Draft:Create Streets

Create Streets is a UK-based social enterprise and multidisciplinary consultancy specialising in urban design, planning, and regeneration. Established in 2012 by Nicholas Boys Smith, the organisation advocates for the creation of beautiful, sustainable places characterised by "gentle density" – a development approach that emphasises human-scale, mixed-use neighbourhoods over high-rise, car-dependent sprawl. It also supports the separate Create Streets Foundation.

Mission and Philosophy

Create Streets aims to promote urban environments that prioritise well-being, social cohesion, and economic vitality. The organisation emphasises evidence-based design, popular support, beauty and community engagement, ensuring that developments meet local needs and broader sustainability goals. By focusing on traditional urban forms and vernacular architecture, Create Streets aims to foster places that can win popular support and endure. The organisation also plays an active role in the debate about planning and design in the UK and beyond.

Research and Publications

Create Streets conducts research to inform its design principles and to influence policy. The organisation has published reports on topics such as the relationship between urban form and well-being, the benefits of traditional urbanism, and strategies for increasing housing supply without compromising quality. These publications aim to provide evidence-based recommendations for creating urban environments that promote health, sustainability, and community engagement.

Activities

Create Streets offers a range of services aimed at enhancing urban environments: writing design codes, designing masterplans, providing advice on regeneration and placemaking and built environment strategies, conducting street assessments and using its mapping platform to understand what places people like and why.

The organisation works with local authorities, developers, and communities to create new urban spaces or improve existing ones to be more attractive, popular and sustainable. They mainly work in the UK but have also been involved with projects in North Africa, Western Europe, Ukraine and the Middle East.

Educational Initiatives

In addition to its research and consultancy work, Create Streets is involved in educational initiatives to promote better urban design practices. The Create Streets Foundation runs short courses in central London and an annual Summer School, which provides practical training in designing beautiful, sustainable places.

Influence and Criticism

Since its inception, Create Streets has gained recognition for its contributions to urban design and planning. The organisation's work has influenced national and local planning policies, advocating for a shift towards development that emphasises quality, community, and sustainability. Through its research, publications, and collaborations, Create Streets has become a leading voice in the movement towards more human-centered urban environments.

Create Streets has received widespread attention within architectural, planning, and policy circles in the United Kingdom. Its advocacy for gentle density and traditional urbanism has been regularly cited in the national press, including The Guardian, The Times, and the BBC.

Create Streets provided advice on new towns and transport planning to the Labour Party when in opposition. Its founder, Nicholas Boys Smith, was appointed Chair of the Office for Place, a government body tasked with improving design quality in the built environment.

Create Streets has significantly influenced national discussions on urban planning and active travel. The organisation’s research has been cited in government white papers, policy guidance and planning reform debates. Its influence is visible in initiatives like design codes for new housing developments. In March 2024, The Guardian reported on a study by Create Streets, which urged the UK government to enhance walking and cycling infrastructure to boost prosperity and health. Urban design experts and community groups have welcomed Create Streets’ emphasis on walkable neighbourhoods and its critique of car-centric planning.

Some critics argue that Create Streets' emphasis on traditional architectural forms can veer into nostalgic pastiche and risks overlooking the role of contemporary design innovation. Others question whether its recommendations are scalable or affordable in all contexts, particularly in inner-city areas with high land values.

See Also

• Nicholas Boys Smith
• New Urbanism
• New Classical architecture