Part Three of this book set out just a few of the possible solutions to the key problems which we face. Many of these could be adopted tomorrow if we had the will to achieve them. However, each one of these ideas on its own will not meet the high test of a modern utopia nor will it excite much political interest. The real task is to draw all these solutions together and see what that might offer by way of a new society. This was the vision that those, such as Ebenezer Howard and William Morris, set out over a century ago and it is an extremely hard task. It is a matter of gathering the solutions together shaped by the overriding principle of social justice and delivered by means of the Garden City principles. Imagine the best of modern European design and technologies married with common ownership and a 21st century Arts and Crafts artistic tradition, as if we had layered Freiburg in Germany onto the world's first Garden City, Letchworth. This task must be achieved not only for new communities but for existing ones where the challenge of retrofitting homes and communities is even greater.

A walk through utopia

So what would this utopia look and feel like?

Your home would be warm and secure, powered by renewable energy from a local community cooperative or your local council. Energy prices will be stable and communities will be carbon positive, as they export more energy than they use. Your home will have decent sized rooms, with space to eat your dinner at a table, somewhere for the kids to do their homework and enough storage for life's necessities. If you live in a new home, you might have commissioned it yourself, playing a role in its design.

You will have access to fibre optics and a work space. Your home will have either its own garden or access to a shared garden or allotment, depending on your preference and providing space to grow your own food. The building fabric will blend the best of new technology with traditional craft design. It will sit on a safe street, surrounded by green space and trees for shade.