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Understanding and defining Urban Design: AR 451-ARCH41S5 - Planning 2 - Fundamentals of Urban Design and Communi…

1.1. Understanding and defining Urban

Design
INTRODUCTION

Some of you may have encountered the term "urban design" for the first time and may wonder
whether your definition and or basic understanding of this profession is valid. This lesson will expose
you to the basic principles and ideas associated with urban design and eventually gives you a
working definition and unified understanding of the same.

Urban Design 

Urban design as a profession though some might considered to be relatively new is not new.  It was
coined as 'civic design' -  which fundamentally focus on the siting of buildings and their relationship to
open spaces, in North America in the late 1950's but it only gained popularity in the early 1970's to
address the growing and intricate urban problems. It has also been historically credited in forming
cities. Recently, urban design denotes a more expansive approach - evolving from an initial,
predominantly aesthetic, focusing only with the distribution of building masses and the spaces
between buildings; it is now primarily concerned with the quality of the public realm (public space,
public environment or the public domain) - both physical, socio-cultural, and the making of places for
people to enjoy and use. 

Public spaces are areas that are open and accessible to all people. Examples of these are:
streets, pathways, sidewalks, parks, public squares, natural areas, beaches and public buildings
such as libraries. Ample public space is considered essential to the quality of life and economy of a
city. Public space may include places for personal solace, companionship, family and community. 

Since urban design involves the design and coordination of all that makes up the city, the public
space is only one among the elements of urban design. It also includes the following: 

Buildings - the most pronounced elements of urban design; they shape and articulate space by
forming and shaping the street walls of the city.
Public Spaces - these are the living room of the city, the place where people come together to
enjoy the city and each other.
Streets  - 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 to small, intimate
pedestrian pathways and corridors. The pattern of the street network is part of what defines a city
and what makes each city unique. 
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Landscape - 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.  

Urban design weaves together these elements into a coherent, organized design structure.

But, urban design is not easily understood by people most especially laymen; and there does not
exist a commonly agreed definition of urban design yet, mainly due to its interdisciplinary and multi-
disciplinary character which makes urban design, ambiguous. The terms "urban" and "design" are
broad terms which could have many different definitions to different people. "Urban" suggests the
characteristics of towns and cities; while "design" refers to activities of sketching, planning, and
arranging  and pattern making. But within the practice of urban design, "urban" has a wide and
inclusive meaning embracing not only the city and the town but also the village and the hamlet. And
"design", rather than having a narrowly aesthetic interpretation, is as much about problem solving
and/or the processes of delivering or organizing development.

In the Philippine settings, urban areas definition are governed by the established criteria of the
National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB). Kindly search and refer to the internet and look for
the criteria on how cities, municipalities, and barangays are classified into rural, urban, and urbanized
areas. Try to distinguish and differentiate the requirements for an urban and urbanized areas in the
Philippines. Or you may want to explore it HERE.  
(https://djecexplains.wordpress.com/tag/new-
definition-2010-census-of-population-and-housing-urban-barangays/)

(https://djecexplains.wordpress.com/tag/new-definition-2010-census-of-population-and-housing-
urban-barangays/) What are the criteria or parameters in determining urban/urbanized area? 

Ambiguities of Urban Design

Aside from the two (2) problematic words or terms associated to "urban design", there are seven (7)
ambiguities (questions) that needs to be addressed and clarified for us to have a common
understanding of urban design:

1. Should urban design be focused at particular scales or level?

2. Should it focus only on the visual qualities of the urban environment or, more broadly, address the
organization and management of urban spaces?
3. Should it simply be about transforming spatial arrangement, or about more deeply seated social
and cultural relations between  spaces and society?
4. Should urban design be the province of architects, landscape designers, or planners?
5. Should it be a public or private activity?

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6. Should it be seen as an objective-rational process (a science) or an expressive-subjective

process (an art)?
7. Should the focus of urban design be its product (the urban environment) or the process by which
it is produced?

These ambiguities essentially attempt to classify and distinguish the areas where urban design
applies or works - either on the end-product, which is normally manifested in the physical form and/or
the processes used to arrive at the product of urban design. Appleyard (1982) states that there
should not or cannot be a single definition of urban design and if the existence of different kinds of
urban design is recognized, then it is possible to get a better understanding of the nature of it.

Urban Design Distinguishing Factors

Traditionally, urban design has been regarded either as a subset of planning or as an extension of
architecture. It is concerned in particular the shaping and use of urban public spaces. It also deals
with the large scale organization and design of the city, with the massing and organization of
buildings and space between them, but not with the design of the individual buildings. We could
analyze the various development factors that differentiate urban design from the other discipline
through the table below.

