We Can Build A City: Our Report is Live
Co-founder of Forest City and former investigative journalist at The Guardian.
Co-founder of Forest City and co-founder of the Looking For Growth campaign.
Today the Forest City project hits a major milestone; the launch of our report: ‘We Can Build a City’.
You can download it here.
The 295-page document is the labour of over 40 area experts, all working pro bono to help get this City built. It’s a journey that kicked off a few weeks after we launched in late October, so to see it finally complete is an amazing feat of dedication. Thank you to every single person who has gotten stuck in over the last five months. And if you want to help, join our WhatsApp group where you’ll find assets to help spread the word on social media about the report launch.
We can also confirm that MHCLG officials have received the report and are considering its findings. So what does it say?
Eagle-eyed followers will have already noticed a preview in the Telegraph, setting out how 12,000 acres of woodland will not only become a home for beavers, storks, voles and bison but also that when finally fully planted, Forest City would house England’s largest single land-based nature reserve. That would be an amazing legacy. This is why the founder of the Eden Project, Sir Tim Smit, has come on board to support us.
Here’s what else we believe this city can deliver for Britain:
- Growth on a huge scale — some £53bn in GVA created because we unlock 8,000 acres of new commercial space (e.g. labs, offices and manufacturing).
- A community where every four-bed home will smash affordability criteria, and we’re aiming for even greater price reductions to bring us into line with our stated ambitions.
- A new large reservoir to drive forward nature, society, and the economy in tandem.
- Up to £16bn in new transport connections; a car-light vision for the City itself that cements efficient mobility within its bounds and connects the East of England region via road and rail.
We also believe that this offers the government a unique alternative to the current plans for the expansion of Cambridge.
In short it’s a game plan not just for building a city, but a new way of living in the 21st century that repairs the social contract, unlocks tens of billions in growth, and also replenishes the natural environment.
At the front of the report you’ll find that Forest City has also attracted support from reams of people, from tech, construction, economics and politics. Last week we announced that the former head of the IFS, Paul Johnson had joined our advisory board. Paul has been working behind the scenes since late last year and, along with our other board members, has been an incredible asset.
Finally, keep your eyes peeled. It won’t be long before we send out a link so that you can be the first to register your interest for a home in Forest City.
From Shiv & Joe
Press in the last few days:
- Eden Project Founder Backs Plan for New City
- Shiv talks to former Cambridge City council leader Lewis Herbert
- LFG podcast speaks to Joe and Shiv about Forest City
“The UK desperately needs new housing, new ideas, and catalysts for growth. Forest City is a bold attempt to bring those together in an area of huge economic potential.”
— Paul Johnson, former head of the IFS (ACDC advisory board)
“It is in the National Interest that we put our faith in people and organisations that believe that the future remains ours to make. All across the country people are listless in the face of inertia. Forest City provides a creative spark, an imaginative leap and a roadmap for a beautiful future with a new way to live. How much better to aim for something that a century from now will have people thankful we were here at this moment, than held transfixed in aspic by an imagined glorious past. We are about to enter a new era where the old ways will be left behind. Embrace the new, with a gentle nod to the past and we will reignite the flame of creativity that once singled us out and can, yet again.”
— Sir Tim Smit, Founder of the Eden Project