Urban Design

The Government, through Planning Policy Guidance Note 1, regards good design as a fundamental requirement for new development. Urban design is an umbrella term used to describe the disciplines, processes and creativity required to achieve good design.

A recent best practice guide suggested that:

'Urban design is the art of making places for people. It includes the way places work and matters such as community safety, as well as how they look. It concerns the connections between people and places, movement and urban form, nature and the built fabric and the processes for ensuring successful villages, towns and cities. Urban design is a key to creating sustainable developments and the conditions for a flourishing economic life, for the prudent use of natural resources and for social progress.'

[By Design - Urban design in the planning system: towards better practice, p8. Department for the Environment, Transport and Regions (DTLR) and Commission for Architectures and the Built Environment (CABE)].

The principles of urban design have been embodied in various recently published guidance and texts. These include the Urban Design Compendium [Llewelyn Davies, English Partnerships and The Housing Corporation - 2000] and Better Places to Live - A companion guide to PPG3 (Housing) - [DTLR and CABE - 2001]. Produced or endorsed by the government, they have been commended for use by local authorities and developers. Further general information can be obtained from the Urban design Group www.rudi.net (this is an external hyperlink) and Urban Design Alliance www.udal.org.uk (this is an external hyperlink).

Urban design principles are being used by the Council to guide its policies and documents and in its discussions with landowners and developers. For example, they have influenced the South Hampshire Light Rapid Transit Urban Design and Landscape Guidelines and the Fareham Urban Housing Capacity Study, Draft Town Centre Design Guide and Supplementary Planning Guidance on Crime Reduction Through Design.