Architecture
Single Building/Complexes
1, 2, 3, or 5 years
Specific Development Control
Deals only with the functional
requirements of buildings and
how it satisfies users' needs
Employed by
individual/developers
Involved with only physical
design issues
Distinguishing Factors
Urban Design Urban Planning
Large scale such as entire
Typically considers the entire
neighborhood or cities OR the
city
cities public spaces
Long time frames: 10-15 years Can extend beyond 30 years
Less direct control Even less direct control
Deals with interconnection.
Deals with large number of
Looks beyond the bounds of the
variables: transportation, place
city and understand how the city
identity, pedestrian orientation,
works. Allocates land uses
etc. 
among competing factors, 
Employed by developers on
Involved in the political process
variety of projects and also by
where public policy is formulated
public bodies
Involved with a spectrum of Involved with a spectrum of
social,  cultural and physical social,  cultural and physical
design issues design issues

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Traditions of Thought in Urban Design

Historically, there are three (3) traditions of thought in urban design. Following are brief descriptions
of these traditions and the personalities that are recognized to advocate the traditions:

The Visual-Artistic Tradition

More architectural and narrower understanding of urban design

Predominantly 'product oriented', focused on the visual qualities and aesthetic experience of
urban spaces rather than on the cultural, social, economic, political, and spatial factors and
process contributing to successful urban design. 
This tradition failed to acknowledge public perceptions of townscapes and places. 
Camillo Sitte on his book entitled 'City Planning According to Artistic Principles" promoted this
thought of urban design.

The Social-Usage Tradition

Emphasized the way in which people use and colonize space

Encompass issues of perception and sense of place which is the element lacking in the previous
tradition.
Kevin Lynch's on his treatise the "Image of the City

(http://www.sethspielman.org/courses/geog3612/readings/Lynch.PDF) " attempted to shift the focus

of urban design in two (2) ways:
In terms of appreciation of the urban environment
In terms of the object of the study
Jane Jacobs is also a key proponent and advocate of this tradition. In her book: "The dearth and
life of Great American Cities", she argues that the city could never be a work of art because art
was made by 'selection from life', while a city was life at its most vital, complex and intense.
Concentrating on the socio-functional aspects of the streets, sidewalks, and parks, Jacob's
emphasized their role as container of human activity and places of social interaction. 

The Making-Places Tradition

From the synthesis of earlier traditions, urban design is simultaneously concerned with the design
of urban space as an aesthetic entity and as a behavioral setting.
It focuses on the diversity and activity which help to create successful urban places, and in
particular, on how well the physical milieu supports the functions and activities taking place there. 
With this concept comes the notion of urban design as the design and management of the 'public
realm'. Public realm is defined as the public face of the buildings, the spaces between frontages,

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the activities taking place in and in between these spaces, and the managing of these activities,
all of which are affected by the uses of the buildings themselves. 

Urban design involves place-making - the creation of a setting that imparts a sense of place to an
area.  This process is achieved by establishing:

identifiable neighborhoods
unique architecture
aesthetically pleasing public places and vistas
identifiable landmarks and focal points
human element established by compatible scales of development and ongoing public
stewardship.

 Key elements of place-making include:

lively commercial centers

mixed-use development with ground-floor retail uses
human-scale and context-sensitive design; safe and attractive public areas
image-making
decorative elements in the public realm

Seven (7) objectives of Urban Design relating to 'Concept of Place'

Character – a place with its own identity

Continuity & Enclosure – a place where public & private spaces are clearly distinguished
Quality of the Public Realm – a place with attractive & successful outdoor areas
Ease of Movement – a place that is easy to get to and move through
Legibility – a place that has a clear image and is easy to understand
Adaptability – a place that can change easily
Diversity – a place with variety and choice

TAKE  A LOOK at this Urban Design Protocols for Australian Cities

(https://urbandesign.org.au/what-is-urban-design/) to broaden your appreciation of making places for

people. 

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An Introduction to Urban Design: Principles of Urban Design

LEARNING REFERENCES

Creating Places for People_The Australian Urban Design Protocol

https://urbandesign.org.au/what-is-urban-design/
(https://urbandesign.org.au/what-is-urban-
design/)  

Elements of Urban Design and Image of the City

https://www.slideshare.net/kamsaniravivarma/image-of-city-by-kevin-lynch

(https://www.slideshare.net/kamsaniravivarma/image-of-city-by-kevin-lynch)

An Introduction to Urban Design: Principles of Urban Design

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video

(https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrgBmVEPENfCmwAx3BXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0Nj
ZjZzZhBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNwaXZz?
p=An+introduction+to+urban+design&fr2=piv-
web&fr=mcafee#id=1&vid=19514af543b2112f11e91f5e04bcf3a2&action=view)

Basic concepts of Urban Design: A Research Review

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.610.6009&rep=rep1&type=pdf

(http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.610.6009&rep=rep1&type=pdf)

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