Find out more about what Reading could be like in the future
Find out more about the organisations behind the Vision for Reading - Barton Willmore, Reading UK and University of Reading
Born and raised in the Thames Valley and most significantly Reading, Barton Willmore is an 80 year old planning and design practice who are passionate about the town’s success. Moving to The Blade in June 2014 brought us back into the heart of the town and the heart of our thriving business community. But with that has come an awareness of Reading’s existing strengths; challenges and great potential, both in the short and long term.
As one of the UK’s leading Planning and Design consultancies, we work on projects at many scales in towns and cities across the UK and internationally, reviewing urban landscapes and identifying opportunities for improvement of the built form, infrastructure, public realm. In every project, we ultimately seek to deliver development and opportunities that build proud communities and maximise existing assets. Within Reading we wanted to harness the knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment apparent throughout our business community and beyond, to identify the opportunities we all saw and would importantly support/invest in. The process of delivering a vision for an aspiring city such as Reading, is a challenging one, but as our process expanded to the wider community, we have been heartened by exceptional enthusiasm and a willingness to contribute, as well as an overwhelming desire from all, for Reading to continue to succeed.
We are delighted to have been at the centre of this process to date, and hope the vision you see here provides a robust, yet ambitious framework for growth that benefits everyone across Reading, over the next 30+ years. Most importantly though, we hope that this Vision inspires you to consider and act on what your personal contribution to delivering this very bright future for Reading might be and as a result, we look forward to working with you!
Where low carbon living is the norm and the built environment, technology and innovation have combined to create a dynamic, smart and sustainable city with a high quality of life and equal opportunities for all.