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Synopsis

Britons are increasingly aware of living in a society plagued by fear and unhappiness. Even when actual levels of crime are reduced, the fear of crime is up. In Ground Control Anna Minton sets out on a journey around Britain to answer the questions, how did this happen and what could we do about it?

From Manchester, which hands out more ASBOS than other city, to Liverpool, 'City of Culture', gated communities to sink estates, this is a frank and excoriating look at the effect that property and planning have on our lives - often in unexpected ways. More new spaces are being created in British towns than at any time since the Second World War. But they're all privately owned and privately controlled, and they are changing not only the very fabric of our cities, but our understanding of public space, of citizenship, of fear and of trust.

Anna Minton reaches out to all those affected by these changes. From home owners to kids on ASBOs, policemen to estate agents, Ground Control explores the psychological effects our shared spaces have upon us, and shows us how alternative models produce cultures of greater happiness.

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Interview

Can you explain the title, Ground Control?

One of the central themes of the book is the growing control of the environment. The book argues that an increasingly controlled environment undermines our personal and collective responsibility, dilutes trust and increases fear and unhappiness. So, I wanted to get control into the title as well as the idea that the book is about place. Ground Control seemed a perfect fit. But ultimately, I’m sure the fact that ‘Space Oddity’ was one of my favourite songs growing up meant the phrase easily came to mind.
 
Is urban planning as fundamental to social happiness as for example, health and education? If so, why do you think it does not get as much air time as these other issues?

The real reason no one takes any notice of planning is because there’s no power there any more, as the checks and balances of the planning system are systematically dismantled. Instead all the power is in property, which fuelled the economy over the last decade, with such disastrous consequences.

There's a real sense in the book of rallying people to know more about the urban spaces around them. Are you angry about the way we live?

I am angry about the head in the sand mentality of policy makers and their determination that there was no alternative other than to copy American policies towards our cities. Those policies have been very controversial in the US, but over here we’ve accepted them almost without question.

Should we be worried about how set ups like gated communities and privately owned shopping malls erode our civil liberties?

Absolutely. The governance of these places is not democratic. It rests on legal contracts and membership and creates places which are not for citizens and society as a whole.
 
Towards the end of the book, you talk about the European approach to shared public space. Which European towns or cities do you have in mind, and how do they differ from those in the UK?

European cities, from Athens and Palermo in the South, to Berlin and Copenhagen in the North, have a more open and free public life and street culture. There is far less emphasis on private security and CCTV, yet crime and fear of crime is also much lower.
 
If there was one thing which you would like Ground Control readers to have lodged permanently in their brain, what would that be?
 
Markets, left to their own devices, cannot create healthy places.

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