It was extremely exciting to be asked to write for the relaunched Tribune magazine, who have taken an especial interest in rethinking recent British political history, especially around urban policy.
My article, “Come to Milton Keynes,” can be found here.
It discusses the new, fascinating exhibition The Lie of the Land being held at the relaunched MK Gallery, and considers the need to revisit the idea of open approaches to cultural value which Milton Keynes reflects:
[Milton Keynes] continues to testify to the powerful idea that tradition and continuity are not the sole determinants of value, and that new forms of value can be created. It refused to pre-empt the desires of its residents; instead it met them with respect, where “opportunity and freedom of choice” were conceived as going beyond consumer choice in the marketplace, but on a more fundamental and profound level. The value in reconsidering Milton Keynes, and postwar Labour policies more broadly, is not to seek to reclaim the past or return to it – but rather, to reclaim their radical faith in the potential to build better futures.
