Emeritus Prof Christopher May
Is one part of the solution to the long-running housing crisis to build new towns, but build them in a more sustainable, less car-dependent manner?
Despite the conspiracy guff, the notion of the 15 minute town is really where we need to be headed....
Charlie Stross
@christineburns @ChrisMayLA6 Single-handed GPs went away for a very good reason—it was a policy-driven reaction to Dr. Harold Shipman, who got away with his murders for decades precisely because he ran a single-GP practice. Having multiple doctors makes it easier to spot patient-endangering behaviour (not just serial killers!) and helps with ongoing education.
(Your local corner shop or 7/11 is a lesser public safety risk than a single elderly GP who has bought into anti-vaxxer bullshit.)
Christine Burns MBE 🏳️⚧️📚⧖
@ChrisMayLA6 That’s a problem indeed for some, not helped because traditional corner and village stores have been pushed out of business by the giants, who are only interested in opening 7/11 type stores where there’s a big enough catchment. Single handed GPs have also gone away. But if we’re looking at population wide effects could I ask whether anyone knows what proportion of UK live in that kind of situation vs cities/suburbs and larger villages?
Emeritus Prof Christopher May
Hmmm... I'd agree to somer extent, but looking round the villages in the Lune Valley (one of which I live in) I'd say less than half meet your description... but in general, I'd agree; its the new estates that are the real problem here
Christine Burns MBE 🏳️⚧️📚⧖
@ChrisMayLA6 In reality, because we haven’t gone for such strict zoning as the US, a lot of Britons already live in places where basic needs can be met within a short walk. Whether a rural village or an established city suburb, there are little pockets of shops, GP surgeries and schools inside a mile (a 20 minute walk). The problem is almost exclusively the new build estates on greenfield sites, where two cars are a family necessity to do anything. That planning failure is the problem.
Charlie Stross
@christineburns @pdcawley @ChrisMayLA6 I am absolutely all for designing non-car transport infrastructure into new towns from the beginning! But there's no one-size-fits-all easy solution: if there was, presumably we'd be using it (and wouldn't be having this discussion).
Christine Burns MBE 🏳️⚧️📚⧖
@cstross @pdcawley @ChrisMayLA6 Charlie, don’t get me wrong. I knew why lone practitioners had to go. However it’s a part of why not everything can be a 15-20 minute walk away unless you’re designing housing developments with several thousand homes to support a local health centre. It underlines why reliable and affordable public transport is an essential.
Piers Cawley
@cstross @christineburns @ChrisMayLA6 Can't recommend this highly enough, by the way. David Spiegelhalter describing the statistical evidence against Shipman is particularly chilling. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001qw98
Piers Cawley
@cstross @christineburns @ChrisMayLA6 I was chatting with a doctor acquaintance and he grumbled a bit about all the paperwork these days. I said "Isn't that better than another Shipman though?" and he went a bit quiet and conceded the point.
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