Poundbury: The Town King Charles III Built (ft.
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- čas přidán 27. 12. 2020
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Prince Charles (now King Charles III) is building his vision for the town of the future; it's called Poundbury and thousands of people are already living there.
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Honestly man, while I`m not British I share the king`s opinion on modern architecture. Architecture used to be local and based on the local traditions. Now no matter where you go accept maybe my home continent of Europe you just find a bunch of sterile dumb sky scrappers which are not even efficient. US cities are probably the worst not just because of sky scrappers but because of the pyramid scheme suburbs made for consumption and not humans. You shouldn`t have to own a car to be part of society.
good i have no tiktok and will never have. Sorry i watched this one because the algo, ya know.. awful trash arguments that tell you know nothing about europe, and even less from england.
I really like his idea of modern towns looking traditional. A lot prettier than big old concrete blocks.
There are alternatives to concrete blocks for more modern housing, but I do think the traditional look works for Poundbury.
It's a very popular idea in Britain, there is a deep respect for history and tradition in British society, and it's apparent in small towns like many in Cornwall, even in London
It'll look even better once the buildings have been weathered a bit
@@maotseovich1347 Just like aged wine.
@@thekraken1173 Also, time will show which of the new approaches and new combinations actually work and which don't. Only testing in place will really tell us what works.
I feel like a lot of the time architects and other academics are the only people that hate building in historical styles. While the average person enjoys them much more than any modernist neighbourhood.
From responses I've received to this video and my TikTok, I think it's clear that people obviously have varying opinions on architecture. Some find Georgian architecture dreadful, some find modern architecture dreadful. That's why I think it makes sense to have a variety of communities built in different styles and people can choose to live in the kind of place they find most appealing (assuming they have that privilege).
There are modernist buildings I would never want to live in and traditional buildings I would feel similarly about. 🤷♂️
I didn't know you speak for the "average person".
@@Stefan-jk5gx He does.
@@Stefan-jk5gx
You should consider going on holiday in greenland and spending the night outside during winter while naked.
@@FutureNow spoken like a true modernist
When it comes to architecture and city planning, I completely agree with Prince Charles.
Prince Charles has always been very much a thoughtful person when it comes to many social concerns. I’m not one who supports monarchies but Prince Charles and his sister Princess Anne are very admirable people who’ve been very dedicated to societal issues.
@@LlyleHunter yeah he’s just amazing 😉
This is really common in the USA where there isn't enough pre 20th century architecture already and they don't want everything a Le Cobusier
Most of his ideas are actually shared with the Japanese, in particular Tokyo.
@@bartandaelus359 not the traditional buildings part, but the walkability, def yes, in urban areas though. I need a car and everything is designed for cars in the rural parts of Kanto for example 🙁
Not sure if the walkability of our cities, is by design or a result of coincidence and the narrow flat lands that concentrate housing, especially outside Kanto. Our zoning regulation hasn't been very effective. Things are changing though.
A lot of social commentators in Britain have complained about the same things that Charles complains about, particularly the soulless brutalist buildings of the post war period which has had a huge negative impact on communities across Britain. I think he’s got a lot of flack over the years because of who he is, but actually his ideas on environmentalism and architecture are now actually widely appreciated in the UK.
TBH it looks a lot Soviet Urban Planning with a very English Aesthetic only no large blocks.
It's like it the Soviet Union just stuck with the Starlinlist Architecture and 1900-20s Russian Themes as the Soviet Union got modern.
removing all road markings was a step to far. You dont know whats road and whats somebodys driveway. Did my driving test there and it was a nightmare
@@somethingsomething9753 that's a positive. In a pedestrian-oriented place driving should be much more inconvenient and difficult: it keeps traffic slower and more cautious, and the pedestrians and social milieu safer.
@@somethingsomething9753 lots of new build estates are like this now, doesn’t seem much harder to drive in unless the roads are laid out badly
Well, to that I say: God save the King.
"looks like a cheap movie set of an old English town".
Just so you know back in the early 1700s to 1900s when people who are very much exposed to Neo-classical architecture never thought of their city as "a cheap stage design of an ancient Roman city". Even later as 1940's people still adhere to traditionalist designs with the use of modern materials.
Actually the ruling class, consisting of the top 1% of society was seeking for a style to represent the grandeur of their respective empires and riches, which they had acquired, just as much as they were seeking a historic legitimation of their wealth and power and thus found it only natural to connect their current empire to the roman empire, thus also called the "empire style". Historically the building projects of the ruling class were always political projects and messages, NOT something to live comfortably in. Just ask Meghan if life in general as a royal and the culture of the Royal Court is about "comfort" or about rules and politics. And building projects today are also political projects, especially when coming from public figures, just representing different messages.
@@orange25i I mean yeah but what the guy wrote was correct. Believe it or not the nobility wanted comfort but extravagant comfort. Also meghan is such a *COUGH* person that no-one cares what she thinks of this.
@@orange25iMy God. What are you on?
@@orange25i To be fair, I don't think the Duchess of Sussex is going to blame traditional British architecture for her desire to gtfo. It was a racist, philistine media environment that has poisoned the minds of most Britons (including a significant portion of the Royal Family) that drove her and Harry out.
@@orange25i You’re absolutely dead on with this summary - architecture projects are far more a tool of power and the seeking of legitimacy. Personally I feel the are where we (as a society) saw this act in a way counter to its usual deployment was the European post war building projects which at there core were aimed at more democratic values of expanding social welfare and more equitable living standards (many flaws with the means and incentives used in building these but that’s a different topic). What is fascinating though is how these buildings were loathed and vilified by the conservative governments that followed in the 80’s who actively defunded and ensured the wholesale destruction of the reputation/ideals that they represented. The term “sink estate” was one of common parlance but in reality it’s wholly unfair as a better term would be “suffocation estate” to reflect the very intentional systematic failure to maintain these buildings.
