Urban Design

• Home
• Environment and Planning
• Urban Design

What is Urban Design?

Urban design is the art of making places for people. The core aims of urban design are:

• the creation of lively places with distinctive and attarctive character;
• enabling more sustainable patterns of development through the more efficient use of land;
• the regeneration of run down areas; and
• the creation of streets and public spaces that are safe, accessible, pleasant to use and human in scale;

The Council's urban design team aims to raise design quality throughout all aspects of the built environment, from the detailed design of buildings to the quality of the public realm. The role of good urban design in the planning system is particularly important if these aspirations are to be achieved.

The Urban Design Team

The Urban Design Team pursues this aim by providing the following services:

• Initiating and inputting into the design of public space improvement schemes;
• Promoting high quality, contemporary design by advising on the design elements of planning and other types of applications (e.g. appeals and enforcement of unauthorised development) in conjunction with the development control team; and formulating Council policy on urban design matters (in conjunction with the Planning Policy Team)
• Working with developers on the design of schemes before the submission of a planning application to ensure good design is pursued from the outset.
• Promoting good urban design practice on Council managed land.
• Encouraging and initiating the provision of high quality public art.