The emergence of planning to promote health

In parallel to the development of the public health acts, a series of experimental model housing projects were carried out by private individuals who sought to improve the living conditions for the working classes, with a view to also improving health and wellbeing.

Examples of these include:

New Lanark

The first of these is usually recognised as New Lanark in Lanarkshire, which was founded in the late eighteenth century by David Dale and Richard Arkwright (1). This experimental community is most commonly associated with Robert Owen. Owen’s philosophy was founded on the belief that people were largely a product of their environment and that their behaviour would only improve as the surroundings improved.

In addition to introducing workplace reforms, Owen aimed to improve the health and living conditions of his workers at the New Lanark Cotton Mill through, for example, providing children with an education, providing access to the village doctor, inspecting households for cleanliness (which were onsite at the Mill) and providing residents with allotments to grow their own fruit and vegetables. Owen even wrote about the need to cultivate happiness in children, which was a forward-thinking concept at the time.

Saltaire

Another experimental housing project was Saltaire village in West Yorkshire, founded by Sir Titus Salt in the mid-nineteenth century (2). Saltaire was a purpose-built village consisting of a textile mill, public buildings and workers housing, and is the largest of the industrial model villages of that time.

The village is orderly with neat rows of terraced houses, each with clean water, sanitation and a gas supply. In the village design, there is a range of public buildings and social welfare facilities, including shops, a hospital, school, library, church, and a large park adjacent to the village.

Figure 1: A map of Saltaire from the 1870s, showing the layout of the village and rows of workers houses

Bournville

By the twentieth century, George Cadbury had planned and built the Bournville village estate for workers of the Cadbury chocolate factory, and other local people (3). This model housing project was markedly different to the earlier examples, with improved quality of housing for working class residents. For example, the houses had more modern interiors, large private gardens providing space to grow fruit and vegetables and there was plenty of open green space for sport and outdoor leisure such as swimming and walking.

Figure 2: Housing at Bournville c1900

Model housing projects, health and food

In addition to improving the standard of housing for workers and residents, model housing projects were also thought to improve general health, wellbeing, and access to healthy food. The New Lanark settlement had kitchen gardens near to the accommodation blocks, in Saltaire village allotments were provided and in Bournville village, homes had private gardens that were large enough to grow fruit and vegetables. The emphasis on access to healthier foods was therefore firmly embedded in early planning thinking.