Key objectives

 

The key objectives of urban design and SWM when aiming to make and improve a good place:

 

  • improve the quality of life for people by improving the quality of public space
  • manage and reduce flood risk
  • improve water quality
  • improve biodiversity
  • create solutions that can be simply and effectively maintained and adapted over time.

 

Principles

 

A list of principles of good urban design is provided here. This list should be used as the basis for good and successful retrofitting to meet the key objectives outlined above:

 

Principle 1: What kind of context? What scale of retrofit?

What are the specific characteristics of the existing urban area?

 

Principle 2: Design for people first

Put people first, and then design with this as the main focus.

 

Principle 3: No space is useless

All spaces have a purpose. No space is waste space.

 

Principle 4: Create diversity at the place

Create diversity to increase the quality of all forms of life – human and ecology alike.

 

Principle 5: Improve connections and cohesion between places

Improve both ecological and pedestrian connectivity and cohesion.

 

Principle 6: Connect and integrate resource flows

Green and blue spaces can interconnect with each other in a network to provide opportunities for ecosystems to grow and thrive.

 

Principle 7: Good places are never finished! Design to accommodate change

Design places with the ability to adapt to change (whether demographic, development or climatic change).

 

Read more on:

Our Partners
Our Supporters