With the project undertaken in this video I feel it reflects something far more dangerous than just legitimising power but rather the whitewashing of a demonstratively terrible time to be anyone other than the ruling class. It’s celebrating the fictional platonic south of England village and skipping the inhumane suffering for the overwhelming majority of the population at that time. It falls deeply into the crypto-fascist ideals of the contemporary ‘Britannia Unchained’ which aims to bring back the days of exploitation and disenfranchisement of the populace for the benefit of the few… this project is troubling when viewed from a critical perspective.
At 8:12 when he says "the Prince's contradictory vision for the future", if you really think about it, it's actually not contradictory. He supports modern innovative ideas when it comes to *urban planning*, but supports traditionalist styles when it comes to *architecture*.. These are different areas that can coexist with no problem; a city can follow modern urban planning with architecturally traditional buildings, just as it can follow old-school planning with modern-looking buildings - I wouldn't call it "contradictory" as both of the Prince's preferences can very well live together :)
Fair enough! Mostly it irks me that he actively advocates against modernist architecture, rather than just applying his preference to his own projects.
@@FutureNow stop being irked. Most, and I mean MOST (study after study shows it) people would, if they had their choice and could afford it, live in traditional architecture. Go ahead and build your new cities, but build traditional-looking cities salted with other, even modern styles. Charles was ahead of the curve with organic when everyone thought it stupid: he's (BASICALLY) ahead of the curve here too.
@@FutureNow I live in a modernist hellhole. I was overjoyed when I went to Amsterdam and Passau and saw the beautiful buildings.
@@FutureNow I think it's worth mentioning that he was alive as an adult during the 1960s, when modernist architecture was all about brutalism and minimalism. Even though he is extremely rich and never has to worry about money, I don't think he has never heard of the very terrible public housing projects that used brutalist architecture in the 60s and 70s and the social problems that came from it, which included publicized riots, i.e. Broadwater Farm riot. Part of the blame was placed on the "modernist" design, so you can see why a lot of people nowadays don't like modernism.
@@FutureNow So you object to HRH having some taste? Get over yourself.
I believe the design of a building should reflect the culture and history of its location.
True, but shouldn’t the building designs evolve with the culture and history? How do you choose which particular time in history should be the inspiration?
@@FutureNow You have a very valid point. But most modern buildings are just vanity projects and monuments to corporations and greedy politicians, not people.
@@eggballo4490 I agree. There is a town in Philippines that is a UNESCO heritage site wherein you cannot build a edifice that does not adhere to the pre-existing ones.
@@eggballo4490 but if your argument is, that vanity projects are bad and modern buildings are bad because they are vanity projects, then please consider that most old are just vanity and monuments to ruling Kings and aristocrats or the church ad according to you must be bad also.
@@orange25i It's been a year since I've made that comment and my views on architecture and urban planning have changed. My ideal town would be centered around people, bikes, and transit. It would also be dense, affordable, and full of greenery. Architectural styles would be determined by locals preferences and not by wealthy elites. Houses and buildings would also be made from local materials and all the greenery would have plants and trees that are native to the area. The town would be full of mixed-use development, small apartments, and two-story houses within a 5 minute walk to a bus stop, train station, convince store, and other businesses.
It is so interesting to hear from an American who seems to have such a different view of the world than Europeans have. The pinnacle of this I would say is the moment he shows Amazon as a potential company to set up shop nearby, the largest and most monopolising company I know of. Honestly, rather than adapting to it I would hope that Poundbury would manage to boot Amazon out of the area and keep focussing on smaller businesses.
My thoughts exactly. Keep your Amazon away from Europe, Mister Mickey Mouse.
“Not even a stop sign”
I imagine it's hard to believe this is possible if you live in a society that makes it impossible for human-centric businesses to set up in the first place.
If there is a silver lining to the last 3 years is that it forced many traditional businesses to adapt to online trade. I haven't spent one cent on amazon since 2020. Businesses that optimize worker experience instead of logistics are competitive. They make for the majority of businesses I left amazon for.
Video turned out great! Thanks for having me!
Thanks, Dave! It was awesome chatting with you about all this.
Didn’t know you were a professor. Learn something new every day.
@@gregorarmstrong2478 I didn't know Veritasium had a name.
Something that doesn't get mentioned a lot in discussions of Poundbury is that when you compare houseprices they attract a 30% premium over comparable new build developments in the area and that premium has stuck around on the second hand market. People want to live there and are prepared to pay more so that they can.
I do have some criticism though because I grew up half in the Netherlands and half in the UK, CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE!!!! MINI PLAYGROUNDS!!!!
Parents are vastly less stressed when their kids cycle to and from school and can cycle to activities or friends houses to play so you have a much better family life and a much better childhood.
Modernism is absolutely hideous. The new buildings are rather beautiful. I would much rather have them than a depressing “honest” building.
Like all visual things it is entirely subjective. I live in a small harbourside town on the south coast, which has seen some unremarkable old houses knocked down and some very expensive new builds go up. it is an AONB yet the houses which blend in best seem to be the very modern ones, perhaps because the architect was aware of the surroundings and sought to both blend in and enahnce the view out rather than just sticking up some pastiche of something else and thinking "that'll do".
@@rupertmiller4718 Beauty is objective and something people are biologically hardwired for which contributes to overall mental health and wellbeing. Why would you reiterate such a harmful lie?
