In 2023 Milton Keynes grows ever bigger and welcomes more new residents. The Good City project aims to use The Plan for Milton Keynes to introduce local residents to the original design principles of the new city. It hopes to foster an understanding and appreciation of the designed city to help residents make informed decisions about the future. The project will provide wider access to the masterplan, create conversations around the successes and failures of Milton Keynes, and inspire stakeholders to think about what they feel is important to retain.
Milton Keynes was the last and the most ambitious of the post-war new towns. From 1967, a development period of 25 years saw a dramatic change in the local landscape and thousands of new residents move to the area.
A key element of the Good City project was to deliver a series of informal supper clubs with a wide range of participants. Within the context of a meal and the concept of ‘breaking bread’ we sought to discuss the original plans for the city, its aims and ambitions.
Illustrations by Amar Suberwal
Our public workshops gave the opportunity to explore and share their views on the past, present and future of our city, and contribute to our community artwork being created by local artist Liisa Clark.
Photography by Willie Robb
Hosted at local venues to share outputs from the Supper clubs and Workshops.
Re-enactment activities for young people in local public libraries.
Our workshops and exhibitions featured content from two online exhibitions on the model city and grid square design. You can view these online here:
View Model City exhibition
View Building a Grid Square exhibition
Introductory sessions for community groups to discover and discuss the original aims and objectives in a creative and fun way.
Follow-on creative sessions to share opinions across groups and input into community artwork pieces.
Hosted at local venues to share outputs from the Supper clubs and Workshops.
Re-enactment activities for young people in local public libraries.
Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre is an educational charity looking after the Bradwell Abbey site, offering educational experiences for schools and other learners, and preserving an archive and reference library focusing on new city history. For more information visit www.mkcdc.org.uk
