Improving towns
Parliament has had an immensely important influence in the way towns have developed since the 18th century.
Initially legislation was tailored to meet the needs of individual towns. But from the mid-19th century, poor housing and living conditions in most towns and cities required responses from Parliament applicable to the nation as a whole.
From the early 20th century Parliament has been keen to use fresh thinking in legislation relating to ways of planning new urban environments.
Explore the Parliamentary collections for documents and images about improving towns
Find out about how public health improved in Sunderland over the nineteenth century and the role played by Parliament and local people.v
How the UK's communities are planned and developed is still closely scrutinized by Parliament
Further information about how Parliament has brought change and improvement to Britain's towns can be found in the following studies
Here you can trace the main turning points in Parliament's role in controlling town development
Discover how Parliament has transformed the development of Britain's towns