated with the layout of the New Meadows Radburn style layout... contribute to the anti-social behaviour and crime in the area." However, councillors in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
have suggested the reputation is unfair, instead blaming negative press coverage and unfavourable views towards incomers from London following slum clearances.
In the new town of
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London, which is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500.
Developed after the Second World War as a ne ...
the
Grove Hill neighbourhood, one of the seven planned neighbourhoods, was partly designed using the Radburn model. The Stanshawe Estate (at one time the largest private estate in Europe), in the south-west of
Yate
Yate is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It lies just to the southwest of the Cotswold Hills and is northeast of Bristol city centre and from the centre of Bath, with regular rail services to Bristol and Gloucester. ...
,
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...
in England was developed using the Radburn model. Parts of
Abbeydale in
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
surrounding the Heron Way spine road have been built using the Radburn design. Elsewhere in England the model was employed in an extension to
Letchworth Garden City
Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first garden city. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 33,249.
Letchworth ...
and in the New Town of
Bracknell
Bracknell () is a large town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Built-up Area, Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the Bracknell Forest, Borough of Bracknell Forest. It l ...
, particularly in the neighbourhoods of
Great Hollands
Great Hollands is a suburb of Bracknell in Berkshire, England. It takes its name from a medieval field-name of Easthampstead parish, which it was previously in. Building of the estate began around 1967 as the town continued to expand.
The est ...
,
Wildridings
Wildridings is a suburb of Bracknell, in Berkshire, England.
The settlement lies between the A322 and A3095 roads, is approximately south-west of Bracknell town centre and is in the Wildridings and Central local council ward. Wildridings w ...
and
Hanworth
Hanworth is a district of West London, England. Historically in Middlesex, it has been part of the London Borough of Hounslow since 1965. Hanworth adjoins Feltham to the northwest, Twickenham to the northeast and Hampton to the southeast, with ...
.
Much of the early new town of
Livingston
Livingston may refer to:
Businesses
* Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010)
* Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline
* Livingston International, a North American custom ...
in
West Lothian
West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...
was built to a Radburn design plan.
In
Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawl ...
the Wilmington Way Estate was designed on Radburn principles, which "resulted in an absence of properly overlooked streets and encouraged crime and anti-social behaviour". The estate was demolished and rebuilt in a different layout between 2010 and 2013 (the original layout then being considered "poor and outdated" and the buildings life-expired).
The
Lakes Estate in what is now
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...
(but preceded it) was designed and built by the
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...
as part of its
London overspill
London overspill communities are the communities created as a result of the government policy of moving residents out of Greater London into other areas in the South East of England between the 1930s and the 1970s. These largely consisted of coun ...
developments around
Bletchley
Bletchley is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated in the south-west of Milton Keynes, and is split between the civil parishes of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford and West Bletchley.
Bletchley is best known ...
. "Less than fifty years after completion the Lakes Estate ranked in the top 10 most deprived areas in England for crime, income and health deprivation according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD 2015). The urban principles of the Radburn System have contributed to a place that lacks prosperity, pride, or opportunities for healthy and happy lifestyles."
[ (The image shown is an architect's visualization of the proposed redevelopment scheme.)]
References
{{Reflist
Public housing
Modernist architecture
Planned residential developments
Public housing in Australia
Public housing in the United Kingdom
Public housing in the United States
Modernist architecture in Australia
Modernist architecture in the United Kingdom
Modernist architecture in the United States