@@rupertmiller4718 I think that’s the main problem with lots of architecture. Not that it’s modern or traditional, but that it’s totally out of place. Architects that only want to make something grand to boost their own name, instead of making something genuinely nice that fits the area. We have a lot of that in Norway, and Oslo in particular.
@@bmp456 beauty is objective? like we can scientifically test what is more beautiful than something else? and if it's biologically hardwired into people then doesn't that mean that people will find something beautiful regardless of their cultural context?
Modernism (especially brutalism) is as honest as boiled potato. Sure, it gets jobs done but having it every day I would be begging for some spice with it, even if it just salt.
It always frustrates me when people on the certain part of the political spectrum tell a very good critique of city planning and city politics but then they say "the commie blocks are actually good".
I really wish that people realize that you can build affordable and future-proof housing without putting people in a large concrete boxes made of hundreds of uninspired 1 bedroom apartments. Style like this is good for army barracks, not places where people live out their entire life.
Poundbury looks nice. Good job.
Not gonna lie, making this video really made me want to live in the UK.
@@FutureNow Like most countries, there are more beutiful places than others as well as in cities and towns, unfortunately the far majority of towns and cities have small historic(ish) centres but the rest is ugly post war estates with a superstore or industrial centre next to it, they often tend to be heartless and poorly planned, and thats why im in such support for places like Poundbury. It sets the precedent that new developments and redevelopments can be like places such as Poundbury or Nansledean.
The GREATEST town project ever.
Modernism has ruined every city it has touched.
Also, it sucks that you only used guardian stuff... they hate the monarchy and any sort of traditionalism..
@Wagner Rocha well said on both points!
It wasn't modernism that ruined cities, car dependency did. It's not about the look of the buildings but where they are in relation of eachother and the street that matters.
@@Snitram19 the look absolutely matters as well as their relationships with the surrounding buildings
@@Snitram19 look of the buildings create an aura, so it is a very important part of it
@@Snitram19 That's Poundbury's biggest failure. The buildings look nice but it's still built with modern attitudes towards cars. Look how all the squares are just big car parks.
9:05 Keep in mind even many Victorian era ornamentation was mass produced. This was widely available by late 1800s in England
One hopes 3D printing technology will see an end to stripped back detail-less blandness
@@04nbod Agreed.
No ceiling rose in any of the three 1800s houses my parents owned at various points was made on-site by a sculptor.
Yes. Ordered from pattern books. My great grandfather was a builder and some of the books still existed in granddad's house. Which was suitably ornamented with things ordered from them. 😀
I remember a few years ago a report about a tourist toppling a 1700s statue at a local museum. The poor guy ran and got caught by the police. The museum was chill, nonetheless. The real artifact was the mold. They just used it to make another statue and billed the tourist for the 50 bucks it cost.
I think that even though it doesnt look quite the same as original things, its probably partly because older things are more weathered so in time it will only look even nicer tbh. but its such a nice looking town considering how new it is
For sure. It's very odd to see "old" buildings that are actually brand new.
give it 40 years to gain some grime and Kingstown will look like a proper georgian town. I love the idea and the execution doesnt loom half bad.
@@Oberkommando It's not that lovely. Weathering will only improve the buildings, not the awful looking streets that are 90% tarmac and parking spaces. Public space was an afterthought on this project.
The weathering makes England look like shit. Poundsberry looks GOOD. It looks CLEAN AND FRESH. It doesn’t look moldy and dilapidated like most of England
@@Oberkommando Just like many in Ireland then
9:29
I'd rather live in a fake Georgian town that in a real Dubai city, thank you very much
Yea exactly lol, or nearly any American suburb.
@@Harry._.Thompson Have you seen what the majority of new build UK suburbs/estates look like these days? Street upon street of almost identical soulless little white harling or orange brick boxes. We've got no reason to lord it over others.
I live in a development built by the same builders and with the same design ethos as that to be found in Poundbury. Its traditional look is far better than pretty well all of the other new developments we have springing up in the UK whilst the build quality is also very high. My house is also very well insulated and, therefore, environmentally friendly. I do understand why so many professionals have reservations but, as a place to live, it's very quiet and reassuring.
I think it’s charming, timeless, human scale, user friendly, regional, and will age well with its inhabitants
Masonry buildings have been constructed around internal steel frames for more than 150 years, and have incorporated timber framing for millennia. Is this somehow more dishonest than the Classical architecture of antiquity, whose architects borrowed their styles from earlier wooden building traditions? Architects and builders of every age have always made use of the latest technologies available, when suitable, without abandoning the use of local materials, practices and forms. The dome of the Pantheon is made of concrete!
There are examples of modern architecture that can honestly be called sublime - which can elevate the human spirit and imagination. But everyone knows that most are cold and unfriendly, dehumanizing, uniform, prosaic and pedestrian - built to be disposable, or else to serve as self-obsessed displays of corporate power and prestige.
Modern architecture was made possible (and perhaps inevitable) through the use of modern energy sources (fossil fuels), the consumption of which enabled the development of modern materials and processes. How much longer will these be sustainable? Will they soon become so expensive that only the extravagantly wealthy or the heavily indebted can afford to build with them? This kind of disparity further stratifies our society, undemocratically placing more power and control in the hands of a few. Is such a neo-feudal condition any better than an old, aristocratic Imperialism?
It's our very spirit that rejects enslavement to this modernist tyranny. We crave an outer world that reflects our inner human dignity, and now more apparent than ever is our basic need for a true, economical vernacular, adaptable to (and expressive of) local geography, climate, culture and resources, and also to changing uses - an architecture of its place, regardless of its time. Would Poundbury have been better with some modern buildings included? I don't know. But people who live and work there do so by choice, and they absolutely love the place, and say that it has made their lives happier and healthier.
