SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF GOOD DESIGN

Our seven principles will help you decide whether proposals are any good.

Successful places have attractive and comfortable outdoor spaces: this small City of London space offers a place to relax.

Urban design is a professional discipline that requires three years of training, but we've distilled the key points here for councillors.
1. Character - a place with its own identity 2. Continuity and enclosure - where public and private spaces are clearly distinguished 3. Quality of the public realm - a place with attractive and well-used outdoor areas 4. Ease of movement - a place that is easy to get to and move through 5. Legibility - a place that is easy to navigate 6. Adaptability - a place that can change easily 7. Diversity - a place with variety and choice

Lace Market Square, Nottingham: distinctive sculpture reflects local heritage

1. Character
A place with its own identity Successful places are distinctive and memorable. All the elements of the built environment work together to create a character that reflects the identity of the place and its community. When new shops and houses are identical to those in every other town, a place risks weakening its connection with its history and losing the things that make it stand out when competing for investment and skilled people. Questions to ask yourself Is the places distinctive character reflected in the way it is laid out and landscaped? Does it respond to and reinforce locally distinctive patterns of development, landscape and culture? Do buildings, public spaces, landscaping, street furniture and public artwork together present a coherent image and identity?

At sustainable housing scheme Great Bow Yard, semiprivate front gardens sit alongside a communal central garden offering space to relax

2. Continuity and enclosure

A place where public and private spaces are clearly distinguished Buildings can define open spaces by enclosing them. The activities inside buildings can bring life and activity to the edges of public spaces. And buildings can secure private open spaces by closing them off and overlooking them. In places where the distinction between public and private open space is blurred, responsibility for looking after open spaces is uncertain and privacy can be compromised. Successful places therefore need a clear relationship between the public fronts and private backs of buildings. Questions to ask yourself Is the street lively? Do people come and go from buildings and are they drawn to the activities inside buildings (retail, for example)? Are streets made up of continuous frontages of buildings and open spaces, or are there unintentional gaps that leave the street lifeless or uninteresting? Do buildings enclose space and separate private and public areas? Do buildings overlook public spaces to improve surveillance and security? In residential developments, are back garden fences accessible to intruders or are they closed off by other homes?

Darlington's pedestrian heart - attractive and uncluttered

3. Quality of the public realm

A place with attractive and well-used outdoor areas Successful places have outdoor spaces that are attractive and comfortable. These places will have invested in the public realm as a demonstration of civic pride and the value attached to public life. Outdoor spaces are important for the health of local people, encouraging sports and healthy lifestyles. Public spaces can include parks, allotments and nature reserves, as well as more formal squares and paved areas. Streets are also part of the public realm. Designed with people in mind, they offer opportunities to meet and socialise, bringing vitality to a place. Questions to ask yourself Does the place have public spaces and routes that are attractive, safe and uncluttered?

Does the place provide open space that is easy for everyone to use, including children, disabled and elderly people? Does the public realm provide a setting for important buildings or public art? Are the choices of materials durable and easy to maintain? Will they weather well over time?

High Street Kensington, London: improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists

4. Ease of movement
A place that is easy to get to and move through A place should always be easy for everyone who uses it, whether they are on foot or by bicycle, car or public transport. Pedestrians in particular should be able to get around safely and conveniently. Making a place more walkable and accessible will help reduce car use and in turn reduce congestion and air pollution and improve public health. Questions to ask yourself Are places connected with each other and easy to move through? Does the place provide a choice of routes, especially for pedestrians? Does it prioritise pedestrians over vehicles? Does the layout of the place uses minimise the need to travel and exploit any proximity to public transport? Do you need pedestrian subways or bridges to get over or under roads when a crossing at street level would be more convenient?

Grainger Town, Newcastle: restoration has provided an easily understood pedestrian layout around Grey's Monument

5. Legibility
A place that is easy to navigate Successful places are easy to find. Knowing where you are and how to get around is essential to enjoying a place and all its attractions. We intuitively use all sorts of clues to navigate. The size and type of buildings tell us whether we are on an important route or a side street. Buildings, landscape or public art can stand out from the everyday fabric of a place, making its location more memorable. This is important for people who are visiting for the first time and want to feel confident and relaxed in order to enjoy a place and all its attractions, and not anxious about getting lost. But it is also very important for people with learning disabilities, who do not necessarily find ordinary signage helpful. Questions to ask yourself

Does the place have recognisable routes, intersections and landmarks to help people find their way around? Are landmark buildings visible at street level? Do landmarks stand out from their surroundings - and are they memorable? Can public art or landmarks help you find your way around? Do the scale of the buildings and the design of the street, its furniture, lighting and surfaces tell you about the importance of a route?

