URBAN DESIGN

METHODOLOGY

LAN 562 | LAS515

URBAN PLANNING THEORY
Lecture 04

URBAN DESIGN
METHODOLOGY
SYNOPTIC
PLANNING
WHAT? The Rational or Comprehensive method.

WHY? Provide a method with consistent form of comparability between alternatives.

HOW? 2 important concept : Value & Uncertainty (via SWOT, ICO etc.)
i. Identifying value – to draw actual potential and rational of the chosen solution
ii. Identifying uncertainty – to remove ambiguity / vague on the actual

Effective decision achieved – analysis and measurement of value + predictability of different outcome

ALTERNATIVE
GOAL & CONCEPTS ELABORATION
OBJECTIVE OF CONCEPTS
DATA INTO EVALUATION
ANALYSIS SOLUTION OF
ALTERNATIVE
DATA SOLUTION
TRANSLATION
COLLECTION OF SOLUTION
WHAT? Survey of existing condition about the environment and its natural, built and social economic
component. (What? Where?)

Most Planners approach – collection of variety of socioeconomic data in various form and methodology
(statistical info, geographic survey, aerial photos etc.)

CAUTION! Imbalance tendency:

• Much focus on infrastructure and quantifiable aspect – leaving other important aspect
• Focus on the natural environment only.

ALTERNATIVE
GOAL & CONCEPTS ELABORATION
OBJECTIVE OF CONCEPTS
DATA INTO EVALUATION

01 ANALYSIS SOLUTION OF
ALTERNATIVE
SOLUTION
TRANSLATION
DATA OF SOLUTION

COLLECTION
WHAT? Identification of all opportunities and limitations (THE IMPLICATION)
First step towards converting information into design alternatives.

WHY?
i. Promotes understanding on basic spatial variations, qualities & relationship. (TYPOLOGY &
CHARACTERISTICS of space)
ii. Reviewing the materials and information collected to identify problem, opportunity and constrain.
iii. Stimulate imagination, improved perspective and obtain technical expertise to clarify, define,
expand and argue major issues.

HOW? • Definition of prevalent problem / issues.

• Identification of problem & opportunities, constrain & limitation
• Leads to clear delineation and formulation of goal and objective (Why? How? When? Who? Etc.)

CAUTION! Elaboration data inventory without sufficient time to analyse the data
“TOO MUCH DATA COLLECTION & EVALUATION, BUT LACK IN DATA ANALYSIS”

ALTERNATIVE
GOAL & CONCEPTS ELABORATION

02 OBJECTIVE OF CONCEPTS
INTO
SOLUTION
EVALUATION
OF

DATA DATA ALTERNATIVE

SOLUTION
TRANSLATION
COLLECTION
ANALYSIS OF SOLUTION
HOW? Should be based on facts ‘rationales’ rather than designer’s interest and value.

Advisory committee / public participation will help to refine goal & objectives + add additional
insights & avoid angry public

Must be clear, specific and understandable – elaborate intent & purpose of the plan + the variables +
degree of the plan to be implemented

CAUTION! Be very specific about what you really meant by ‘SUSTAINABLE’

‘BE CAREFUL WITH UNIVERSAL GOALS – NO VALUE + MEANINGLESS POLICIES’

ALTERNATIVE
ELABORATION

03
CONCEPTS
OF CONCEPTS
DATA INTO EVALUATION
ANALYSIS SOLUTION OF

DATA
FORMULATION ALTERNATIVE
SOLUTION
TRANSLATION
COLLECTION
OF GOAL & OF SOLUTION

OBJECTIVE
HOW? TWO STAGES:
i. Identification of key organising principles that constitute the generative of each scheme.
ii. Definition of a more detailed set of basic attributes for each alternatives.

Alternatives based on designer’s knowledge/experience and/or identify from case study

Alternatives should represent comprehensive plan for design proposed by:

i. Create variety of approach to certain goal
ii. Value as tool to expand the main alternatives

EXAMPLE Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Smart growth, Urban Renewal, Healthy City, Garden City, Green
Belt, Green Lung, Infill Development, Urban Acupuncture etc.