I know right, that criticism is so baseless. So many gorgeous landmark buildings like the US capitol, the Flatiron building, the Woolworth building, Tribune Tower, Penn station, the Singer building, and many many more were all built with steel framing and stone/brick vaneers. Thew same goes with his critique of the ornaments being mass produced instead of hand crafted. Ornamentation was heavily mass produced using cast iron, plaster, or terra cotta in the early 20th century.
It's not disingenuous in any way and has been done time and time again with great success.
Have you ever been to Poundbury? I have and, even though I dislike a lot of modern architecture, Poundbury feels utterly soulless especially compared to nearby Dorchester which has genuinely traditional architecture. Poundbury isn't a city, and is actually far more modernist than the majority of the other towns and villages in Dorset. Just look at a picture of Abbotsbury for example.
@@cerdic6305 I have been to Poundbury, and it does feel a bit soulless, but as the urban planner said - give it a few decades.
@@cerdic6305 It doesn't have wear and tear yet.
I'd only argue that framing modernist architecture as "pedestrian" is contrary to the point that much of modernist architecture is often so inhuman that calling it "pedestrian" seems like a bit of a malapropism.
Cold, inhumane, machine, industrial, binary, strict all seem like more appropriate adjectives.
The way American people say British place names is so funny. Also the lack of road signs is very common for British neighbour hoods that don't see much traffic. Stop signs are very rare.
I specifically didn’t mention that CuriosityStream has documentaries narrated by David Attenborough so as not to butcher his name 😂
@@FutureNow Haha, fair enough. Think of it as Day-vid A-ten-bruh
@@josephwilliam872 yeah I thought about it, but figured it would sound odd coming from me 😅 to be fair, I have a habit of mispronouncing words that aren’t strictly British. Guess it comes with being bilingual and growing up in Miami, FL where everyone comes from a different part of Latin America haha
@@FutureNow Read an article, the lack of signs is completely intentional. Its to make car drivers intentionally nervous when driving so as to make sure they drive slower. Its designed to create ambiguity.
@@cameronallan5624 Yeah we talk about the intentionality and making nervous drivers on purpose in the video, although not as much focused on the lack of signs. Definitely would work on me.
The clever thing to do would be to compare Poundbury with a selection of similarly-sized developer-built estates from around the same era...property values,jobs,crime,traffic,anti-social behaviour,resident satisfaction etc etc...every ten years or so...then you would see whether Charles' vision is on the money or not.
As an ex-council employee, working in the southern part of Victoria Australia 🇦🇺, the amount of new estate’s being built is rather staggering.
Most could be likened to the size of Poundbury, but with modern housing.
Each house is on its own piece of land (anywhere from 300 sq mt, to 600 sq mt in size), however, they are bland, or what we call over here, McHouses, or McDonald’s houses, doesn’t matter where you go, they are the same look.
It would be interesting to see how it stacks up against new estate’s in the UK though.
The streets are almost too narrow, more because of the fact that the need for vehicles to get to work, which is anything from 5-150 km’s away, and the ridiculous lack of public transport, is an issue.
As to crime, anti-social behaviour, most reasonably new estates are fairly good.
You will get the odd vandalism, eg, signs missing, or rubbish dumping, but no worse than other places I could mention.
Poundbury is an anomaly, a good one, but an anomaly.
It is how life was lived, your work was within walking distance, or a short travel distance, for example, my family many moons ago, lived in a city known for the many woollen mill’s, and other industries, all within a reasonable distance from home, less than half an hour to either walk, ride a bus, or cycle to work.
I am of the opinion, that it should stand the test of time.
The fact that it fosters a sense of community that most modern day housing doesn’t, is I think a good thing.
I have been watching its progress since it started.
@@cohort075 I think he means comparing similar urban settings too. The buildings aren't truly rural, it's a town. Poundbury will likely fair much more favorably as an urban alternative to many rundown unappreciated mass-built urban sprawl with no features, especially like Doddington and Rolo London Council Estates.
For as big as Doddington Road is, it only has 110 apartments.
I would love to see this implemented in an Irish context, our countryside has been destroyed by monochromatic unchanging blocks of housing that are woefully overpriced. Love or hate the man, most of the ideas are sound and at least he's putting his money is going back into the community some bit.
I remember a few decades ago driving all over Ireland. The really shocking thing I can remember (and I know it changed with the housing boom) was beautifully built old farmhouses falling to rack and ruin, whilst the farmer had built a new house next door. I can understand that because a moden house will be warm, dry and draught free with modern amenities. But...what I couldn't understand for the life of me was the fact they were all copies of Spanish Villa's. They looked ridiculous in the Irish countryside, I couldn't understand why the planning authorities let them get built in that design...of course now the old farmhouse next door has been rebuilt and restored due to the rising house prices, but I bet I can guess which one people would rather live in given the choice...
@@dogsnads5634 Most countryhouses are the same irish georgian style houses rather ugly and cookie cutter, ironically it's the more modernist homes that are breaking the mold with innovative designs with appealling aesthetics
Hear hear from Kildare
As a local I would love to state that the bizarre driving situation with no signs and parking spaces, absolutely works, while not functional in cities with the need for flowing traffic etc. In poundbury it works exceptionally well and is always a pleasure to drive through, it's excellently designed
Frankly, I love the idea of building a modern town according to older architectural principles. Much more aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. I live in Washington DC and one of my favorite things about living here is the neoclassical architecture. I get tired of the globalist, avant-garde, glass and steel structures that make every “modern” city look exactly the same from Hong Kong to Frankfurt.
Came here from Tiktok 🎉
This makes me unreasonably happy.
