Traditionally the city mixed up uses generating front doors that connected to make streets. Town planning following the Second World War separated out uses creating a monoculture in development and design - losing the critical qualities of the city, suburbia and countryside.
Mixed-use is the new paradigm for central government policy makers but issues of scale, transport, technology and user expectations have changed.
In order to combine housing with workplaces, public spaces, shopping malls, schools with healthcare we have to think carefully about issues of access, use and structure.
If we are clever we can make each element of the development contribute to the whole - sharing energy, parking, transport links or public spaces and generating 24-7 use.