GOAL & 04 ELABORATION

OF CONCEPTS
OBJECTIVE
DATA
ANALYSIS
GENERATION INTO
SOLUTION
EVALUATION
OF

DATA
OF ALTERNATIVE
SOLUTION
TRANSLATION
COLLECTION
ALTERNATIVE OF SOLUTION

CONCEPTS
WHAT? Expending previous proposed alternatives & analysing the concept, major goal and objectives

HOW? TWO APPROACHES

i. Emphasis comprehensiveness and consistency within alternatives
ii. Emphasis the effect and interactions of a policy/program within larger complex of plan

WHY? Main intent:

• To review, analyse & criticise the available solution.
• To categorise them in order of capability within the framework

ALTERNATIVE

05
GOAL & CONCEPTS
OBJECTIVE
DATA EVALUATION
ANALYSIS OF
ELABORATION ALTERNATIVE
DATA SOLUTION
COLLECTION OF CONCEPTS TRANSLATION
OF SOLUTION

TO SOLUTION
WHY? To search for the best alternatives / solution before final decision is made

HOW? A. Method on micro-scale & macro-scale

Traditional benefit/cost analysis, metropolitan-plan evaluation methodology, land suitability analysis,
feasibility study, Environmental impact assessment, Heritage impact assessment etc.

B. Method on simulation
Solar access, noise abatement/reduction control, wind tunnel etc. (modelling/simulation evaluation)

CRITIC i.
ii.
iii.
Difficult to achieve comprehensiveness – time / cost / resources consuming
Tend to concentrate on single metropolitan solution & single level of detail
Natural environment consideration tend to be overwhelmed by macro-physical demographic &
economic calculation (quantitative)

GOAL &
OBJECTIVE
ALTERNATIVE
CONCEPTS
ELABORATION
OF CONCEPTS
INTO
06
DATA
ANALYSIS
SOLUTION EVALUATION
DATA OF TRANSLATION
COLLECTION
ALTERNATIVE OF SOLUTION

SOLUTION
WHY? Involves detailed presentation and explanation of the selected alternatives and formulation of policies,
plans and other planning products

HOW? Selection of particular planning product (policies, plans, guidelines or program) depends on particular
situation or type of urban planning / design activities.

REMEMBER Implication and feedback on the detail development / solution (policies, plan etc.) can always be
explored & re-evaluate even for the entire process if needed.

SUMMARY “However, this method at least achieved a degree of rationality / rationalisation, which adequate
for urban design.”

ALTERNATIVE ELABORATION
GOAL & CONCEPTS OF CONCEPTS
OBJECTIVE INTO
DATA EVALUATION
SOLUTION
ANALYSIS OF

DATA
ALTERNATIVE
SOLUTION 07
COLLECTION
TRANSLATION
OF SOLUTION
PUBLIC LIFE
STUDIES
OVERVIEW
BEFORE PUBLIC LIFE STUDIES BECAME AN ACADEMIC FIELD
THE GREAT
DEPRESSION
(1929)
EBENEZER HOWARD 1902
4.5 Garden Cities of To-Morrow
CIAM 1933
persons
Utopian ideology as a respond to La charte d’Athenes (The Athens Charter)
PER HOUSE
poor living environment during
10 msq. Industrial Revolution Modernism’s position as the leading 20th Century ideology in
PER PERSON Planning and Architecture
Eg : Garden City of Letchworth
The document was based upon Le Corbusier’s Ville Radieuse
(Radiant City) book

WORLD WORLD
1900 1910 WAR I 1920 1930 WAR II
(1939)
1940 1950
(1914)

CAMILLO SITTE 1889 LE CORBUSIER 1923

Der Stadtebau Ver une architecture 179,000
cars in
The art of building cities via intuitive & Manifesto of city from functionalist perspective. Denmark
aesthetic viewpoint. (1950)
Critic : Replacing complex, overpopulated,
Critic: Rational Urban Planning being unhealthy traditional city.
overly rigid.
Embrace Functional cities – straight lines, tall
2.9
persons
Embrace diverse expression of Dense buildings, highways large green areas.
PER HOUSE
Traditional City (The Medieval City).
1896 cars 30 msq.
in Denmark Eg: Ville Radieuse
(1896) Eg : Piazza Del Campo PER PERSON
 FIRST PUBLIC LIFE STUDIES (1960 – 1985)

JAN GEHL 1971 WILLIAM H. WHYTE 1980

KEVIN LYNCH 1960 The Social Life of Small Urban Space
Life Between Buildings
The Image of the City
Urban landscape is Observing the natural order of spaces & the
Study of Boston, Jersey City way people move through them, Whyte
considered via 5 human
and Los Angeles on how provides an intuitive critique of urban
sense and experience.
observers take information of spaces and ways these spaces can be
Gehl introduce the concept
the city, and use it to make
of Necessary, Optional and improved.
mental maps
Social Activities.