When I was younger and infatuated by all things modern I thought Charles was just another kooky British aristocrat with old-fashioned ideas. Now that I'm much older I realize that many of his ideas are actually very good.
I have come to realize how important our built environment is, and also come to loath bad urban design (which I see almost everywhere). To me the single most important factor isn't the specific style of the buildings, but their scale. Human-scale urban design is the key to making an area livable, while car-scale design is an abomination. Everything else is just icing on top.
Poundbury is so much greater than any Modern architecture, big up Big Ears Charles!
I don't know, this looks and sounds to me as if they do all the right things with this town project. I'm not surprised at all though that modern city planners and modern architects are sounding the alarm bells and don't want this to succeed. ;)
I think that you are absolutely spot-on. I cannot imagine that all these modern architects live in auto-oriented towns, cities, and suburbs composed of (their) soulless, cold houses and buildings.
I've been to poundbury a good few times. It's lovely and I what has been done is great. I wish this sort of planning was done instead of throwing up these legoland housing developments all over the UK.
This is everything New Urbanists talk about. I think more planning and developments like this will be greatly appreciated in the future. The Guardian is full of it
They mass produced ornaments in the 1800's too. Builders could order stuff in catalogues.
I agree with Charles, here in the UK we prefer the original appeal of architecture due to our proud history of house building, developers seem to have adopted this as most developments with homes use traditional designs, I live in one of these developments and I much prefer it to our previous approach of house building
Tower Bridge is a steel framed bridge but it’s cladding makes it look like a medieval structure and nobody describes that as looking like cheap stage dressing
Funny thing is that when it was built, a lot of architects criticised tower bridge for its over ornamental design, and said it should have been made cleaner and more modern looking lol,
I actually am not a fan of Tower Bridge in particular although I like revivalist architecture.
I have visited Pundbury several times; what one needs to compare it to is what would otherwise be erected in that situation, at similar expense, i.e, a (generally characterless) modern British housing estate. That is not the sort of place where large modernist buildings would be erected in the firts place, and I think one can discount the snobbery that has been direcetd against it by architects and architectural experts of a certain kind. Personally, like many English people, I would prefer in an environment that reflects traditional vernacular styles, rather than a modern cityscape; the kind of thing that one finds in a small town or large village. Poudnbury attempts to give the same sort of atmosphere that one finds in places that which have have grown up over time without anything too discordant being introduced. In relation to the limitations of expense, it has succeeded quite well in my view. I think it would be pleasant to live in, and it is certainly preferable to the typical modern anymous developments of the edge of old towns (which is the real parallel rather than a modern city development).
King Charles III and I share so many things, and Poundbury is something I wish modern suburban cities should be: embracing the beauty of your local culture and History. I studied architecture and I love the fact the King loves old architecture.
You said that in the town there were ‘not even stop signs’. Stop signs are extremely rare in the UK and are barely ever used so it’s not surprising that there are none.
I've read that Skelmersdale doesn't have stop signs, either, and it's about as modern as it gets.
His views are optimal. It’s the kind that makes great cities, not just an opportunity for narcissistic architects to mark territory. It’s as if modern architecture is all about provoking, and that the building that the most people talk about automatically is the best.
Dont know if you knew but stop signs are extremely uncommon in the uk. Its also not uncommon for roads to not have a great deal of signs. Aswell the affordable housing idea I believe is because by law in the UK if your a housing estate developer you need to designate a certain amount of the houses as low price.
not anymore the Tories cancelled it
This place is beautiful, the youtuber sounds salty af
It's amazing
Poundbury could act as a blueprint for a lot of urban redevelopment. Such redevelopment in place of desolate modernist architecture would be transformative to an area where there are existing historic buildings of architectural merit.
I want to move in. I don’t think he’s realized the potential in how many artists would adore to move in
I live near Poundbury and have been there many times. It looks alright but it would be a horrible place to live, it just seems very fake and soulless because there's no real community there
@@cerdic6305 that’s because it’s new, you need people to settle in and develop community. As people grow up there, build memories and grow local social circles it will feel less sterile and more like a community
@@a.s.j.g6229 I know what you mean but I just don't think it will ever feel like a proper town. Even if it did though, it would still be vastly inferior to nearby places like Dorchester which mostly look great and developed naturally over centuries. I just don't think it's possible to replicate that in a totally planned town.
@@cerdic6305 You would hate America, Canada, and Australia, the majority of people live in totally planned artificial neighborhoods.
@@Andrew-gn9qp I know, that's why I wouldn't want to move to any of them
Architecture is usually designed to the tastes of the client; at least Poundbury is trying to consider architecture's effect on the communities that live there. I live in an area of the UK with stunning traditional architect, unfortunately I live in an uninspiring modern build that looks identical to all its neighbours.
For Britain, I think it is good to have architecture that appears traditional from street view but are modern once inside. Many Georgian buildings actually have stone facings covering uninspiring functional brick buildings so they appear impressive to those who view from the street.
Good video! Came from tiktok. I do feel that you’ve bagged on the Georgian architecture a tad, modernist architecture is pretty bad in a lot of cases and arguably will not stand the test of time in the same way as Georgian will.
Thanks, Tom! In the video I wasn’t trying to put down Georgian architecture, I was attempting to point out the main criticism of the town and of Prince Charles’s architectural principles, which is that he seems to believe his personal taste in Georgian and other traditional architecture is the only good taste. As Dave says in the video, both traditional and modern architecture can be good or bad. But I wish people were more open minded to allow modern styles to develop.
@@FutureNow You call it soulless, yet here you are using soulless, corporate language to reply to a comment.
