Could King Charles Lead England to a More Sustainable Design Future?
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It may surprise some to learn that an unabashed champion of traditional and classical architecture and a stalwart believer in the principles of healthy urbanism and sustainability now sits on the British throne. As counterintuitive as it may seem, King Charles III’s guiding principles, though drawn from wisdom of the past, may hold potential answers to many of today’s most pressing challenges.
Of course, with any change in jobs comes a change in responsibilities. The new king has already announced that he will take a respectful step back from direct advocacy and engagement in keeping with the nonpolitical role of the British sovereign. Nonetheless, through his vigorous efforts already taken, he has set the stage for a flourishing of British design, urbanism, and sustainability initiatives.
As a devotee of the architectural and design arts (and himself an avid gardener, as demonstrated in his beautiful gardens at Highgrove House), the king has long expressed that places of beauty and dignity have the power to elevate the lives of all those who encounter them. He has been instrumental in safeguarding Britain’s design heritage by preserving Dumfries House as a center for architecture, design, and arts education (and saving its irreplaceable contents from auction), and by guiding the restoration of the fire-damaged Windsor Castle and time-ravaged Buckingham Palace. Perhaps most crucially, for decades he has served as a fierce champion of environmental causes, among them the promotion of organic farming, the reduction of carbon emissions, and the development of sustainable homes and communities.
And where that last achievement is concerned, King Charles has played a key role in the development of what may be one of the most definitive and groundbreaking new urbanist communities in the world. He has spent the past 30 years recruiting brilliant architects and planners to create a triumph of planning and design at Poundbury in Dorset, England.
The project, which continues to evolve, serves as the manifestation of his conviction that beautiful, dignified, and truly livable places built according to the timeless principles of urbanism are not only possible, but are in fact key to a healthy and sustainable future. Indeed, Poundbury has proven to be a catalyst for a growing number of similarly conceived developments throughout the United Kingdom, each drawing on regional architectural vernacular and employing sustainable building practices.
I have counted myself deeply fortunate to have partnered with the former Prince of Wales through the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s long-lasting relationship with his charitable organization, The Prince’s Foundation, through which he put many of his ideals into practice (our two organizations were joined by a third partner, INTBAU). Together, these organizations have celebrated and nourished young and emerging talent through the Award for Emerging Excellence in the Classical Tradition and promoted a global vision of the principles of classicism, urbanism, and sustainability through our annual educational series, The Architecture of Place.
In these efforts, the king has kept his focus firmly on the future, and has sought to ensure that his legacy of environmentalism and intelligent urbanism will continue indefinitely. Could it just be that this nonpolitical, tradition-minded sovereign has sown the seeds that are vital to achieving a more dignified and sustainable future?
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