To think the look of the modern street is horrible?

[ShakyBake]

I've wondered this for awhile. I've joined a few groups of comparison photos from yesteryear (70/80/90s) of popular seaside places but mostly old sitcoms (only fools, Carry Ons) etc. where users revisit iconic places and post a photo of what it is like today.
In nearly 90+% of the time the old shot looks so much better/nicer to the extent where it's sad to see how it is today. I'm not sure if this is rose tinted glasses or perhaps the feel of modern architecture and design thought is horrible?

And has anyone noticed the fascination of today to use sleek black or grey panels everywhere? I think it looks so uninviting. I call it the 'Mcdonalds' look.

If you agree, what went wrong and why? And do you think will go back because I hope so

A lot of cheaper end housing just look like awful boxes. No proper drive way. Cars every where. No front gardens.

Older houses/streets do benefit from time - time to grow mature gardens and trees, and time for people to change the look of their houses so they don’t look so cookie-cutter/Stepford.

I do agree, though, that streets with houses of different ages and architectural styles do look nicer.

I watch these too and you see the colour and the life drain out of them as we hit modern times. Very depressing indeed.

My old family house was in a street of 1930s semis. Not to everyone’s taste, but they all had front gardens and lots of green and use of brick and tile. The ones being renovated all have black slate roofs and grey-white walls and completely paved-over front gardens. Could be anywhere in the world. I hope the people who bought our old house don’t do that, but of course, it’s theirs now.

Some cities are limiting the use of cars and car parking in some areas, so more outdoor seating for restaurants, cafes and pubs etc so things in some areas are improving

There’s an insta account on this issue (30s houses being renovated into soulless gardenless grey or cream boxes) and I think I’m going to have to unsubscribe as it really gets me down.

it's the cars parked up and down the street, bumper to bumper. They make everywhere look so ugly. So many households have multiple cars and no place to put them... and where I live, pavement parking is permitted on many streets which is even worse. I absolutely hate it. it's so difficult to safely cross the road with it all blocked up with suvs and vans parked everywhere.

Yes, many communal areas are less well tended these days, but every street near me would look 100% better if there were 100% fewer cars parked up and down it.

I'd love this. I'd also ban large vans/lorries from parking wherever. As pavement parking is allowed on streets near me, I've seen vans and lorries parked on pavements.

I've also nearly been reversed into by someone backing out of their tiny tiny "drive". It was a busy pavement and busy road so no good excuse for not checking. If I were in charge, I'd ticket any car who had driven front ways into their drive like this. It's so irresponsible and dangerous.

I live in a Devon fishing town. The houses have become far more colourful in the last few years and most houses have awesome gardens. The tropical weather helps with the plants we can grow here but it’s definitely full of retirees that have the time to make that effort.

I’ve seen that one! Very depressing. I’m surprised there aren’t more design specifications. Some of the 1930s estates are quite interesting in terms of architectural history, even if they were looked down on.

I remember being mortified when the very arty mother of a friend said she was pleased they didn’t have a view of a 1930s house from their modernist one—the despised house was very like my family house. But it was comfortable, extremely well built and gave my parents no structural issues I can remember at all. During the Blitz, a few large bombs landed fairly close but none of the house seemed too worried.

I agree totally, OP. Whenever I drive into London via the A2, I look in despair at the modern buildings that have just been built around places like Goldsmiths university/ Lewisham. They're all so ugly - just boxes covered in horrible cladding. Then you look at the beautiful old buildings and even if they're in disrepair, you can still see the beauty in the architecture.

They also built a load of new houses about 5 miles down the road from us and they are the ugliest houses you ever saw. Boxes with tiny windows. No character at all.

I think you need to consider the impact of the planning system - it isnt just the look of the new buildings its that those new estates can be lacking in services (schools, shops, GP surgery etc) & can be designed poorly for people to walk & cycle around. There’s also a lack of consideration how new buildings fit in with the older ones in the older areas - architectural styles don’t have to be similar, but it helps if there’s some link between older and newer buildings (eg using similar building materials or a similar footprint) and a focus on just making the street a nice place to be. Plants, trees and gardens can also soften less appealing buildings.

There are exceptions though - Create Streets is worth looking at if you want to see some examples.

And an assortment of brightly coloured plastic wheelie bins out the front! 😬 It all looks so ugly and depressing.

Re: more design specs, I think it really gives us an insight into why so many beautiful Victorian (and older) buildings were demolished. They were considered ugly and outdated. Fashions come and go and it’s hard to see things objectively. We lose so much of our history that way.

On the plus side though, I was walking around the Waterloo area at the weekend, and there were some beautiful tree-lined streets there - and loads of lovely plant containers - around benches, along the pavement. It was absolutely lovely.

A LOT of houses from decades ago didn’t have front gardens or driveways. Most terraced streets have front doors that open straight onto the street. They’re very much the norm where I am.