A vision for Calvert
WWA was appointed by a significant stakeholder in regional energy supply and waste management services, to prepare a strategic masterplan for a visionary new ‘Smart City’. The concept was developed during a period of intense planning and speculation at the national level around intensifying the Oxford-Cambridge Arc through investment in transport infrastructure, housing provision and job creation in the hi-tech and science spheres. The vision document appointment followed a successful ideation and research project generated by our interdiciplinary team in response to an international design competition titled “The Cambridge to Oxford Connection:Ideas Competition” which you can read more about at the following link to the competition website.
Our team identified that three potential new major transport infrastructure projects were likely to converge at or near the Buckinhamshire village of Calvert. These took the form of a renewed east-west rail initiative, a possible OX-CAM motorway, and the new HS2 line from London to Birmingham. We proposed that these future transit highways and nodal intersections would unlock Calvert’s potential as a target site for private and state investment in the UK’s first Smart City. A purpose-built Smart City, as opposed to a retrofitted city, could feature built-in infrastructure and energy generation from first principles.
Development principles established by our team build upon the hub status of the site’s strategic location, providing a framework for development to grow and a distinctive place meeting the needs of an evolving economy and shifting demographics. Such visioning might seem fanciful, but our clients have their ear to the ground when it comes to the political winds that might shape their strategic long-term investments. When Keir Starmer’s Labour government formed their manifesto it included pledges to create a New Towns Commission, with the shortlisting of 12 nationally strategic New Town locations published in the summer of 2025. By investing in the research and strategic ideation of our interdiciplinary team, our clients are on the front foot and able to anticipate where to look for growth.
