The concept of the neighbourhood as a distinctive residential area was advanced by Clarence Perry in 1929 and has been used in the planning of new towns. The town is planned to contain units of between 5000 and 10000 people, each unit having its own low-order centre supplying convenience goods, medical facilities, and primary education, all within walking distance. Through traffic is discouraged. Most of the early British new towns were designed on this principle, with the aim of fostering a sense of community in each neighbourhood unit. The development of neighbourhood units has not always proved to be successful; not every resident prefers to live entirely within a restricted area, while others argue that this form of planning discourages the integration of all the neighbourhoods into the new town.

A Dictionary of Geography. Copyright © Susan Mayhew 1992, 1997, 2004. All rights reserved.