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Place 10
Bringing it to Life 36
7
Why Should I Care About Urban Design?
Good urban design changes peoples tried and trusted ideas, and community
lives for the better. It can make a journey participation. These new principles of
to school easier or a walk to the shops urban design learn from the great towns
safer and more enjoyable. Urban design is and cities of civilisation, but do not seek
relevant to large and small developments: to copy or hark back to the past as a
Whether it is a shopfront or an office better time.
building, it affects the suburbs as much
as our historic city centres. Through Planners and urban designers have realised
regeneration, urban design can help that residents know their area better than
communities that have spent years in anyone else: they know the problems, have
decline because of under-investment dreams for the future and even have some
and earlier unsuccessful design decisions. of the solutions. It is now common for
communities to be asked for their views
The twentieth-century saw the adoption and experiences before any designs have
of planning ideas that gave the car centre been drawn.
stage. These ideas were often poorly
implemented; they favoured large roads So why should you care about urban design?
and high-rise buildings over historic Because through events like community
street patterns and buildings that related planning workshops, you can put forward
to people. A look at before and after your ideas, make your communities better
photos demonstrates these changes. and ensure that the professionals have your
desires at the top of their list.
Fortunately, we are learning from our
mistakes and things are changing. At
the centre of this change are two agendas: We hope that this book will help you
New urban design principles, based on have your say.
What is in this Guidebook
This guidebook to urban design covers high quality public spaces and have clear
some key aspects of urban development: routes and landmarks. Great places are
layout, landscape, scale and appearance. sustainable, adaptable to change and have
a diverse mix of facilities that respond to
Layout deals with the overall plan of local needs.
a place including routes, spaces and
urban blocks. Scale is the height, width Remember: This guidebook is only the tip
and shape of buildings in relation to their of the iceberg! It does not cover every area
surroundings. Appearance is how a place of urban design. However, it will hopefully
looks and feels through materials and lead you to wanting to explore the subject
architectural features. further. To this end, there is a list of further
reading material at the back of the book.
Each of these aspects is loosely given its The books and publications listed are
own chapter where it is broken down into appropriate to developing a more advanced
easily understandable parts and explained understanding of where we live.
with the help of illustrations and a case
study. In addition, each chapter features
a dictionary that explains the highlighted
words and phrases.
People describe places they enjoy with words like fun, safe, charming,
pretty, friendly and welcoming. These words and phrases describe the
intangible qualities of a place. They describe the whole of that place rather
than any specific buildings or other physical things.
We can design and build new developments that allow people to talk
about their place with pride. This can be achieved by understanding what
makes or has made a place unique and then enhancing these to make the
most of them. Urban designers need to listen to the local community to
gain this understanding; it is hard to make a successful place without
this help.
Existing and historic patterns of streets and squares, along with the buildings,
form what is called the urban structure. Picking up on these existing
patterns and connecting new development to it, will make a place
interesting and rich with atmospheric qualities. It will also make a place
easy to move around, as new streets run into existing streets rather than
dead ends. Destroying the established urban grain with a new building
or development is rarely successful.
Orientation, Landscape & Weather The wind can work for and against us. Cool breezes in summer provide
natural air conditioning, but turbulence and the significant cooling effect
Good urban design exploits the natural elements such as the sun, wind, of wind on buildings and spaces is not so welcome in winter. The human
water and the natural dips and rises of the land to enhance the quality desire to huddle together applies to the layout of buildings, and by placing
and uniqueness of a place. low buildings close together the wind can be deflected over the urban area.
Understanding how a development can work with the natural world is at There are a number of ways that design can be used to make the most of
the heart of sustainability. The sun always rises in the east, always sets in the fundamental characteristics of any site. These include using slopes to
the west and is at its highest in the sky at midday. In the winter when the provide views and ponds to cool the summer air which blows across them.
days are short, the sun is low and penetrates further into buildings, casting Additionally, the positioning of deciduous trees in front of buildings
long shadows. Come the summer, the sun is high in the sky and the long blocks the sun in summer, whilst allowing it through in the winter. Not
days allow us to spend more time outside. only do these principles help make a unique and interesting place, but
they are sustainable and at the root of good simple green design.
The landscape and its topography shape the way we inhabit a place. When
the shape of the land is used, it can provide shelter, create viewing points It is no coincidence that 250-year old cottages often face south, have few
and locations for prominent buildings. Trees and other vegetation not only windows facing north, are built in hollows, sheltered from the wind,
make a pleasant place, but also provide shelter and natural privacy. and are made from local materials. We can learn much from history
and nature. The trick is not simply to copy them, but to apply what
is learnt from them appropriately.
