Yes, an Anglo-modern village set in the midst of red brick suburbs does look a little odd. Or it did — for Poundbury is now expanding, roaring into the second of three phases and tripling its size. The new phase is being developed in Georgian classical styles, with wider streets leading up from the crazy lanes of the village core, and it is beginning to gain the same sort of organic harmony of an ancient market town. The main highway that splits the Poundbury project is being returned to its former function as a fine old Roman road. A new neighborhood center has already opened on the Roman road, with an amazing statue of buxom young mermaids splashing about in a fountain. A goodish sized factory is integrated into the fabric, its Georgian front facing the residences and its loading docks facing outward, away from the project. This, along with the neighborhood centers, illustrates one of the Prince's main breaks with Howard: an insistence on a rich mix of uses, instead of stiffly segregated zones.

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Despite Dorchester's remoteness and slow population growth, Poundbury's large second phase is building out quickly. The developers say that you will not be able to judge its success until the third phase is complete — and they are keeping details of that under wraps for now.

However it turns out, it's clear that the planning ideas in Poundbury are a serious challenge to the blandly impersonal modernist developments that all too perfectly capture the spirit of a machine-dominated age.

Somewhere Between Tenand Fifteen Principles
In 1989 Prince Charles published his famous Ten Principles for planning the built environment. Since then, his Foundation for the Built Environment has dropped two and added five, for a current total of Thirteen Principles.

Eight Principles From the 1989 List:

• The Place: Designs should recognize the things that make a locale unique; blandly anonymous development is bad.
• Hierarchy: A building's physical presence should reflect both its function and its importance.
• Scale: Buildings should relate to the scale of the people who use it; a building and its spaces should not overwhelm or alienate.
• Harmony: A building should be individual, yet should act as part of its surroundings.
• Enclosure: Public and private spaces should be clearly delineated, as should urban and rural spaces.
• Materials: Designs should incorporate indigenous materials that blend with the landscape and improve with age.
• Decoration: Designs should incorporate deco­ration from artists and fine crafters.
• Community: The existing community should be involved in all stages of design.

Five Principles Since Added:

• Public Space: A building's public areas, including signage, lighting and street furniture, should be as carefully designed as the rest of the project.
• Permeability: Blocks of buildings should be easily penetrated, allowing free movement of people and goods.
• Longevity: Buildings should be constructed in such a way as to be long-lived, including adaptability to new uses after original uses have ceased.
• Value: The design of the building should increase its value as an economic asset.
• Craftsmanship: A building should exhibit good craftsmanship in its construction.

Two Concepts Dropped From the Original List:

• Art: Public spaces should display original art that is relevant to the community.
• Signs and Lights: These should be an integral part of the design.

This article was written by Jim Hargan and originally appeared in the May 2007 issue of British Heritage. For more great articles, subscribe to British Heritage magazine today!

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