I love Georgian architecture, but one of the things I like about it is its large windows, grand columns, of which this town has failed, though I understand I am more thinking of places like Bath or London and manors and mansions
Yes. Bath's crescent and much of London was built by very rich people. Look at Liverpool's Georgian Quarter for a better idea of the Georgian townhouse for the middle class.
God Save the King and his wonderful views for future architecture. Love visiting the old towns of cities and the untouched towns along the coasts that look wonderfully British. Modern architecture is a plague on the country.
Hopefully this is a success and puts an end to the disgusting modernist architecture and architects
I'm British. I haven't visited Poundbury, but after virtually walking around it in Google Streetview, I don't hate it. The original phase and some of the newest bits are done very well and pretty convincing now that things have bedded in a bit, but there are a few issues. 1) It's rare to have an entire town built in Georgian style (except maybe Bath and Edinburgh) and so it feels weird to have so much Georgian architecture in one place. I think that contributes to the Disney feel. 2) There are a few buildings that are hideous. The main town square has 3 buildings in a row that are just awful (the pub and the two next to it). They don't match the rest. And Pouncy Hall, which looks like some weird mix of Greek and Roman. It sticks out like a sore thumb. 3) Despite the attempt to keep car use down, I see more cars creeping in over time, and quite a lot of them littered about. 4) It just feels a bit dead. I don't see a ton of pedestrians walking about. Maybe that will improve over time though. On the whole it feels like a good experiment, but I'm not convinced this is the only future we should be building. Modern design still has a place, and there's no substitute for real towns growing and evolving organically over time.
Came from tik tok and immediately subbed to your channel ! So interesting
Eyyyy thank you 🥺
Interesting!!
Sticking close to the earth and building decent well oriented townscape while taking into account the creation of flourishing ecological areas might be a good start for the modern city.
That's wild, this is basically how I would build a town from scratch. From the mixed use to the historic styles. Only I'd add more greenery, a car free centre, narrower streets and more public transit.
Much better than the soul-less hellscapes that are the current new builds popping up all over England
THANK YOU for posting a thoughtful video and interview! I spent a bit of my career experiencing community needs and teaching city planning along the way. I take some issue with critics who call Poundbury 'nostalgic.' An influential book in my time was A Pattern Language. Its focus was on the almost eternal concepts that architects and sociologists found present in human living spaces. Many of those memes found their way into Poundbury. Many of us like 'village-scale' living or neighborhood living within an environment of carefully connected neighborhoods.
I would say a smaller version of this would be “The Village” in whistler BC, Canada. It acts as a high-street for the town and while it originally looked quite out of place - after 30 or so years it looks quite authentic and lived in.
Drove through Poundbury today. It *does* feel a bit Disneyland-esque and fake but that’s only because some of the larger buildings (the taller ones with lots of columns) really are a bit out of proportion: whilst you may find some, in that volume and number is not typical of an English provincial town. I like the intention, it was experimental. Now, nearly every new English housing estate seems to take elements from Poundbury by using local styles and slightly chaotic (mainly jagged, four-sided blocks) road layouts, which is great (just search for development plans for any major UK housebuilder and you’ll see). A million times nicer than those bland cladded 1970s houses with the big windows or even the 1980s box styles. However, Poundbury really has gone to town, literally, with its looks. Looks aren’t everything though, one observation we did made today: hardly any people around despite it being a pleasant summer’s day.
These developments suit smaller towns and cities, you shouldn’t expect to find this in use in inner London, for example. Bar perhaps Holland and Belgium you don’t really see housing estates like this elsewhere in Europe. New builds in France, for example, are just hideous cream rendered bungalows. No thanks,
Awesome, great to hear from someone who's been there recently! Very odd that everyone I've heard from that's visited says the same thing: there's barely anyone around. And yet, thousands of people allegedly live and work there, so that's really interesting.
@@FutureNow There's literally no way thousands of people live and work there, it's not very big and there aren't very many businesses there.
Poundbury is nowhere near dense enough in my opinion, but it's still a million times better than the average new build estate which is just a sea of brick cubes and cul de sacs.
@@cerdic6305 wait till a Walmart opens up there and half the town becomes a Walmart parking lot
In the anime Legend of Galactic Heroes, there is a scene which demolished the new monarchy demolished a modern skyscraper city, and replaced it in its place a London/Parisian styled city. Every large scale modern infrastructure (power plants, spaceport, etc) was relegated/hidden underground.
Now this is an unexpected reference
But yeah, it was a policy in that fictional society for cities to reflect a traditional style. Specifically that style was a mix of 17th to 19th century German.
I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking about this reference. Emperor Rudolph mandated an aesthetic, a eugenic, and agrarian view for the common folk in his new Empire. And to think - despite the tendency to show its worlds to be pastoral and rural, and its urban and high-tech cities seldom more than a few stories high, it is technologically significantly *superior* to the modernist Free Planets Alliance. You can almost say the organic design is *scientifically micromanaged* to an artform -- as we now see here.
I for one welcome our new scientifically microdesigned, micromanaged overlords...
Despite the hate you seem to have on for Poundbury, every scene of this town in the video actually looks quite attractive and appealing. And while it may not look authentically Georgian or old, it seems to successfully incorporate traditional designs, forming a community that feels very human and liveable. Certainly more human and liveable than the regular mind-numbing automobile dependant suburbs prevalent in North America. And I doubt Poundbury is bankrupting Dorchester in the way that the suburbs in North America are their cities. Modernists often seem to hate more traditional building materials and looks, and you seem to adhere to that school of thought in the snippy little negative comments scattered throughout this video. This is a typically judgemental American view of a subject quite alien to them - British culture and heritage.