Routes, Landmarks, Views & Vistas
A network of routes works best when the main streets are full of shops,
offices, public buildings and housing. Routes are also successful when
they are connected with each other to provide alternative ways of getting
around. Smaller, less important routes form a fine grain of walkable streets
that divide the city up into interesting and revealing public and private
spaces.
Creating vistas rather than blocked views allows people to move around
easily by visually linking their current location to a destination. Vistas
that end in or give prominence to landmarks are most successful. This is
because people use landmarks to find their way around a place whether it
is familiar or not. This is often referred to as legibility.
From the town, distant views of the wider landscape remind you of where
you are in relation to the countryside or other towns. Also, strong landmarks
such as a church spire can enhance distant views towards a town or city.
Enclosure
The need to protect ourselves from wind, rain, cold and heat is a basic
human instinct and enclosure in urban design is of great importance.
Enclosed spaces shelter us from the sun, wind and rain.
Enclosure occurs when streets and squares are contained by buildings and
to a lesser extent by walls, fences and planting. There are varying degrees
of enclosure, and this variety makes a place interesting and pleasant.
Place Secure
A particular point or part of a space A place that is safe. Secured by Design
that is occupied by a person or thing. is a police supported initiative that gives
Norwegian architect Christian a design a stamp of approval if it has
Norberg-Schulz has said that A place considered safety.
is a space that has a distinct character.
Topography
Positive Space The shape and study of the land and
Considered and well designed urban its man-made or natural features.
space: somewhere that is pleasant to be.
Urban structure
Square The framework of routes and spaces that
An urban space that is enclosed by connect locally and more widely, and the
buildings. A square in this sense can way developments, routes and open spaces
be an irregular shape such as a triangle! relate to one another.
Squares are important breathing spaces
in cities and provide areas for sitting, View
socialising, playing, eating and What is seen from a certain place.
admiring buildings.
Vista
Street An enclosed view, usually long and narrow
A public space usually lined with framed on a landmark or along a street.
buildings that is used by vehicles or
pedestrians or a mixture of both. Walkable
It differs from a road which is more A term that describes a place that is easy
vehicle-focused and is less likely to be and safe to walk around. A walkable city
lined with buildings. is one where homes, workplaces and shops
are close together and connected so that
the need to use a car is reduced.
Case Study :: Blandford Forum, Dorset
The height of buildings surrounding streets Urban designers use a street-to-building enclosed. It is interesting to note that many
or squares affects the experience a person height ratio to express different types of of the much loved medieval cities have
has of that place. Think of the extremes: enclosure. A one to one ratio means the ratios of three to one, i.e. the buildings are
tall buildings along narrow streets and low street is as wide as the buildings are tall. three times as tall as the width of the street.
buildings along wide streets. Both can have A common ratio is one to three, where the
a sense of enclosure but the amount of street is three-times as wide as the height In urban locations, buildings that are four
light, the sound of traffic and the different of the typical buildings along it. This width to eight-storeys (medium-rise) can provide a
kinds of views and vistas will be very of street can incorporate wide pavements, good mix of density, flexibility, building
different. A well thought-out mixture of parking on both sides and two lanes of cost and energy use. In addition, streets
wide and narrow streets with tall and low traffic. Squares and boulevards can have and squares with continuous medium-rise
buildings will make a place interesting. a ratio of up to one to six and still feel buildings along their edges will highlight
and enhance public buildings, which can
be taller, wider and made from contrasting
materials. Of course, suburban areas and
villages (which are lower-rise and less
dense) have different requirements in
terms of building height and shape, where
single-storey, detached buildings might
be appropriate. It is therefore important
that the design of new buildings and
developments considers carefully the
existing context.
Building Lines & Corners
The building line is the boundary of the building with the streets and
squares. Dependent on location and building use, there are several ways
a building can be positioned in relation to the building line.
In the centre of towns and cities, the main buildings are best built right
up to the building line. This gives a clear definition of private and public
space and ensures that there are no left-over areas or recesses.
Set-backs of two or three metres can work well as areas for shops and cafs
to have seating or for houses to have a buffer to the pavement and to store
bikes and bins. Smaller set-backs of around half a metre rarely work as
the space is too small to use successfully. These smaller dead spaces often
become places for litter to gather.
Corner buildings are special. They have two fronts and are often important
landmarks at the junction of streets. They can be taller than the buildings
that adjoin them and sit forward of the building line. Corner buildings
are an opportunity to give distinctive character to a place and should be
specifically designed for a corner site. It is a shame that in many residential
areas, house builders use a standard design regardless of whether it is a
corner or not.
