#forestcity

The Forest City proposal plans a new city for up to one million people. It targets farmland between Newmarket and Haverhill in west Suffolk. The site lies east of Cambridge. The project includes 400,000 homes and a 12,000-acre forest. Entrepreneurs Shiv Malik and Joseph Reeve lead the initiative. Architect Steve McAdam advises on planning. The scheme operates outside official planning frameworks. It uses a community land trust to manage costs.

This aerial photograph shows the rural landscape targeted by the Forest City proposal, highlighting its current use as productive farmland. The image underscores the scale of land conversion envisioned. (Image © Getty Images ) Design Concept and Planning Autonomy

This project differs from state-led masterplan efforts. The Forest City proposal stems from private initiative. It lacks input from local authorities or regional strategies. McAdam worked on the King’s Cross redevelopment. He calls this approach disruptive. It avoids traditional developers and public agencies. This raises questions about oversight. Large urban projects usually follow democratic processes.

This image captures the existing land use near Newmarket, highlighting open grasslands and equestrian infrastructure that would be affected by the Forest City proposal. The scene underscores the contrast between current rural function and planned urban density. (Image © Wikimedia Commons ) Construction Strategy and Material Assumptions

No technical documents have been released yet. Material choices remain undefined. Engineering methods are still speculative. Farmland soils may pose drainage issues. A clear building materials plan is missing. Without geotechnical research, feasibility is uncertain. The Forest City proposal lacks constructible details.

This image shows the existing low-density settlement and open grasslands near Newmarket, illustrating the current land use that would be replaced by the Forest City proposal. The scene highlights the contrast between established communities and planned large-scale urbanization. (Image © Wikimedia Commons ) Sustainability Claims and Land Use Ethics

The plan sets aside 12,000 acres for woodland. Yet it converts productive farmland to urban use. This conflicts with national food security policies. The land trust aims to cap home prices. A four bedroom house would cost £350,000. But infrastructure and land costs may offset savings. The Forest City proposal favors housing supply over rural ecology.

This image depicts the existing rural character of west Suffolk, with its heritage structures and open fields, highlighting what stands to be transformed under the Forest City proposal. The scene underscores the cultural and ecological value of the land in question. (Image © Getty Images ) Urban Integration and Governance Gaps

It references the Oxford–Cambridge innovation corridor. But it has no formal link to regional infrastructure. Local MP Nick Timothy called it ridiculous. Over 1,200 young people support the idea online. No public consultation has taken place. Privately driven urban growth may bypass planning safeguards.

Can this model offer a real alternative or weaken public planning systems?

Architectural Snapshot: The Forest City proposal imagines a million person city on Suffolk farmland using a land trust, but no formal plans exist yet.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The Forest City proposal blends generational housing frustration with an underdeveloped urban vision lacking technical or ecological validation. Its narrative critiques institutional failure yet offers no alternative governance, leaning more on manifesto than methodology. Still, it rightly exposes the broken economics of land in conventional development. While the proposal itself may fade, the land affordability question it raises will endure long after planning debates move on.

Il mistero di Forest City, una città da 100 miliardi di dollari completamente abbandonata. Un progetto titanico in Malesia ideato per ospitare quasi 700mila abitanti oggi è una città fantasma. Cosa è successo a Forest City? Vi raccontiamo la sua storia. Un complesso edilizio titanico Perfettamente allineato di fronte al mare, il complesso edilizio di Forest City si trova in Malesia, non lontano dalla città-stato di Singapore. Il progetto di questa nuova città, ideato per ospitare più di 700.000 abitanti, prevedeva la costruzione di una serie di alte torri residenziali simili a grattacieli che raggiungono quasi i 35 piani. Tuttavia, l’ambizioso e costoso progetto (100 miliardi di dollari) non ha dato nessun risultato.

Forest City: la nuova città costata 100 miliardi di dollari è stata completamente abbandonata Forest City oggi è una città fantasma Oggi, Forest City è una vera e propria città fantasma: progettata sull’isola artificiale nello Stretto di Johor, è stata completamente abbandonata. Le strade deserte, i viali silenziosi, i negozi e gli appartamenti vuoti preoccupano il costruttore cinese Country Garden, che si trova in difficoltà finanziarie. La città di 30 km2, che avrebbe dovuto essere un paradiso digitale e vegetale, ha attirato solo 2.000 residenti, compresa una piccola squadra di lavoratori che si occupa della manutenzione dell’area. Le restrizioni legate alla pandemia di Covid hanno probabilmente scoraggiato gli acquirenti dall’investire in una seconda casa. La futuristica, intelligente e tecnologica Forest City è ora deserta.