AbstractThe Land Use Research Unit at Kings College, London published a book in 1985 as a result of research into the effect of 15 design variables in high me flats on the incidence of litter, graffiti, vandal damage and pollution by urine and faeces. The conclusion is that design faults cause a large proportion of the problems encountered in this form of accommodation. Some of these can be altered quickly and inexpensively and have proved their worth in comparison with other approaches. The recommendations include giving ground floor flats gardens to improve social contact and the removal of high level walkways.The time is clearly ripe for some large-scale tests of design improvement in estates that currently make life a misery for their inhabitants, and for discouraging the proliferation of defective designs as an interim measure while the test results are awaited.