VeloCity - Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor Strategy, UK

VeloCity is a strategic approach to growth and placemaking along the Oxford to Cambridge corridor, centred on a re-imagining of the village for the 21st century.

Government predictions state that the corridor needs to accommodate in excess of one million new homes by 2050. Significant new rail infrastructure is planned to assist accessibility and connectivity. VeloCity creatively links new infrastructure with sustainable placemaking.

Our vision has been developed to enrich village life and a sense of place, while creating new homes and working environments in healthy and socially cohesive places. It comprises a ‘polycentric’ cluster of new and ‘expanded’ villages, which are connected to one another by a fine-grained network of cycle routes and within cycling distance of new/existing rail stations. It proposes a way to install a low-cost high-speed data network and introduce technology to foster a more sustainable environment and new employment opportunities with an emphasis on the retention and enhancement of the natural environment.

The village clusters are supported by the necessary social, environmental and economic infrastructure to enable them to operate in a sustainable manner within their environmental limits. Cycling as the mainstream form of movement will shape the way places are planned and the way people communicate and relate to one another, forming resilient, intergenerational communities and a strong identity for this progressive region.

Watch a video introducing VeloCity team and ideas here.

Read our full competition proposal report here.