Built on land belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall, the streets and buildings within the village of Poundbury pay close attention to local building traditions. Designed by Leon Krier.
Here, well-overlooked streets and active fronts are enclosed by buildings designed in every detail to reflect local building traditions from eras before mass transport and volume housebuilding. This vernacular approach has been carefully considered and is well loved by residents, but its implication that the past offers more value than the present or future has alienated many designers and others, and accordingly the scheme is criticised more in architectural circles than it deserves to be. There is much more to glean here than mere architectural style, since the real values underpinning Poundbury lie behind its arcadian image, and require closer examination to reveal their well executed and highly effective nature.
This is a truly mixed use settlement, with currently (June 2002) around 750 people living and 600 working here. The bold but unusual step of dispersing affordable housing units among private properties is both unusual and successful, and the scheme has been widely praised and cited in government policy documents as a noteworthy example for others to follow.
