East Hemel 100 Year Vision

CONTEXT

Set among a region of renowned ‘New Towns’ in the heart of England, the area surrounding East Hemel has a history of embracing change, and forward-looking, new ways of living. This ‘new town mindset’ makes for an ideal location to explore fresh ideas for community-building, urban regeneration and regenerative design.

East Hemel finds itself at a pivotal moment in time: What happens when a prime location, rich in natural resources, with an active community, and promising economic prospects align? But, with crisis compounding crises, our homescapes have an important role to play in facing these daily challenges.

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COMMISSION

The Crown Estate commissioned The Place Bureau to push the boundaries of what a ‘place vision’ could be. As a long-term landowner who has been around for centuries, we capitalised on that staying power, working with their teams to develop a 100 year vision – a bold and ambitious demonstration of their long term commitment to the place. We also translated this vision into actionable ‘innovation missions’; How do you build a house in a day? How might we make it easy for multiple generations to live under one roof?

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