en.Wedoany.com Reported - The King’s Foundation and the University of the Built Environment plan to launch 14 regional forums under the Regional Building Foundation (RBF) within their collaborative framework, aiming to create "walkable, distinctive communities delivered in accordance with local building principles."
These forums will bring together key participants in the residential construction process, including builders, landowners, material suppliers, lenders, planners, and designers, operating within a "regionally defined, collaborative framework" through shared knowledge and research.
The Regional Building Foundation (RBF) aims to shift from a zoned housing delivery model to a development approach with "regional distinctiveness." Practitioners can register with the foundation to gain access to forum participation, a "Knowledge Hub" with tailored research, and a network of built environment experts.
Ben Bolgar, Executive Director of Projects at the King’s Foundation, stated that society currently faces the risk of accepting zoning as the status quo, building isolated business parks, retail areas, schools, and residential zones that are not integrated into communities, with the risk particularly high for the next generation of homeowners. He added that prioritizing sustainability and green spaces should be a key focus when developing new housing schemes.
A report released by the Regional Building Foundation (RBF) in May this year proposed a regional placemaking system, citing the Duchy of Cornwall's Poundbury and Nansledan projects as examples, stating that these developments are "financially viable and practical to deliver." However, the urbanist style adopted in Poundbury and Nansledan has not been universally popular within the industry, with critic Stephen Bayley describing the former—an experimental urban expansion in a Dorset suburb—as "fake, cold, authoritarian, and grotesquely cute." Residents of these communities are required to adhere to strict regulations regarding external alterations to their homes and personal behavior.
The Regional Building Foundation (RBF) is the result of a government-backed two-year "Knowledge Transfer Partnership" between the King’s Foundation and the University of the Built Environment. All 14 regional forums will be launched over the next 12 to 18 months, starting with the Hampshire Basin in September 2026, followed by London and the Thames Valley, and then Northern England. Each forum will leverage the network of the King's Lord-Lieutenants to convene its members.
The full list of 14 regions includes: London and the Thames Valley, South West England, the Hampshire Basin, Northern Ireland, Northern England, the Pennines and Adjacent Areas, Eastern England, the Welsh Borders, Wales, Scotland, the Midlands, East Anglia, Bristol and Gloucestershire, and the Weald.
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