“This is the way to
create properly mixed communities, but it is the opposite of the current
government policy of selling off land, property and ‘local-authority assets’.
Instead, mirroring the civic achievements of the Victorians, it would rely on
ring-fencing land, property and housing for the public good. This could be done
by creating trusts in local areas, supported by a planning system which laid
out a blueprint for a certain amount of subsidized housing in every locality.
Genuinely mixed communities, with diverse populations and a more balanced local
economy, also mean more distinctive and exciting places, rather than the
sterile sameness of new places today, driven by the importance of rising
property values over and above any consideration” Ground Control by Anna
Minton (2009: p.126)
