So there we have it. The grandly titled Urban Summit has been and gone and the deputy PM has spoken.
Apparently the answer to all our urban problems are for planners to be more imaginative and for graffiti and dog fouling to be eradicated. Easy isn't it?
Returning to a recent theme in this column the deputy PM in particular focussed on the issue of housing densities. Apparently in some parts of Europe they cram hundreds of housing units to the hectare - and as we know for some if its good enough for Europe the UK should follow like sheep.
The typical housing development in the Southeast is currently running at 23 units per hectare. The deputy PM wants at least 30, and preferably 50 or more, units per hectare.
This of course has the advantage of requiring less land to meet our housing targets, and that is to be welcomed - especially where green fields are involved.
But it misses the central point. It is not the cure that is the problem - the cure being upping housing densities - but the ailment - the ailment being the housing targets themselves.
If the deputy PM really wants to stop the urban sprawl and make towns and cities a better place in which to live then he would revise his housing targets downwards, thereby relieving the pressure which he and his department are creating.
Of course when you consider hundreds of housing units per hectare you are talking high-rise blocks. Medway has some of those already, and although they undoubtedly fulfil a niche in the market it has be questioned whether we want to go in that direction once again.
In this day and age it is possible to create some very desirable high-rise accommodation. But to fulfil the "affordable housing" criteria developers have to scale back on their more innovative ideas - you cannot build expensive and sell cheap!
Back to the planners. More creativity from them is required it seems.
Perhaps they could start to look at colour schemes, perhaps painting buildings in flamboyant patterns similar to those seen on British Airways aircraft tail fins. That would certainly brighten up the towns, and clear up any graffiti problems at the same time - as it would then be impossible to tell the difference!