Greenwich Millennium Village: innovative apartments combine with green infrastructure for sustainable living

6. Adaptability
A place that can change easily Places should be able to accommodate change over time, create continuity with the past and respond to new social, market or environmental demands. Climate change means the design of places should be flexible enough to be able to respond to changes in weather patterns. When places do not include different ownerships and uses, more effort will be needed to accommodate change in future. It may be best to avoid blocks that have just one use, as they will be difficult to adapt in future. Questions to ask yourself Can buildings be adapted to meet changing social, technological and economic conditions? Can existing buildings be adapted to new uses rather than replaced with new buildings? Can the design of the place be modified over time to cope with a changing climate? Does the design of major developments allow for incremental change instead of wholesale demolition? Can homes adapt to changing family needs including the needs of people with disabilities?

Bristol Harbourside, offering leisure, shopping, homes and public space which includes the creation of new green infrastructure on beautiful floating pontoons

7. Diversity
A place with variety and choice Successful places offer a variety of uses and activities, shops and services. Choices in employment and housing for households of all sizes and incomes are important to making a place inclusive and welcoming. A place is successfully designed if it can be used by as many people as possible, regardless of their physical ability or background. It needs to be accessible.

A range of different architecture adds interest and can reflect the diversity of the local community. Variety in landscape treatment and wildlife habitats can help support biodiversity. Questions to ask yourself Can the mix of uses work together to create viable places that respond to local needs? Will the ranges of activities and uses of the area contribute to the vitality of the place at different times of the day and week? Is there a variety of building forms and architectural expression? Can everyone use the place, regardless of their physical ability? Does it promote biodiversity and a variety of habitats for wildlife? Does it provide people with a choice of housing, shopping, employment and entertainment? Does the place reflect the diversity of the local community and its culture? Can the development provide new local employment opportunities, for instance with live-work units?

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ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN

Urban Design involves the design and coordination of all that makes up cities and towns: Buildings - Buildings are the most pronounced elements of urban design - they shape and articulate space by forming the street walls of the city. Well designed buildings and groups of buildings work together to create a sense of place. Public Space - Great public spaces are the living room of the city - the place where people come together to enjoy the city and each other. Public spaces make high quality life in the city possible - they form the stage and backdrop to the drama of life. Public spaces range from grand central plazas and squares, to small, local neighbourhood parks. Streets - Streets are the connections between spaces and places, as well as being spaces themselves. They are defined by their physical dimension and character as well as the size, scale, and character of the buildings that line them. Streets range from grand avenues such as the Champs-Elysees in Paris to small, intimate pedestrian streets. The pattern of the street network is part of what defines a city and what makes each city unique. Transport - Transport systems connect the parts of cities and help shape them, and enable movement throughout the city. They include road, rail, bicycle, and pedestrian networks, and together form the total movement system of a city. The balance of these various transport systems is what helps define the quality and character of cities, and makes them either friendly or hostile to pedestrians. The best cities are the ones that elevate the experience of the pedestrian while minimizing the dominance of the private automobile. Landscape - The landscape is the green part of the city that weaves throughout - in the form of urban parks, street trees, plants, flowers, and water in many forms. The landscape helps define the character and beauty of a city and creates soft, contrasting spaces and elements. Green spaces in cities range from grand parks such as Central Park in New York City and the Washington DC Mall, to small intimate pocket parks. Urban Design weaves together these elements into a coherent, organized design structure The urban design structure defines the urban form and the building form

PARIS

BATH

ROME
The creative articulation of space is the most prominent aspect of urban design. The following
artistic principles are an integral part of creating form and spatial definition 1. order 2. unity 3. balance 4. proportion 5. scale 6. hierarchy 7. symmetry 8. rhythm 9. contrast 10. context 11. detail

12. texture 13. harmony 14. beauty

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Urban design considers:

1. Urban structure How a place is put together and how its parts relate to each other 2. Urban typology, density and sustainability - spatial types and morphologies related to intensity

of use, consumption of resources and production and maintenance of viable communities 3. Accessibility Providing for ease, safety and choice when moving to and through places 4. Legibility and way finding Helping people to find their way around and understand how a place works 5. Animation Designing places to stimulate public activity 6. Function and fit Shaping places to support their varied intended uses 7. Complementary mixed uses Locating activities to allow constructive interaction between them 8. Character and meaning Recognizing and valuing the differences between one place and another 9. Order and incident Balancing consistency and variety in the urban environment in the interests of appreciating both 10. Continuity and change Locating people in time and place, including respect for heritage and support for contemporary culture 11. Civil society Making places where people are free to encounter each other as civic equals, an important component in building social capital.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------WHAT IS URBAN DESIGN?

