Around 50 representatives from one of the largest housing associations in Denmark are to visit a Birmingham village to learn how it inspired the creation of garden cities.
The group from Danish housing association KAB will visit Bournville, the historic village created by chocolate-maker George Cadbury in 1900 and now managed by housing association Bournville Village Trust, on Monday 1st June.
Often credited with laying the foundations for the development of garden cities, Bournville is also recognised as introducing the benefits of open space into modern town planning.
Visitors from KAB will learn how these principles are being applied by Bournville Village Trust today and how the village’s facilities and infrastructure help the community there to thrive.
The Danish visitors will also tour development projects in Sandwell, Walsall and Manchester as part of the study trip, which will be used to inform future work.
Peter Roach, Chief Executive of Bournville Village Trust, said: “While much has changed since Bournville was built, we believe that there is still lots that planners and policy-makers can learn from its legacy which is why we are pleased to welcome visitors from KAB.
“We are also pleased to be one of just a handful of organisations in the West Midlands chosen to represent and showcase our approach to housing and creating flourishing communities.”
Adrian Millicheap, Assistant Director of Bournville Architects, part of Bournville Village Trust, said: “Denmark is well-known for its work in creating better environments by developing greener ways of living and town planning.
“As well as sharing our experience and knowledge, it will be interesting to see if there is the opportunity to incorporate Danish approaches to development into our work.”
Bournville Village Trust is a charity and housing organisation which aims to create and sustain flourishing communities where people choose to live.
It does this by providing high-quality housing and estate management services across Birmingham and Shropshire. In total, the Trust provides services to 8,000 homes of mixed tenure and 25,000 people.