No Blank Walls Please
A street with a continuous blank faade Views into buildings provide interest, entrances of a street of small shops This creates dead frontage. Garages
offers little idea of what is behind it. whilst views out contribute to safety or houses. This can have the effect of and parking can be placed to the rear,
Consequently, the street may feel unsafe by making a place feel overlooked. creating blank faades and deaden a leaving the front of the house for the front
and give the passer-by little to look at. The number of doors and entrances street. The rhythm of the narrow buildings door, porch and windows which can look
By contrast, a street with lots of windows generating activity on a street is a good that form a traditional terrace provides directly onto the street.
and doors opening onto it, will encourage indicator of the likelihood for street life: a good example of how a successful
street life, feel safe and draw attention the more, the better. street can work.
to the activity within. This is called an
active frontage and adds interest and Large buildings tend to have one main Within some residential developments,
vitality to a place. entrance rather than the multiple garages dominate the front of houses.
Making Good Space Dictionary
Public buildings
Buildings that are open to the public.
They can be municipal buildings such as
libraries, galleries, museums, community
and civic centres, or pubs and shops.
Ratio
A measure of the relative size of two
numbers which is expressible as a
proportion, i.e. the ratio of boys to
girls is two to one.
Set-backs
When a building is not built right up
to the building line, it creates a space
between it and the street edge. Set-back
can also refer to the upper storeys of
a building, where stepping back the
external walls can reduce the impact
of taller buildings.
Viability
Whether a place has the right mix of
buildings and population to attract
and sustain financial investment.
Vitality
How busy a place is at different times.
Case Study :: Silver Hill Development, Winchester
People like to personalise the places they inhabit by painting their door
or planting a window box. It communicates their tastes to the wider
community and contributes towards making a varied and more pleasant
place to live. It is important that buildings can be adaptable to allow
personalisation whilst maintaining a consistent look and feel.
Urban Clutter & Materials Soft landscape can provide a contrast to the stone, metal
and glass building materials found in towns and cities.
Our towns and cities can be overwhelmed by clutter: Trees and other plants express the changing season and can
traffic lights, endless signs, railings and benches in the screen and shelter buildings and public spaces. Planting
wrong place. The reason behind much of this clutter is can also provide natural habitats for wildlife to develop
the motor vehicle, which has been allowed to determine within urban areas.
how our towns look and feel, in the name of safety
and traffic flow.
Clutter
The uncoordinated arrangement of street
furniture, signs and other features.
Clutter can make a place feel untidy
and unwelcome.
Case Study :: Weston Shorescapes, Southampton
We hope that you understand why good English Partnerships and the Housing
urban design is important. Your input is Corporation (2000) Urban Design
vital to changing your towns and cities for Compendium 1.
the better. You know your area, what works
and what does not and it is important that English Partnerships and the Housing
you and your community have your say. Corporation (2007) Urban Design
Compendium 2.
We hope that having read this book, you
understand more about urban design By Design (2000) DETR and CABE.
and can use your knowledge to improve
where you live. Cowan, R (2005) The Dictionary of Urbanism.
Secured by Design
www.securedbydesign.com
We would like to thank the following people for their input and support
in the production of this book: Paul Bulkeley for his expert advice during
the project and the referral at the beginning. Mark Drury at the Solent
Centre for Architecture + Design for having the idea of such a book in the
first place and for making sure it all happened. The South East England
Development Agency (Miranda and Alex) for supporting and funding
the project. Sifer! Jon Skipper for feedback on the early draft and his
quality photography. Elizabeth Smith at Southampton City Council for
allowing us to use her Weston Shorescape text. Allies and Morrison for
giving us permission to use the Silver Hill masterplan. Peter Wainwright
for his positive and constructive feedback. Oliver Merkin for editing and
smoothing it out! And to Nathalie and Capucine for putting up with six
months of urban design.
Picture Credits
p. 4-5 Neil Marshall, Portsmouth City Council; p. 18 Jon Skipper; p.20 Monika Kostera, Toby Forage; p.21
Monika Kostera, Kevin Ritchie, Michael Thompson; p.23 John Lamper; p.26 Deer Park Alpha; p.28 Deer Park
Alpha; p.29 Wendy Fuller; p.30 Alan Stanton; p.31 Dahon; p.32 Alan Stanton; Alan Light; p.33 Monika Kostera;
p.34 Monika Kostera, Alan Stanton; p.35 Allies and Morrisons; p.38 Christine Olson; p.40 Dewet Diener, Angela
Sevin, Josh Swannack, Tanakawho; p.42 Jo DeSyllas; p.43 Jon Skipper, Alison Jackson-Bass; p.44 Hans Kylberg,
Stuart Murdoch. p.45 Solent Centre for Architecture + Design, Matthew Dunkinson.
Published by Solent Centre for Architecture + Design This project received funding from SEEDA
30A High Street, Lyndhurst, Hampshire SO43 7BG UK through South East Excellence.