Place and Culture in British New Towns: Archive research and critical discourse analysis of official representations of New Towns

The British New Towns were a state led policy that transformed the landscapes and lives of people in Britain in the late 20th century. In North West England, for example, four New Towns were constructed: Skelmersdale, Runcorn, Warrington and Central Lancashire (Preston-Chorley-Leyland), places largely constructed on open land in areas with little or no history of urban development. They were, however, close to established cities, offering a chance for families to escape the declining inner city and start a new life. As such the New Towns embodied a belief in planning, embraced new modern architectural styles, and reflected what John Gold (2007, 12) has called a “remarkable flowering of hope and opportunity”. Despite this optimism, such planned communities remain subject to a dominant trope they were a failed project, places lacking authenticity, a strong sense of belonging or a rich and meaningful culture, or put simply “crap towns” (Jordison and Kieran 2003). Some authors, however, such as Ruth Finnegan (1989, 1998), provide an alternative narrative which reveals a much richer understanding of life in New Towns, which suggests residents engaged in novel and experimental forms of place making to overcome the challenge of making a new life in a new place. In addition, it is timely to revisit existing New Towns to evaluate community experiences of place and culture in order to contextualise and examine current political rhetoric and popular imaginaries. This project, therefore, will document and review everyday cultural practices in the context of British New Towns. In exploring this aim the following questions will be investigated:
◾How was place and culture conceived in the planning and construction of New Towns?
◾What everyday cultural practices emerged within these communities and what impact did they have?
◾What values and meanings do residents attach to everyday cultural practices?
◾How do everyday cultural practices contribute to (or at other times hinder) community spirit, social cohesion, conviviality and belonging?
◾What challenges around community and belonging persist (socio-spatial distancing, othering, distinctions)?
◾What lessons can be learnt from the examination of British New Towns that might inform contemporary cultural policies?



The project will focus on New Towns in the North West of England (Runcorn, Skelmersdale, Warrington, Central Lancashire). This focus makes the project viable in terms of fieldwork and data collection, though will also widen the existing knowledge base, which has largely positioned North West New Towns as peripheral in overarching narratives of New Town development.
The project will be divided into two main phases:
1: Archive research and critical discourse analysis of official representations of New Towns. This will draw on substantive archive holdings relating to the workings of New Town Development Corporations, as well as records held in local studies libraries, promotional materials in the North West Film Archive, and published plans and architectural drawings.
2: Lived experiences of New Towns. Including interviews/oral histories, walk-alongs and the gathering of photographic and other artefacts relating to case study sites.

As part of the project the following training will be provided:
◾Faculty doctoral training programme
◾Access to relevant taught courses at final year undergraduate and masters level
◾Support in grant applications
◾Effective networking skills
◾Conference preparation and attendance
◾Guidance in writing for and submitting to academic journals