URBAN DESIGN
Urban design can be defined simply as “shaping spaces for people”, in other words, “the
embodiment of physical and social environment, consciously or intuitively”
We experience cities at many different scales, from singular buildings and spaces to
neighborhoods and entire districts. This variety in the human experience of cities is why we
are seeking to regenerate urban centers to create socially, environmentally, and
technologically connected places for people. Connections are a key element to building
communities that are lasting and adapt over time — incorporating a broad range of
considerations that include context, site, culture, history, and knowledge.
Urban design can help in drawing up
masterplans and design guidance for large
areas, through to working up detailed designs
for a local street or public space. It is about
designing for people at the human scale, to
make life better, and to make more attractive
places that will remain valuable over time. Like
any well-designed object, a place must
function well, be attractive, durable and cost-
effective to build and maintain.
Adding economic, social and environmental
value considerations to projects does not
necessarily add to costs, but requires a view of
the ‘bigger picture’ than many other
professions adopt and at an early stage in each
project. This is what urban designer do.
1. Urban Design: Some Definitions
1.1. Scope of Urban Design
Urban design has replaced the "civic design" which
dealt primarily with city halls, museums,
streets, boulevards, parks and other open spaces since 1960s.
However there is not a consensus about the definition and
boundaries of urban design.
Urban Design is,
• The process of giving physical design direction to urban growth, conservation, and change
• The design of cities - 'a grand design'
• The interface between architecture, landscape and town planning
• The complex relationships between all the elements of built and unbuilt space (DoE, 1996)
• The architecture of public space
Some theoreticians rather not to describe urban design but to explain what it is not:
• It is not land use policy, sign controls, and street lighting districts.
• It is not strictly utopian or procedural.
• It is not necessarily a plan for downtown, however architectonic, nor a subdivision
regulation.
Descriptions explained above suggest that there is no easy, single, agreed definition of
urban
design. However we can determine the general framework of urban design.