Incidentally, blank concrete walls do not happen in Georgian buildings. Have you ever looked at one? Concrete wasn't even used for buildings during the Georgian era, for crying out loud.
Modern architecture is great in dry sunny conditions but in the UK it has to be really well thought out to achieve a lasting good look.
I've been there and it's really really lovely. Some of the houses are just delightful, esp those in the Georgian style.
Just to let you know as I live 5 miles away, the Dorset Cereals factory had been empty for quite a few years as of 2020. They moved to the nearby bigger & better connected town of Poole. I'm unsure if anything has moved in as of now.
wow cool that you got City beautiful on your channel!
Yeah, Dave is a great dude! Made the video so much better to have his perspective.
My mother actually lives in Poundbury in one of the first houses built there. It is a fantastic place to live with a real community feel to it. The design of the street layout and the all important mixed use is cruicial to the success of this. It is only "artificial" in that all the buildings are relatively new for the UK but compared the standard new build estate in the UK it is a paradise. You can argue that it is Disneyesque but the buildings are not all the same template and mostly built to resemble the local vernacular though some are a bit grander in the Georgian style and actually the materials have weathered really well to look as if they've been there much longer. The principle of having social housing alongside privately owned housing is an accepted and normal part of new development in the UK and is proven to work in terms of community cohesian and safety. It is how people lived for millenia pre-industrialisation. Is Poundbury perfect? Of course not - nowhere is, but is it a good example of town planning? Absolutely.
The place looks fantastic, looks like a beautiful old town but with better planning. Hopefully more modern buildings/ towns will be built in the same way.
Came here from tik tok, I’m from England and a big fan of Charles however I had never heard of this. I live probably about 2-3hours away, I’ll have to visit one day
Being an American, I am curious how well-known this town and its connection to Prince Charles are in the UK. Thanks for coming over from TikTok!
@@FutureNow as far as I know it’s not in the media much, it isn’t well known, it is only a small town so it doesn’t hold too much relevance to people.
@@FutureNow if you know about this town you know it is connected with Charles
What really matters is what those who live there think of their town. Remember that deck access flats were once the future but now are regularly demolished as people did not like living in them.
I think its a good idea. Modernist architecture looks good in city centres when surrounded by other modernist architecture but looks really out of place in British towns and suburbs imo and just results in a confusing and messy space. Consistency is crucial.
I really like the ‘not even stop signs’ comment as we have very few in the UK anyway
I had no idea anyone would have heard of Poundbury outside of Dorchester 😂 sounds so strange to hear an American talk about this funny little town
I’m British and I’ve *never* heard of Poundbury before. This is super weird.
I live 30min from Poundbury and go there often. It’s an interesting place. I would say it feels a little bit disneyfied/ersatz but also quite pleasant. I think a lot of his concepts are well implemented, like mixed use development. Actually one of the biggest thing for me is not enough trees and greenery and a bit too clinical
Do you think the "disneyfied" will subside as the town ages and population increases? From the photos it appears so clinical because it's new.
In my city, they destroy old buildings just to replaced them with ugly grey blocks
I'm sorry that's why it's important to do something about it, but we have to accept the fact that the world changes and things change too.
The streets look like a teenage Billie Piper is going to come down in a flying saucer any moment and begin signing “Because We Want To”
The bit you mention about the roads is interesting. Many of them don't have markings either, and as the driving test centre is there, and that's where I took my test, it certainly adds a degree of challenge.
Great video/info!!
Thank you, Kathy!
It sure looks like Poundbury is a town I could live in comfortably.
It's about the most boring place in Dorset, and if you've ever been to Dorset you'd know that's quite an achievement
There's a phenomenon in art whereby a lot of the most influential and critically lauded artists are actually misunderstood or actively disliked by the majority of the people who are exposed to their art. What is seen by many as aethically pleasing or simple straightforwardly rewarding can be seen by artists, critics and professors as trite or lacking depth. Most people asked to name great american artists would say Pollock or Rothko but far more americans hang Kinkade paintings in their homes. This is fine, no-one is in the wrong, but art is differrent to town planning. The desicions the architects might make can be great for their own sense of style or what the client wants or how a company wants to project it's brand into the environment, but you are constructing something that will be seen every day by people who don't really care about those things. The Burj Kalifa is a great example of something that exists only to flatter the ego of it's creator but actually causes misery for the people who live near it.
I'm not a massive fan of the style of poundbury, and I'm not comfortable with the King arbitarily deciding what towns should look like based on what seems like nostalgia, but I've never heard of anyone who lived there who didn't love it. I lived in Sherborne (about 15 miles away) and visited a few times and it feels a little odd but it excels at the things it's designed for. The Barbican is similar in a way, they almost have the same design philosophy just with radically different aesthetic.
I think a good deal of the criticism of Poundbury is people with oh so sophisticated taste kind of just sneering to show their friends how basic ordinary people are.
Beauty matters and modernism, though somewhat "interesting", will never be beautiful
Places are built through time and are stuck in the old map design of its History...
Very Few Ppl can Design And Build a town from scratch in 30-40 years.
The Town Plan Works because It's Not Shaped By Historys Design Limitations and multiple ownerships etc...Bravo Prince/King Charles
Probably worthy of revisiting this subject
When you build a town or village you have to put in the infrastructure too. Schools Doctors, dentists, shops, playgrounds, etc. Garages.
A great deal of thought and town planning goes into the design. Wonderful our new King.
i actually think it looks quite nice, if a little eerie for how clean it is
that’s only because it’s new. It’ll look more normal when it’s aged about 50 years
I remember driving through it on holiday. It felt weird but in a good way, movie set feeling.