ENV. &
OIL NEW
SOCIAL
1960 AGENDA 1965 1970 CRISIS
(1973)
1975 URBANISM
late 1970s
1980 1985
(1960s)

JANE JACOBS 1961 DONALD APPLEYARD 1980

GORDON CULLEN 1961
Liveable Streets
Death and Life of Great The Concise Townscape
American Cities
Streets have become dangerous, unliveable
The art of giving visual
environments, yet most people live on them.
Critic : Planning being coherence and organization to
abstract and humanly the jumble of buildings, streets
Streets need to be redefined as sanctuaries;
distant, cars dominate and space that make up the
as liveable places; as communities; as
cities. urban environment.
resident territory; as places for play,
ENV. greenery, and local history.
AWARENESS Modernist destroyed social
(1960) life and connective strength
in city.
 PUBLIC LIFE STUDIES AS A STRATEGIC TOOLS (1985 – 2000) PUBLIC LIFE STUDIES BECOME MAINSTREAM (2000 – CURRENT)

CLARE C. MARCUS 1990 PETER BOSSELMANN 1998 JAN GEHL 2010

People Places Representation of Places Cities for People

Analyses and summarizes Before making changes in the Gehl explains the methods and tools to
existing research on how actual physical environment, reconfigure unworkable cityscapes into
urban open spaces are designer must create the landscapes that become : cities for
actually used. representations of their designs. people.

Seven types of urban open Can images accurately match a He makes a plea for city planning on a
space are discussed, that designer's conception to a future human scale in the fast- growing cities
specify key relationships reality? of developing countries.
between design and use. NEW
SDG URBAN
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 (2015) 2015 AGENDA
(2017)

ALLAN JACOBS 1995 PPS 2000

Great Streets How to Turn a Place Around
2.0
persons
GEHL & SVARRE 2013
PER HOUSE
Discussed best streets, A user-friendly guidebook helped launch How to Study Public Life
physical & designable the Placemaking Movement. 54 msq.
characteristics PER PERSON Introduce methods and
community-driven observation and tools to recapture city life
Jacobs offers a wealth of experimentation with a series of as a planning dimension.
information on street principles and practical tools for
dimensions, plans, Public life toolbox were developed for a pragmatic
2.3 mil anyone to remake their public spaces
sections, and patterns of PLACEMAKING reason: to improve conditions for people in cities
cars in MOVEMENT
use, all systematically by making people visible & creating cities for
Denmark (2000) + (the Power of 10 exercise and Place
compared. (2000) people
Performance Game)
PUBLIC LIFE
RESEARCH
TECHNIQUE
01
DATA COLLECTION
TECHNIQUE
BY JAN GEHL
PUBLIC LIFE STUDIES TECHNIQUE BY GEHL

REFER TO JAN GEHL’S APPROACH ON N.O.S

REFER TO DONALD APPLEYARD’S APPROACH

REFER TO WILLIAM H. WHYTE’S APPROACH

PUBLIC LIFE STUDIES TECHNIQUE BY GEHL
EXAMPLE OF KEEPING A DIARY
EXAMPLE OF TEST WALK PROCESS
02
URBAN DESIGN
PROCESS
BY HAMID SHIRVANI
ANALYSIS GUIDES FOR LANDUSE ELEMENT

REMEMBER THIS
ANALYSIS GUIDES FOR BUILDING USE, FORM
AND MASSING ELEMENT
ANALYSIS GUIDES FOR CIRCULATION AND
PARKING ELEMENT
ANALYSIS GUIDES FOR CIRCULATION AND
PARKING ELEMENT
ANALYSIS GUIDES FOR OPEN SPACE ELEMENT
ANALYSIS GUIDES FOR PEDESTRIAN ELEMENT
ANALYSIS GUIDES FOR ACTIVITY SUPPORT
ELEMENT
ANALYSIS GUIDES FOR SIGNAGE ELEMENT
ANALYSIS GUIDES FOR PRESERVATION
ELEMENT
ANALYSIS GUIDES FOR PRESERVATION
ELEMENT
03
PLACEMAKING
TOOL
BY PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACES (PPS)
04
STUDYING URBAN
ACTIVITIES &
QUALITY
BY JAN GEHL
 Physical environment quality based on Type of Human Activities

NECESSARY
ACTIVITY

OPTIONAL
ACTIVITY

SOCIAL
ACTIVITY
05
STUDYING TRAFFIC
OR LIVELY CITY
STREET
BY DONALD APPLEYARD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESgkcFbGiL8 Revisiting Donald Appleyard's Liveable Streets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESgkcFbGiL8 Revisiting Donald Appleyard's Livable Streets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESgkcFbGiL8 Revisiting Donald Appleyard's Livable Streets
06
OBSERVING
SOCIAL LIFE
BY WILLIAM H. WHYTE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsVZxanrL7s The Social Life of the Street
WHYTE’S
OBSERVATION
ON SEATING
BEHAVIOUR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uowJa3pstlw Whyte’s social life clip moveable chairs

ARGUMENTS
ON WHYTE’S
APPROACH
IN ASIAN
CONTEXT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56bMDXdCKD0&t=8s The Social Life of Chinese Small Urban Spaces