Milton Keynes lies to the north west of London and south east of Birmingham, half way between the two. The site is the centre of Milton Keynes, Midsummer Boulevard East. This road takes main traffic flow and is owned by ‘Intu’. Campbell Park is at one end with a food shopping building and Milton Keynes theatre on the way and Midsummer place shopping centre is at the other. It is a covered walkway across the boulevard. The shopping centre has shops and restaurants. It is listed grade II however the owners believe it’s tired and it isn’t maximising floor space or flow. Beyond this is Secklou gate which is a 4 lane road with under-croft market. The market is vibrant with lots going on but scruffy and unfriendly when not in use. There are concerns that it may lose vibrancy if tidied. There are ramps onto road from Midsummer Blvd East. The train station is located at the end of Midsummer Blvd West

In the 1960’s Milton Keynes was built on car central and on family principles. There was a set of 11 strongly supported guiding principles. One was freedom of movement and activity. The grid road was designed to allow for the max choices. Parking was then focused on to facilitate this movement around the site. The wide building line of 180 by 80 metres makes for a boulevard appearance that is spacious and grand. The defining character is the grid system with straight roads as well as the grandness and spaciousness which is provided through the wide roads and openness.

It is a roundabout city predicated to get across the city in the car in 10 minutes. It is subdivided into 1km squares; within this grid is a smaller grid. All residential areas within grid as well. Quicker to drive then get bus due to bus driving the grid. Roundabouts make the site illegible as a layout as all roads look the same.

Pedestrians don’t have priority with crossing points every 40 to 50 metres. This is restricted to where the pedestrian can cross. Cars are separate to the pedestrian. The workshops found that there is a desire for Western side settles Gate Bridge to become pedestrianized and eastern side to be 50/50 cars and pedestrians. It is a ‘green city’ due to the extensive landscaping and plain trees which are maintained by the MK trust/council.

The original and novel concept was to have a covered high street due to the area being windy. This was in the form of 2 arcades and a shopping building. Doors were then put on and eventually the doors were locked at night. It was accessible 24 hours until it was sold. The covered public square causes issues as it is enclosed and not owned by the community. It has become a shopping mall now and is internally facing. The city has lost continuity.

Problem is that there are no people on the streets and it isn’t a destination. There is a need to increase vibrancy with more people on the streets. There needs to be more residential, retail and entertainment along walking routes that are linked. To the pedestrian it seems desolate because of these spaces. However the grid system character and openness of the streets needs preserving as this is defining. There is a need to improve legibility, safety and vibrancy without decreasing character.

Young people can’t afford places to live in Milton Keynes and location in terms of policy not geared up to give adequate supply. The aging population is ideal for this area as there is a need to co-located facilities to improve the quality of life. There are family drivers for growing community with empty nesters and young professionals living in the town and young families moving out of the centre. There is a need to improve vibrancy to keep people here.