I can see how the use of materials can make a difference
In the UK, residential areas don't tend to have stop signs. You're supposed to give way (slow down and look out for oncoming traffic, who take priority) . Generally there are lines on the road to indicate who has the right of way and you have to understand what the different types of line are. In the past Britain suffered from very poor urban planning - the building of huge council and private estates with no facilities, and in the cases of the social housing, poor materials, and no thought to the environment which people had to live in. The council housing was really an huge social experiment - Easterhouse in Glasgow has a population of about 40000 -and they are widely regarded as having failed, and these areas now need regeneration. It sounds like in Poundbury they are taking a fairly responsible approach, and considering all of the things that are important to people, not just whether the house itself is nice inside. Don't get me wrong, the people living in these estates can be great, there's often a fantastic sense of community, but they are communities which have to fight against massive problems.
Charles III is a brilliant man, but everyone judges him too much based on the diana situation
A balanced and constructive review! Thank you.
Charles, now King Charles was spot on in his arguments against the brutality of modern architecture. There is nothing false about a Georgian building having a steel and concrete core. John Nash, the man who effectively built Georgian London was constantly trying new materials and new ideas, but within the Classical Georgian building ideals. The smarmy knocking of Charles vision is all rather passe when "ordinary people are given the choice between modern and traditional, in any sphere, most select traditional. There is nothing new about the Hamptons look, or big comfy sofas, or real fireplaces but these are the things most of us love and adore.
this mixed use style sounds identical to my London suburb, where to get to my old primary school, you have to pass shops, a pub, housing and 2 industrial estates along with a health centre. Cars are forced to go slow as the roads are hella narrow.
I find that modern architects focus way too much on categorising styles instead of just trying to build something that's practical and beautiful. That's why I love theme park architecture, it's the only place where those traditional values are still practised.
I say this as an American, car first city planning is how the auto industry destroyed the wealth of generations. Making pedestrians first is a good start. I would like to see more cycle paths if their are plans to expand the town.
As for the architecture, It should reflect the cultural Identity of the local people. It should also grow old gracefully. The problem with modern buildings is they are disposable eye sores. Tear one eye sore down and put up a new eye sore. That seems to be the trend.
Architecture should 1) function as intended 2) reflect the local culture 3) NOT BE AN EYE SORE!
If you were able to visit it and see the construction quality your view on the ‘look’ of the place would change. It also records unusually high levels of resident satisfaction and (slightly perversely) is now more expensive than other areas in Dorchester because it’s so desirable.
Apart from the architecture his ideas are interesting and I totally agree with his ideas about focusing on the pedestrian instead of cars.
Thanks for this video, I'd heard of this project but hadn't heard how it was going, even whether it had even been built and where it actually was. There are things I like and the plan, that it has homes, schools, and businesses close together so things people need are within each distance of each other and that people don't need to use their cars as much, that the town is walkable, and the fact that there are affordable homes mixed in with more expensive properties, however how this works in the long term I'm very skeptical of, unless it is controlled who later on these affordable properties are sold to.
I didn't realise that this new town was so close to Dorchester, basically a suburb, I don't see how it can work is it is so close to a bigger settlement that I can only assume isn't linked to by public transport to other towns and cities around it (maybe it is, but this wasn't in the video). I put this whole project down to the idea being nice but over time, if it works and is attractive to people then it's own success so probably undermine it with people wanting to live there for better quality of life, working elsewhere, that the affordable homes to up in price, and are eventually occupied by higher income occupants, just like in places like London.
Sure the design and look out the town will look older than it is, but that's all that will make it different from anywhere else in the country. It's a pet project from a rich landowner else heart may be in the right place, but isn't a town planner and doesn't have a complete vision for how this town will develop (maybe there is a plan and I've just not heard it).
Came here from tiktok and was not disappointed. really good video!
Thanks so much!
Things of beauty always uplift the soul.
Pretty impressive how one man built all that.
Charles is the most productive heir of British throne considering of his years and experience as Prince of Wales. He expand his Duchy portfolio and invest a lot. William will have a tough job to be on his level. 👌
"It feels fake" Lol well that's because it's new but in all honestly in 100 years a house in Poundbury will be a priced possession for it's timeless beauty and it's low maintenance cost.
Stop signs aren't common in the UK in general, it's not particularly unique to Poundbury. "Give way" ("yield") signs are a bit more common. But in many cases roundabouts are used where there might be an all-way stop in the US.
Plus the main reason the US has so many stops is the fact cities are based on grids, whereas most British settlements are not.
It’s amazing !
As an observer I think there are two major problems with Poundbury. The first is that public transport was not planned in from the start. There's a rail line that passes 700m from the northern edge of the town, but no railway station. Bus services from Dorchester are now running, but for a decade there were none. As a result Poundbury, despite all aspirations to the contrary, is a car town. Witness the largest public plaza, Queen Mother Square which appears in publicity shots either empty or filled with a market is in day-to-day reality a parking lot.
The second is tangential to the use of modern materials and methods mention in the video. The contracting of major house builders - companies that dominate the UK with 95% of the new build market share - means they have use their standard methods to maximise their bottom line. Low price materials which show in crude detailing and poor finishes. Take more than a casual glance and it is painfully obvious that there is nothing of traditional crafts or skilled artisans here.
Its a shame because in concept it could have been a great showcase for modern adaptation of traditional styles. Instead it's more a laughing stock than a talking point.
Additionally the point about local employment isn't as clear cut as the video implies. Local businesses bring people in from Dorchester and around because there are _not_ enough locals for their needs while at the same time a large proportion of residents are using it effectively as a dormitory town, commuting to Weymouth, Exeter, Southampton and even London for their work.
great video!!!!
Thank you!