New towns in the United Kingdom in the context of "City of Milton Keynes"

A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve organically.

The term new town refers to planned communities of the new towns movement in particular, mainly in the United Kingdom. It was also common in the European colonization of the Americas to build according to a plan either on fresh ground or on the ruins of earlier Native American villages.

Warrington (/ˈwɒrɪŋtən/) is an industrial town in Cheshire, England. The town is the main settlement of the Borough of Warrington and sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was historically part of Lancashire. It is 16 miles (26 km) east of Liverpool and the same distance west of Manchester.

The population in 2021 was recorded as 174,970 for the built-up area and 210,900 for the wider borough, the latter being more than double that of 1968 when it became a new town. Warrington is the largest town in the ceremonial county of Cheshire.

Basildon (/ˈbæzɪldən/ BAZ-il-dən) is a town in the borough of the same name, in the county of Essex, England. It had a recorded population of 115,955 at the 2021 census.

It lies 27 miles (43 km) east of Central London, 11 miles (18 km) south of the city of Chelmsford and 10 miles (16 km) west of the city of Southend-on-Sea. Nearby towns include Billericay to the north-west, Wickford to the north-east and South Benfleet to the south-east. It was created as a new town after World War II in 1948, to accommodate the London population overspill from the conglomeration of four small villages: Pitsea, Laindon, Basildon (the most central of the four) and Vange.

Stevenage (/ˈstiːvənɪdʒ/ STEE-vən-ij) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about 28 miles (45 km) north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage was designated the United Kingdom's first New Town under the New Towns Act. In 2021 it had a population of 94,456.

Hemel Hempstead (/ˌhɛməl ˈhɛmpstɪd/) is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England. It is located 24 miles (39 km) north-west of London; nearby towns and cities include Watford, St Albans and Berkhamsted. The population at the 2021 census was 95,961.

Hemel Hempstead has existed since at least the 8th century and was granted its town charter by Henry VIII in 1539. It has expanded and developed in recent decades after being designated as a new town after the end of the Second World War.

Peterborough (/ˈpiːtərbərə, -bʌrə/ PEE-tər-bər-ə, -⁠burr-ə) is a cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is 74 miles (119 km) north of London, on the River Nene. As of the 2021 census, Peterborough had a population of 192,178, while the population of the district was 215,673.

Human settlement in the area began before the Bronze Age, as can be seen at the Flag Fen archaeological site to the east of the city centre. There is evidence of Roman occupation. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the establishment of a monastery, Medeshamstede, which later became Peterborough Cathedral. In the 19th century, the population grew rapidly after the coming of the railway. The area became known for its brickworks and engineering. After the Second World War, industrial employment fell and growth was limited until Peterborough was designated a new town in the 1960s. The main economic sectors now are financial services and distribution.