Constructing Identity and Tradition

Abstract

In an increasingly globalized world, national governments appropriate vernacular building traditions to support national identity-building political agendas. In England the neo-traditional house has become an established feature of suburban architecture. This is not, however, as is often assumed, indicative of the nostalgia of the consumer. Rather, neo-traditionalism is the result of planning policies introduced by the government to preserve regional architectural identities and maintain a visual “Englishness” in the built environment. These policies have, in turn, been undermined by the nationwide standardization of “traditional” designs by national house-building companies.