URBAN DESIGN Urban design is concerned with the arrangement, appearance and function of our suburbs, towns and cities. It is both a process and an outcome of creating localities in which people live, engage with each other, and engage with the physical place around them. Urban design involves many different disciplines including planning, development, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, economics, law and finance, among others. Urban design operates at many scales, from the macro scale of the urban structure (planning, zoning, transport and infrastructure networks) to the micro scale of street furniture and lighting. When fully integrated into policy and planning systems, urban design can be used to inform land use planning, infrastructure, built form and even the socio-demographic mix of a place. Urban design can significantly influence the economic, environmental, social and cultural outcomes of a place: Urban design can influence the economic success and socio-economic composition of a locality whether it encourages local businesses and entrepreneurship; whether it attracts people to live there; whether the costs of housing and travel are affordable; and whether access to job opportunities, facilities and services are equitable. Urban design determines the physical scale, space and ambience of a place and establishes the built and natural forms within which individual buildings and infrastructure are sited. As such, it affects the balance between natural ecosystems and built environments,and their sustainability outcomes. Urban design can influence health and the social and cultural impacts of a locality: how people interact with each other, how they move around, and how they use a place. Although urban design is often delivered as a specific project, it is in fact a long-term process that continues to evolve over time. It is this layering of building and infrastructure types, natural ecosystems, communities and cultures that gives places their unique characteristics and identities.

ELEMENTS OF URBAN DESIGN This diagramshows the approximate hierarchical relationship between the elements of urban design, followed by a brief definition of each of the elements. The section below provides basic explanations for terms that are commonly used for urban design in the Australian context. Elements of urban form macro to micro

URBAN STRUCTURE The overall framework of a region, town or precinct, showing relationships between zones of built forms, land forms, natural environments, activities and open spaces. It encompasses broader systems including transport and infrastructure networks. URBAN GRAIN The balance of open space to built form, and the nature and extent of subdividing an area into smaller parcels or blocks. For example a fine urban grain might constitute a network of small or detailed streetscapes. It takes into consideration the hierarchy of street types, the physical linkages and movement between locations, and modes of transport. DENSITY + MIX The intensity of development and the range of different uses (such as residential, commercial, institutional or recreational uses). HEIGHT + MASSING The scale of buildings in relation to height and floor area, and how they relate to surrounding land forms, buildings and streets. It also incorporates building envelope, site coverage and solar orientation. Height and massing create the sense of openness or enclosure, and affect the amenity of streets, spaces and other buildings. STREETSCAPE + LANDSCAPE The design of public spaces such as streets, open spaces and pathways, and includes landscaping, microclimate, shading and planting.

FACADE + INTERFACE The relationship of buildings to the site, street and neighbouring buildings (alignment, setbacks, boundary treatment) and the architectural expression of their facades (projections, openings, patterns and materials). DETAILS + MATERIALS The close-up appearance of objects and surfaces and the selection of materials in terms of detail, craftsmanship, texture, colour, durability, sustainability and treatment. It includes street furniture, paving, lighting and signage. It contributes to human comfort, safety and enjoyment of the public domain. PUBLIC REALM Much of urban design is concerned with the design and management of publicly used space (also referred to as the public realm or public domain) and the way this is experienced and used. The public realm includes the natural and built environment used by the general public on a day-to-day basis such as streets, plazas, parks, and public infrastructure. Some aspects of privately owned space such as the bulk and scale of buildings, or gardens that are visible from the public realm, can also contribute to the overall result. At times, there is a blurring of public and private realms, particularly where privately owned space is publicly used. TOPOGRAPHY, LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENT The natural environment includes the topography of landforms, water courses, flora and faunawhether natural or introduced. It may be in the form of rivers and creeks, lakes, bushland, parks and recreational facilities, streetscapes or private gardens, and is often referred to as green infrastructure. SOCIAL + ECONOMIC FABRIC The non-physical aspects of the urban form which include social factors (culture, participation, health and wellbeing) as well as the productive capacity and economic prosperity of a community. It incorporates aspects such as demographics and life stages, social interaction and support networks. SCALE The size, bulk and perception of a buildings and spaces. Bulk refers to the height, width and depth of a building in relation to other surrounding buildings, the street, setbacks and surrounding open space. For example, a large building set amongst other smaller buildings may seem out of scale. URBAN FORM The arrangement of a built up area. This arrangement is made up of many components including how close buildings and uses are together; what uses are located where; and how much of the natural environment is a part of the built up area.