Abstract
The role urban design and urban designers can play in helping to deliver high-quality, sustainable built environments is now well established, both in the UK and elsewhere. Previously known as ‘Civic Design’, with the ‘urban’ coming to the fore in the USA during the 1960s, this activity is multidisciplinary in its approach and holistic in its general outlook. Urban design practitioners pride themselves in filling the spatial gaps between the traditional functions of the architect, who usually concentrates on designing an individual building on a single site for a single client, and those of the planner, who works on policy making and delivery for whole neighbourhoods, towns, cities and even regions. Urban designers claim that, unlike their professional colleagues, they are uniquely able to focus on, amongst other things, the quality of the public realm, the street, the square and the spaces between buildings.
Even though urban design is now a recognised profession amongst those responsible for delivering our built environments, there is a tangible lack of confidence amongst those who aim to practise this profession. This manifests itself in an incessant need to define and continually restate the remit of urban design, and the role and function of urban designers. It is also evident in their seemingly endless, but helpful, desire to identify and codify a series of rules and principles for helping to design and create good-quality, sustainable places.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alexander C (1977) A pattern language. Oxford University Press, New York
Barton H, Grant M, Guise R (2003) Shaping neighbourhoods for health, sustainability and vitality. Spon, London
Bentley I et al (1985) Responsive environments. The Architectural Press, London
Birch R (2006) Todmorden, people, places and events. The Woodlands Press, Todmorden
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council (2010) Todmorden ward profile. CMBC, Halifax
Carmona M (2001) Housing design quality. Spon, London
Carmona M (2004) Public places: urban spaces, the dimensions of urban design. The Architectural Press, London
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (2011) Case study: incredible Edible Todmorden
Cowan R (2005) The dictionary of urbanism, Streetwise, Tisbury
Cullen G (1961) Townscape, London. The Architectural Press, London
Darley G (2007) Villages of vision, five leaves, London
Daseking W (2015) Frieburg: principles of sustainable urbanism. J Urban Regen Renew 8(2)145
DETR (2000) By design, department of communities & local government, London
Department of Communities and Local Government (2012) The National Planning Policy Framework. DCLG, London
Dobson J (2015) Achieving equity: access to good local food for all. J Urban Regen Renew 8(2)122
Duanny A (2008) The urban transect, Duanny Plater-Zyberg and Company, www.dpz.com
English Partnerships (2007) The urban design compendium, English partnerships and the housing corporation. Homes and Communities Agency, London
Essex County Council (1973) A design guide for residential areas. Essex County Council, Chelmsford
Gehl J (2003) New city spaces. The Danish Architectural Press, Copenhagen
Haas T (2008) New urbanism and beyond. Rizzoli, New York
Hall P (2014) Cities of tomorrow. Wiley-Blackwell, London
Jacobs J (1961) The death and life of Great American cities. Random House, New York
Jencks M, Dempsey N (2005) Future forms and design for sustainable cities. The Architectural Press, London
Lehnerer A (2009) Grand urban rules. 010 Publishers, Rotterdam
Llewellwyn-Davies (1976) The Tehran masterplan. Llewellwyn-Davies, London
Mikoleit A, Purckhauer M (2011) Urban code. MIT Press, Cambridge Mass
Muthesius S (1984) The english terraced house. Yale University Press, Yale
New Economics Foundation (2004) Clone town Britain, NEF, London
Rudlin D, Falk N (1999) Sustainable urban neighbourhood. The Architectural Press, London
Sharp T (1984) A plan for Todmorden. Todmorden Town Council, Todmorden
Sitte C (1889) City planning according to artistic principles, in Cammillo City: the birth of modern city planning, Collins C (2006) Dover Architecture, Dover
Sorkin M (2011) All over the map: writings on buildings and cities. Verso, London
Sucher D (2003) City comforts. City Comforts Inc., Seatle
Summerson J (2003) Georgian London. Yale University Press, Yale
Thadani DA (2010) The language of towns and cities: a visual dictionary. Rizzoli, New York
The Prince of Wales (1989) A vision of Britain. Doubleday, London
The Urban Task Force (1999) Towards an urban renaissance. Spon, London
Tibbalds F (1988) Making people friendly towns. The Architectural Press, London
Trivelli L (2013) Final report on incredible sdible Todmorden. University of Pisa, Pisa
Unwin R (1909) Town planning in practice. Fisher Unwin, London
Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Co. (2005) A tourism action plan for the upper calder valley. UCVR, Hebden Bridge
Vitruvius (BC25) in Rowland, I (2001) Vitruvius: ten books on architecture. South Western University, Texas
Warhurst P, Dobson J (2014) Incredible! Plant veg and grow a revolution. Urban Pollinators, Kibworth Beauchamp
Yorkshire Forward (2003) Upper calder valley renaissance: the valley vision. Yorkshire Forward, Leeds
Yorkshire Forward (2008) Renaissance market towns manual. Yorkshire Forward, Leeds
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Smales, L., Warhurst, P. (2016). Sustainable Urban Design. In: Dastbaz, M., Strange, I., Selkowitz, S. (eds) Building Sustainable Futures. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19348-9_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19348-9_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-19347-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-19348-9
eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)